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The road to the UEFA Nations League 2026-27 begins on Thursday, with 54 teams in action in the league phase.

Portugal, the record two-time champions, will look to successfully retain the title they won in 2025.

But with reigning World Cup winners Spain, and former champions France and heavyweights England also in the mix, the title defence will be far from easy.

What is the UEFA Nations League?

The UEFA Nations League was founded in 2018 to reduce the number of meaningless friendlies and give nations competitive matches against equally-ranked teams.

In this competition, countries from across Europe participate in a league structure, which features promotion and relegation.

How many teams are in the Nations League?

A total of 54 teams will participate in the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League.

They are divided into the following leagues and groups, following the draw in Brussels, Belgium in February:

League A

Group A1: France, Italy, Belgium, Turkiye
Group A2: Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Greece
Group A3: Spain, Croatia, England, Czechia
Group A4: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Wales

League B

Group B1: Scotland, Switzerland, Slovenia, North Macedonia
Group B2: Hungary, Ukraine, Georgia, Northern Ireland
Group B3: Israel, Austria, Republic of Ireland, Kosovo
Group B4: Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Sweden

League C

Group C1: Albania, Finland, Belarus, San Marino
Group C2: Montenegro, Armenia, Cyprus, Latvia
Group C3: Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Faroe Islands, Moldova
Group C4: Iceland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Luxembourg

League D

Group D1: Gibraltar, Malta, Andorra
Group D2: Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein

What is the schedule for the UEFA Nations League?

UEFA has earmarked the following dates for the Nations League 2026-27:

League phase

Matchday 1: September 24-26
Matchday 2: September 27-29
Matchday 3: October 1-3
Matchday 4: October 4-6
Matchday 5: November 12-14
Matchday 6: November 15-17

Quarterfinals, League A/B and League B/C promotion/relegation playoffs 

March 25-30, 2027

League C/D playoffs 

March 23-28, 2028

Final tournament 

June 9-13, 2027

How does the UEFA Nations League work?

The teams compete across four different divisions, facing every other team in their group twice: once at home and once away. The league phase ends in November.

In the top-most league, League A, the top two teams from each group go through to the quarterfinals, which take place in March 2027.

The finals will again be contested between four teams. The host and the dates of the finals have not been confirmed yet.

As for each of the group winners in Leagues B, C and D, they will be promoted to the league above. The teams finishing bottom of their groups in Leagues A, B and C will be relegated one league below.

Here’s the full breakdown of the promotion and relegation scenarios:

League A

• The group winners and runners-up advance to the quarterfinals.
• The two highest-ranked third-placed teams remain in League A.
• The two lowest-ranked third-placed teams and two highest-ranked fourth-placed teams contest the League A/B play-offs against the four runners-up from League B.
• The two lowest-ranked fourth-placed teams are relegated to League B.

League B

• The group winners are promoted to League A.
• The runners-up contest the League A/B play-offs against the two lowest-ranked third-placed teams and two highest-ranked fourth-placed teams from League A.
• The third-placed teams remain in League B.
• The fourth-placed teams contest the League B/C play-offs against the four runners-up from League C.

League C

• The group winners are promoted to League B.
• The runners-up contest the League B/C play-offs against the fourth-placed teams from League B.
• The third- and fourth-placed teams remain in League C.

 League D

• All teams are promoted to League C.

Is the Nations League linked to major tournaments?

According to European football’s governing body, UEFA, the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League is expected to be linked to qualification for UEFA EURO 2028 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Based on their UEFA Nations League results, some teams will be given a second chance to enter the playoffs for the final tournament.

Will Ronaldo play in the Nations League?

Yes. Cristiano Ronaldo will feature in the upcoming Nations League after being called up for their upcoming four fixtures. Last weekend, he was included in new coach Jorge Jesus’s first 25-man squad.

However, in August, the 41-year-old fuelled speculation about his retirement plans after saying the coming year would probably be the last of his playing career.

The Portugal captain has won major trophies at the club level with Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and current club Al-Nassr since ⁠making his senior debut for Sporting in 2002.

But he has not quite tasted similar success with his national team.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has yet to win a FIFA World Cup, football’s biggest prize, after Portugal were knocked out in the last 16 by eventual champions Spain.

Has Ronaldo won the UEFA Nations League?

Yes. Ronaldo led Portugal to UEFA Nations League victories in the inaugural edition in 2019 and the latest one in 2025.

In the 2019 edition, Portugal were crowned winners on home soil in Porto, defeating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final.

In the last edition, they were crowned champions for a second time, beating Spain 5-3 on penalties after the match was tied 2-2 in extra time, with Ronaldo among Portugal’s goalscorers in Munich.

Which other top players will play in the Nations League?

The UEFA Nations League 2026-27 is filled with stars across all divisions.

In Group A, world champions Spain have talent all around with Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Ferran Torres among the standout names, while England skipper Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham also add glamour to the division.

Norway’s talismanic forward Erling Haaland and captain Martin Odegaard headline their team, Brian Bobbey has the spotlight on him in the Netherlands squad, and veteran Luka Modric continues his journey with Croatia.

In Group B, fans should watch out for Sweden’s Victor Gyokeres, the top scorer in the 2024-25 Nations League, Georgia’s winger and PSG star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Which players will miss the opening UEFA Nations League games?

Several players have been sidelined with injuries, including England’s Cole Palmer, Declan Rice and Marcus Rashford.

Pedro Porro has been ruled out of the Spain squad.

Is the Nations League held every two years?

Yes. The UEFA Nations League has been held every two years since 2019.

