The format of the UEFA Nations League: A new home and away system has been added. The quarter-finals with Spain winning the title are the most anticipated[yuyi]

At 0:00 am on March 21st, Beijing time, the 24-25 UEFA Nations League kicked off. The semi-finals of the A-level league and the promotion and relegation play-offs of other levels of leagues will all kick off. The format and promotion and relegation rules of the UEFA Nations League are very complex. This year's tournament has also made innovations to the format, adding a home-and-away quarter-final system. Let's take a look together.

The semi-finals of League A

A total of 16 teams participate in the UEFA Nations League A Division, divided into 4 groups of 4 teams. They play a home-and-away double round-robin tournament. Eventually, the top two teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals, where they will compete in a two-legged quarter-final. The winners will advance to the UEFA Nations League semi-finals until the ultimate champion is determined.

The A-level league has now reached the semi-final stage. The draw for the matchups is as follows: in the upper half, Italy vs. Germany and Denmark vs. Portugal; in the lower half, the Netherlands vs. Spain and Croatia vs. France. In addition, the third-place teams from the A-level league will play A promotion and relegation play-off against the second-place teams from the B-level league. The last-place team in each group will be relegated to the B-level league for the next UEFA Nations League.

The quarter-finals are about to kick off, and relevant institutions have promptly updated the odds for winning this year's UEFA Nations League. Currently, Spain leads the pack at 1 to 4, followed by France and Portugal both at 1 to 4.5, tied for second place. Germany is in fourth place at 1 to 5, while Italy, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Denmark all have odds above 1 to 10.

The UEFA Nations League A/B relegation play-offs

The B-level league also features 16 teams divided into 4 groups of 4 teams, playing A home-and-away double round-robin tournament. The top teams from each of the 4 groups will advance to the A-level league of the next UEFA Nations League, which consists of the Czech Republic, England, Norway and Wales. As mentioned above, the second-place teams from the four groups will play A two-legged play-off against the third-place teams from the A league. The winners will advance to the A League. The matchups for this season are Turkey vs. Hungary, Ukraine vs. Belgium, Austria vs. Serbia, and Greece vs. Scotland. The last-place team in each group will be relegated to the C division of the next UEFA Nations League.

The UEFA Nations League B/C relegation play-offs

The rules of this level are largely the same as before. The top teams of the four groups advance to the B league, namely Sweden, Romania, Northern Ireland and North Macedonia. The four second-place teams will play a two-legged play-off against the third-place teams from League B. The winners will advance to League B. The matchups for this tournament are Armenia vs. Georgia, Bulgaria vs. Ireland, Kosovo vs. Iceland, and Slovakia vs. Slovenia.

The difference lies in that the four fourth-place teams in the C-level league will not be directly relegated to the D-level league. The top two fourth-place teams will play a promotion and relegation play-off against the second-place teams in the D-level league groups, while the two worst fourth-place teams will be relegated to the D-level league.

The UEFA Nations League C/D relegation play-offs

Only six teams participate in the UEFA Nations League D division, which is divided into two groups of three teams. They play a home-and-away double round-robin tournament. Eventually, the top teams in the two groups advance to the C division, namely SAN Marino and Moldova. The second-place teams in the two groups will play a play-off against the top two fourth-place teams in the C division. The winners will advance to the C Division, with the matches being Gibraltar vs. Latvia and Malta vs. Luxembourg.