UEFA Nations League: final group stage stakes for home nations

The final round of UEFA Nations League fixtures will have major implications for the Euro 2028 qualification campaign, with teams competing for seeding positions and a potential second route to the tournament.

The four Euro 2028 co-hosts - England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland - are all involved, with none guaranteed an automatic place at the finals. UEFA could reserve up to two qualification spots for the best-ranked host nations that fail to qualify through the traditional route.

In League A, the top two teams in each group will progress to two-legged quarter-finals in March 2027. England currently sit second in Group A3 on nine points, three behind leaders Spain and six ahead of Croatia. A point from their remaining matches against Croatia and Spain would secure a place in the last eight, although Thomas Tuchel’s side will also be aiming to finish top of the group.

Wales face a tougher challenge. They are third in their League A group with three points, behind Portugal and Denmark. Their remaining games against Norway and Portugal will be crucial as they look to avoid relegation. Third place would mean a play-off against a League B runner-up, while finishing bottom would bring automatic relegation.

Northern Ireland are in a strong position in League B, where they are battling Hungary, Ukraine and Georgia for top spot and automatic promotion to League A.

Scotland, meanwhile, are third in Group B1 and can no longer finish top. To reach the promotion play-offs, they need to beat North Macedonia and Switzerland while hoping Slovenia collect no more than one point. A third-place finish would leave them facing a relegation play-off against a League C side.

The Republic of Ireland also have work to do. Sitting third in Group B3 with five points, they need victories against Austria and Kosovo to keep their hopes of reaching the top two alive and avoid a relegation play-off.

There will also be a change to the competition structure in the 2028-29 Nations League campaign. UEFA plans to move to three larger leagues and scrap League D. As a result, every team currently in League D is guaranteed promotion, while no League C side will be relegated at the end of the current cycle.