2022/23 Nations League and South American Involvement
2017
The draw for the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League is complete and we have some exciting matches to look forward to next year. As per usual, the four Group A winners will progress to the finals, which will be held in one of the qualifying countries.
The semi-finals will be played on the 14th and 15th of June 2023 and the final will be played on the 18th of June.
Arguably the standout group from the draw is Group A3, featuring Italy, Germany, England, and Hungary. It is an extremely tough draw for the Hungarians, who will do well to avoid finishing bottom, meaning relegation to the B League.
However, the other three teams will each believe they can make it to the finals by winning the group. We have a repeat of the 2021 European Championship final between England and Italy, with the former hoping to take revenge having been defeated by the Italians at Wembley Stadium.
England vs Germany is another top international rivalry and the matches between Germany and Italy will be tough to call.
Spain and Portugal will be relatively happy with their draw and they are in Group A2 along with Switzerland and Czech Republic.
Both the Spanish and Portuguese will believe they can qualify for the finals and the two fixtures between the teams will be crucial in deciding who finishes top of the group.
France will be delighted with their draw as they face Denmark, Croatia, and Austria for a place in the 2022/23 Nations League finals. The French are the clear favourites to win the group but the Danes will be hoping they can run them close for top spot.
Croatia and Austria will life difficult and it could be the Austrians who are dropping down to Nations League B.
The final group in League A consists of Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, and Wales. Belgium have a strong qualifying record and they are going to be tough to stop on their march to another Nations League finals.
Netherlands are the most likely to challenge them for first place in the group, with Poland and Wales battling to avoid finishing in bottom place.
Aside from the 2022/23 Nations League draw, there was some interesting news for future tournaments. South American teams are set to join the Nations League in 2024 following talks between the governing bodies of UEFA and CONMEBOL.
10 South American countries will join the Nations League in 2024 and UEFA vice-president Zbigniew Boniek said, “From 2024 CONMEBOL will join the Nations League. We do not know yet in what formula, in what form.”
Interestingly, both UEFA and CONMEBOL were against the plans for a biennial World Cup and this move could more to do with stopping FIFA than improving the Nations League competition. However, it will be exciting to see the likes of Brazil and Argentina competing more regularly against the top European nations.
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