2020-21 UEFA Nations League

Lore & Background

Portugal were the defending champions, having won the inaugural 2019 finals. However, they failed to qualify for the 2021 finals after finishing second in their group behind France. None of the teams that had qualified for the previous UEFA Nations League Finals qualified for the 2021 edition. Host country Italy was selected among the four qualified teams by the UEFA Executive Committee.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights hummed over a midweek evening in late 2020, the pitch glistening under the artificial sun. In the stands, a sea of azzurro swayed to the rhythm of a crowd that had not yet learned what was coming. The ball was in play, and somewhere in the noise, a defender's boot met the crossbar with a sound like a gunshot. The keeper exhaled. The fans roared. For ninety minutes, the new Nations League felt like a dress rehearsal for something bigger. It was not yet the final in Wembley. It was just a Tuesday, a group of players in blue shirts running through the cold European night, building the architecture of a team that would, a few months later, make an entire nation forget the pain of 2018. The trophy for this tournament would not come. But the foundation did.

Reader's Guide

In League A, the four group winners qualified for the Nations League Finals, which was played in a knockout format consisting of the semi-finals, third place play-off, and final. The semi-final pairings were determined using an open draw. The video assistant referee (VAR) system was used in the Nations League Finals. Teams also competed for promotion and relegation. The group winners from Leagues B, C, and D were promoted, while the last-placed teams of each group in Leagues A and B were relegated. As League C had four groups while League D had only two, the two League C teams that were to be relegated were determined by play-outs in March 2022.

Did You Know?

• The 2020–21 edition was the second season of the UEFA Nations League.
• France won the final 2–1 against Spain for their first UEFA Nations League title.
• Host country Italy was selected among the four qualified teams for the Nations League Finals.
• The away goals rule was originally to be used in the relegation play-outs but was abolished by the UEFA Executive Committee on 16 December 2021.