Defending champions of the UEFA Nations League, Spain has been handed a tricky draw in the group stage draws of the 2024/2025 UEFA Nations League.
The UEFA Nations League draws were made on Thursday ahead of the commencement of the new season of the competition, which the Spaniards won last season.
They were grouped in Group A4 alongside Denmark, Switzerland and Serbia. The 2010 World Cup champions defeated Croatia last year to win the trophy.
In other groups, last year’s finalists, Croatia, were seeded in group A1 alongside the first-ever winners Portugal, Poland, and Scotland. Group A2 has Italy, Belgium, France and Israel.
The Netherlands, Hungary, Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina are in Group A3. England was relegated to Group B last year, and they have been placed alongside Finland, the Republic of Ireland, and Greece in B2.
The competition will be held in a new modified format, different from previous seasons, from September to November 2024 (league phase), March 2025 (League A quarter-finals, and League A/B and B/C play-offs), June 2025 (Nations League Finals), and March 2026 (League C/D play-offs and if necessary).
UEFA Nations League 2024-25 groups:
League A
Group A1: Croatia, Portugal, Poland, Scotland
Group A2: Italy, Belgium, France, Israel
Group A3: Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group A4: Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, Serbia
League B
Group B1: Czech Republic, Ukraine, Albania, Georgia
Group B2: England, Finland, Republic of Ireland, Greece
Group B3: Austria, Norway, Slovenia, Kazakhstan
Group B4: Wales, Iceland, Montenegro, Turkey
League C
Group C1: Sweden, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Estonia
Group C2: Romania, Kosovo, Cyprus, Lithuania/Gibraltar*
Group C3: Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Northern Ireland, Belarus
Group C4: Armenia, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, Latvia
*Gibraltar and Lithuania face a play-out, effectively a relegation play-off to see who ends in Leagues C and D, in March 2024.
League D
Group D1: Lithuania/Gibraltar, San Marino, Liechtenstein
Group D2: Moldova, Malta, Andorra.
Daniel Ademiju Idowu