LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – JANUARY 24: Deco, former Brazilain football player, (L) shows the slip of Italy during the UEFA Nations League Draw 2018 at Swiss Tech Convention Center on January 24, 2018 in Lausanne, Switzerland. (Photo by Robert Hradil/Getty Images)
The draw for the league phase of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League will take place later this evening: Here is everything you need to know about the draw, how it works, the teams competing and the sides that Italy could come up against.
When is the 2026-27 Nations League draw?
The UEFA Nations League league phase draw will take place at 17.00 GMT (18.00 CET) on Thursday, February 12. The draw will be conducted from Brussels.
Which league will Italy be in?
Italy are one of 16 nations competing in League A in 2026-27, the highest level in the competition.
The nations competing in League A in 2026-27 are as follows: Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, England, Norway, Wales, Czechia, Greece, Türkiye.
How does the draw work?
During Thursday’s draw, the 16 nations competing in League A, which includes Italy, will be seeded into four pots containing four teams each. (There will be separate draws for League B, League C and League D).
These pots are based on rankings from the previous (2024-25) edition of the Nations League.
The 16 teams in League A will be drawn into four groups of four, containing one team each from Pot 1, Pot 2, Pot 3 and Pot 4. This will decide the fixture list for the 2026-27 Nations League league phase.
Italy finished the last edition of the Nations League in second place of League A’s Group B, which means that they will be one of the four teams in Pot 2 in the 2026-27 Nations League draw.
Italy will be in Pot 2 along with the Netherlands, Denmark and Croatia. These sides will avoid playing against each other in the Nations League league phase.
Which teams could Italy face?
Italy will face one team each from the following:
Pot 1: Portugal, Spain, France, or Germany
Pot 3: England, Norway, Belgium, or Serbia
Pot 4: Wales, Czechia, Greece, or Türkiye
How does the Nations League league phase work?
In Nations Leagues A, B and C, each team will play six matches during the league phase: At home and away against each of the other three teams in their group.
In League A, the teams that finish the groups in first and second place will progress to the quarter-finals. The winners of those ties will then go on to compete in the final tournament.
In Leagues B, C and D, teams that finish top of their group will be promoted for the following Nations League campaign, and teams that finish bottom in Leagues A, B and C will be relegated to a lower division.
When do the 2026-27 Nations League matches take place?
As for the games themselves, there will be league phase matches played during the next September, October and November international breaks, a set of quarter-finals in March 2027 and a final tournament in June 2027.
Matchday 1: September 24 – September 26, 2026
Matchday 2: September 27 – September 29, 2026
Matchday 3: September 30 – October 3, 2026
Matchday 4: October 4 – October 6, 2026
Matchday 5: November 12 – November 14, 2026
Matchday 6: November 15 – November 17, 2026
League A quarter-finals: March 25 – March 30, 2027
Final tournament: June 9 – June 13, 2027
When do Italy play next?
Before the 2026-27 Nations League campaign gets underway in September, there is the small matter of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Italy have not yet secured their spot at the final tournament in North America, and must qualify through the league phase if they are to avoid missing out on a third consecutive World Cup.
That means that Italy will next be in action against Northern Ireland in a World Cup play-off semi-final in Bergamo on March 26, 2026.
Should Italy win against Northern Ireland, they will then progress to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away from home in a World Cup play-off final on March 31: A one-match decider for a spot at the final tournament.
