On Thursday, February 8 in Paris, the draw ceremony for the UEFA Nations League-2024/2025 took place, determining the opponents of Ukraine's national team.

In Divisions A, B, and C, there will be 16 teams each, while in Division D — six teams. 

Ukraine landed in the second pot of League B and received one opponent from the first, third, and fourth pots. In group B1, the blue-and-yellow team will play against Czech Republic, Albania, and Georgia. The match schedule for our quartet has been determined.

Schedule of Matches in Group V1 UEFA Nations League-2024/2025

Round 1

September 7, 2024

Georgia — Czech Republic (7:00 PM)

Ukraine — Albania (9:45 PM)

Round 2

September 10, 2024

Albania — Georgia (9:45 PM)

Czech Republic — Ukraine (9:45 PM)

Round 3

October 11, 2024

Czech Republic — Albania (9:45 PM)

Ukraine — Georgia (9:45 PM)

Round 4

October 14, 2024

Georgia — Albania (7:00 PM)

Ukraine — Czech Republic (9:45 PM)

Round 5

November 16, 2024

Georgia — Ukraine (7:00 PM)

Albania — Czech Republic (9:45 PM)

Round 6

November 19, 2024

Albania — Ukraine (9:45 PM)

Czech Republic — Georgia (9:45 PM)

Match times are in Kyiv time.

UEFA Nations League-2024/2025

League A

Group A1: Croatia, Portugal, Poland, Scotland.

Group A2: Italy, Belgium, France, Israel.

Group A3: Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Group A4: Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, Serbia.

League B

Group B1: Czech Republic, Ukraine, Albania, Georgia.

Group B2: England, Finland, Ireland, Greece.

Group B3: Austria, Norway, Slovenia, Kazakhstan.

Group B4: Wales, Iceland, Montenegro, Turkey.

League C

Group C1: Sweden, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Estonia.

Group C2: Romania, Kosovo, Cyprus, Lithuania/Gibraltar.

Group C3: Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Northern Ireland, Belarus.

Group C4: Armenia, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, Latvia.

League D

Group D1: Lithuania/Gibraltar, San Marino, Liechtenstein.

Group D2: Moldova, Malta, Andorra.

In Divisions A, B and C the participants are divided into four groups of four teams each. In Division D — two groups of three teams each.

Winners of Groups in League A and teams finishing second will participate in quarter-finals of the Nations League home and away matches, with winners qualifying for the final four. Teams finishing last in their quartets will drop to Division B.

Teams that finish first in groups in Divisions B, C and D will move up respectively to Divisions A, B and C. Teams finishing last in Division B will drop to Division C. The two worst teams from Division C will drop to Division D. 

Teams that finish third in groups of League A and third — in League B, will play home-and-away playoff matches against teams that finished second in groups of League B and second — in groups of League C respectively. The two best teams among the last ones in League C will meet with other national teams from Group D. 

What awaits Ukraine in League B?

As known, based on the results of the UEFA Nations League-2022/2023, Ukraine's national team, finishing second in its group, remained in League B.

After changes to the format for the group stage tournament in League B, where Ukraine will participate, if it finishes:

• first place — will move up to League A;
• second place — will play a playoff match against a team finishing third in Group A;
• third place — will play a playoff match against a team finishing second in Group C;
• fourth place — will drop to League C.

Playoff matches are scheduled for March 2025.

The places that the participants of the UEFA Nations League-2024/2025 hold will determine which group, with four or five teams, they will enter in the World Cup qualification.

Teams divided into groups of five for the 2026 World Cup qualification will start their tournament in March or June 2025 if they still participate in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League or in promotion/relegation matches. Teams divided into groups of four participants will start qualifying for the World Cup in September 2025.

Schedule of Matches in UEFA Nations League-2024/2025

Round 1: September 5—7, 2024.

Round 2: September 8—10, 2024.

Round 3: October 10—12, 2024.

Round 4: October 13—15, 2024.

Round 5: November 14—16, 2024.

Round 6: November 17—19, 2024.

Playoffs: March 17—25, 2025.

Semi-Finals and Final: June 2—10, 2025.

World Cup Qualification through the Nations League

The qualification for the FIFA World Cup-2026 in Europe, where 16 spots will be contested, will take place from March 2025 to March 2026 and consist of two rounds.

Round 1: Twelve groups with five or four teams each will play in the period from March to November 2025 under a traditional group stage system. Twelve winners of these groups will receive direct tickets to the finals.

The twelve second-place finishers and four best group winners of the UEFA Nations League-2024/2025, who finished below second place in the group stage of European qualification, will participate in playoff mini-tournaments.

Round 2: The playoff mini-tournaments in March 2026 will consist of one-legged semi-finals and finals. Sixteen participants will be divided into four playoff paths. Four winners will receive tickets to the FIFA World Cup-2026.