UEFA approves promotion and relegation system for 2026-2027 Nations League

UEFA's Executive Committee approved on Tuesday the promotion and relegation mechanism that will govern the 2026-2027 Nations League, a transitional edition designed to smooth the way for the major change coming in 2028-2029, when the tournament moves from four leagues to three. The decision sets which national teams will occupy each tier next season and effectively removes League D, whose teams will move up to League C as a group.

• The 2026-2027 Nations League kicks off on the 24th with Portugal as defending champions and Spain as runners-up.
• The new format for 2028-2029 will feature three leagues with three groups of six teams each.
• League D disappears and all its teams are automatically promoted to League C.
• Quarter-finals, the final four and promotion/relegation playoffs remain unchanged.
• Promotion and relegation will be decided by the standings at the end of this season's league phase.

How the new Nations League format works for 2028-2029

The redesign approved in May 2026 replaces the current four leagues with three. Each league will be made up of three groups of six teams, meaning every national team will play six matches against five different opponents. The fixtures will be arranged with home and away games against teams from different pots, as well as against the rival from their own pot.

League C will have a unique feature: one of its groups will include seven teams. For that reason, its calendar will start one window earlier than the rest. The quarter-final ties, the final four and the promotion/relegation playoffs remain unchanged, limiting the impact of the redesign on the business end of the competition.

Promotion and relegation picture for the 2026-2027 season

The standings that determine promotion and relegation will be those left by the league phase of the current campaign, which gets underway on the 24th. Portugal will defend the crown they won and Spain will start as runners-up, adding further appeal to an edition already looking ahead to the upcoming restructure.

At the top end, the League A/B playoffs will be contested by the two lowest-ranked third-place teams from League A and the two highest-ranked fourth-place teams from that same league against the four runners-up from League B. The four winners of those ties will play in League A next season, while the losers will be placed in League B.

The four group winners from League B will earn direct promotion to League A. In the opposite direction, the two lowest-ranked fourth-place teams from League A will drop to League B. Meanwhile, the League B/C playoffs will pit the four bottom teams from each League B group against the four runners-up from League C. Winners of those ties will play in League B and losers will go to League C.

The four group winners from League C will move up to League B. And since League D no longer exists, all its teams will join League C, completely reshaping the base of the European national team pyramid.

Which teams will make up League A in 2028-2029

The make-up of the top tier for the 2028-2029 season already has a clear roadmap. It will include the eight League A quarter-finalists, the two best-ranked third-place teams from that league, the four League B group winners and the four winners of the League A/B playoffs.

Spain and Portugal's path in the transitional edition

Portugal arrive as defending champions and Spain as runners-up, a starting point that boosts the appeal of the league phase beginning in just a few days. For both teams, securing a strong position in League A carries double value: it guarantees a place among the elite and smooths the road into the debut of the reduced three-league format in 2028-2029.

Belfast to host the next Executive Committee meeting

UEFA announced that its Executive Committee will meet again in Belfast on December 7, one day after the draw for the Euro 2028 qualifying phase of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, which will take place in the same city. The gathering will serve to continue shaping the details of the new national team cycle.