Here is the list of results of the finals:

• 2019: Portugal 1-0 Netherlands (Porto)
• 2021: France 2-1 Spain (Milan)
• 2023: Croatia 0-0 Spain (aet, Spain win 5-4 on pens, Rotterdam)
• 2025: Portugal 2-2 Spain (aet, Portugal win 5-3 on pens, Munich)

The qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations begin on Thursday, with 48 countries competing to earn spots in Africa’s biggest football tournament.

Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda will cohost AFCON 2027, as the competition returns to East Africa for the first time in 51 years.

Divided into 12 groups, the teams will be involved in a six-round qualifying process that runs to March next year.

Here’s everything to know about AFCON 2027:

Which teams are in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers?

The draw for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers took place in Cairo, Egypt, in May.

The 48 teams competing in the qualifiers are as follows:

• Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
• Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
• Group C: Ivory Coast, Ghana, The Gambia, Somalia
• Group D: South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea
• Group E: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe
• Group F: Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Central African Republic
• Group G: Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo
• Group H: Tunisia, Uganda, Libya, Botswana
• Group I: Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi
• Group J: Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia
• Group K: Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia
• Group L: Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau

What are the top AFCON 2027 qualifying matches?

From the first two rounds:

• Ivory Coast vs Ghana – Thursday, September 24 at 19:00 GMT
• Nigeria vs Madagascar – Friday, September 25 at 16:00 GMT
• Morocco vs Gabon – Friday, September 25 at 19:00 GMT
• Egypt vs Angola – Friday, September 25 at 19:00 GMT
• Algeria vs Zambia – Friday, September 25 at 19:00 GMT
• Senegal vs Mozambique – Friday, September 25 at 19:00 GMT
• South Africa vs Guinea – Saturday, September 26 at 16:00 GMT

What is the schedule for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers?

The six rounds of AFCON 2027 qualifying will be held across these FIFA international windows:

• Rounds 1 and 2: September 21-October 6, 2026
• Rounds 3 and 4: November 9-17, 2026
• Rounds 5 and 6: March 22-30, 2027

How many teams can qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations?

In total, 24 teams qualify for AFCON 2027.

The general rule is that the top two teams in each group will advance to the finals.

However, in groups containing Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania – who have automatically qualified as cohosts – only the highest-ranked team outside the respective host country will go through.

The qualifiers will be played in a home and away format, with each team playing six matches.

When and where is AFCON 2027?

The 36th edition of AFCON will be held in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, bringing the tournament back to East Africa after five decades.

The tournament will run from June 19 to July 17, 2027, at 10 venues across the countries.

The stadiums are in the Tanzanian cities of Dar-es-Salaam, Arusha, Zanzibar, the Kenyan capital Nairobi, and Hoima, Kampala and Lira in Uganda.

Who won the last AFCON?

Senegal defeated Morocco 1-0 in the latest AFCON final on January 18, as Pape Gueye’s extra-time goal in a chaotic contest guided them to their second continental title.

But in March, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) made the extraordinary move to strip Senegal of their crown and award it to Morocco.

The controversial decision came after a review of an incident at the end of normal time in the final, which saw most of the Senegalese team temporarily leave the field to protest an added-time penalty awarded to Morocco, which was missed after a lengthy delay.

Senegal have appealed against CAF’s decision, and the appeal will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on October 8.

Salah, Diaz and Lookman: The top players in AFCON 2027 qualifiers

Two-time African Footballer of the Year Mohamed Salah, who now plays club football for Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super Lig, stars in record seven-time African champions Egypt’s squad.

Fans should also watch out for Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz and teen midfield sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi in the Morocco squad, led by new coach Mohamed Ouahbi, as well as Ademola Lookman and Samuel Chukwueze in the Nigerian side.

Elsewhere, Ghana are strengthened by the return of their attacking midfielder Mohammed Kudus, who missed the FIFA World Cup 2026 during a seven-month injury absence, while Senegal’s midfield features several talents such as Ibrahim Mbaye and Iliman Ndiaye.

Will Mane and Hakimi play in the AFCON qualifiers?

Morocco will be without their key player and captain Achraf Hakimi for the opening two matches as he serves a two-match suspension, alongside Ismael Saibari, who is banned for three games, for unsporting behaviour during the shambolic AFCON final in January.

Senegal will be without Sadio Mane, two-time African Footballer of the Year, as the Al-Nassr player sits out the match against Mozambique with what newly-appointed coach Patrick Vieira described as a “physical issue”.

Which other key players will miss the AFCON qualifiers?

Nigeria’s star striker Victor Osimhen will miss the opening qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau as he continues his recovery from a muscle problem. One of Africa’s finest forwards, Osimhen picked up the injury while playing for his Turkish club Galatasaray.

Naby Keita is among the several established names excluded from the Guinea squad, while Tunisia’s Hannibal Mejbri and Ivory Coast’s Amad Diallo are both out with injuries.

Gabon will be without former captain and all-time top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who quit international duty, saying he felt “humiliated” by his exclusion and subsequent reinstatement after the AFCON in Morocco in January.

Many other players also called time on their international careers this year. This includes Riyad Mahrez, who guided Algeria to the AFCON 2019 title; Edouard Mendy, Senegal’s first-choice goalkeeper during their AFCON 2021 triumph; and Ghana’s Spanish-born forward Inaki Williams.

How to watch and follow AFCON 2027 qualifying matches?

Fans can catch all the action from the AFCON 2027 qualifiers on the following broadcasters or streaming platforms:

• North Africa and Middle East: beIN SPORTS
• Sub-Saharan Africa: SuperSport
• East Africa: Azam TV, TBC Tanzania, KBC Kenya
• South Africa: SABC Sport
• Francophone Africa: Canal+

The complete list of global broadcasters is here.

Al Jazeera Sport will also bring you live coverage of select matches.