UEFA Nations League Draw

The draw for the group stage of the 2026/27 season of the UEFA Nations League, one of Europe’s national-level football competitions, was held in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. Turkey participated in this competition for the first time in its history at the A League level and was drawn into a group featuring the top-tier national teams. The draw took place at the Brussels Expo, with a delegation from the Turkish Football Federation present at the event.

TFF President Ibrahim Ethem Hacıosmanoğlu (right 2), Acting President Zehra Neşe Kavak (left 2), Acting Chair of the Foreign Relations Council Çağrı Kanver (left), A National Team Head Coach Vincenzo Montella (right) (AA)

Venue and Participants of the Draw

The draw was conducted in Brussels and determined the group stage matchups for the 2026/27 season involving all 54 UEFA member nations. Turkey was drawn from Pot 4. The A League draw was conducted by Portuguese former international footballer Pepe. The B League draw was conducted by Patrick Vieira, the C League draw by Fernando Llorente, and the D League draw by Mbo Mpenza.

The Turkish Football Federation was represented at the draw by President Ibrahim Ethem Hacıosmanoğlu, Acting President Prof. Dr. H. Zehra Neşe Kavak, Acting Chair of the Foreign Relations Council Çağrı Kanver, A National Team Head Coach Vincenzo Montella, Director of Foreign Relations and National Teams Buğra İmamoğulları, Director of A and U21 National Teams Mert Tuncay, and Director of Communications for National Teams Türker Tozar.

^{Portuguese former international footballer Pepe (right 2) conducted the A League draw. He was accompanied by UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti (right) (AA)}" image-element-format="left" image-height="2756" image-source="https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2026/02/13/ClDeIdBzJ669jDdv6in25LJTri1IDnwN.jpg" image-width="4134">

A League Group 1 Matchups

As a result of the draw, Turkey was placed in Group 1 of the A League alongside France, Italy and Belgium. Thus, Turkey has secured a place in a group featuring three of Europe’s top national teams at the A League level.

The A League groups are as follows:

1. Group 1: France, Italy, Belgium, Turkey
2. Group 2: Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Greece
3. Group 3: Spain, Croatia, England, Czechia
4. Group 4: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Wales

With this draw, Turkey has been placed in a group with some of Europe’s elite national teams.

B, C and D League Groups

The groupings for the other leagues were also determined following the draw.

• B League Group 1: Scotland, Switzerland, Slovenia, North Macedonia
  B League Group 2: Hungary, Ukraine, Georgia, Northern Ireland
  B League Group 3: Israel, Austria, Republic of Ireland, Kosovo
  B League Group 4: Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Sweden

• C League Group 1: Albania, Finland, Belarus, San Marino
  C League Group 2: Montenegro, Armenia, Cyprus, Latvia/Gibraltar
  C League Group 3: Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Faroe Islands, Moldova
  C League Group 4: Iceland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Luxembourg/Malta

• D League Group 1: Gibraltar/Latvia, Malta/Luxembourg, Andorra
  D League Group 2: Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein

This distribution has resulted in a total of 16 groups across four leagues.

Tournament Format

Under the tournament format, the top two teams from each A League group advance to the two-legged quarterfinals. The winners of the quarterfinal matches qualify for the final tournament to be held in June 2027.

The group winners from the B and C Leagues and the group winners from the two D League groups are promoted to the next higher league. Teams finishing fourth in the A and B Leagues are directly relegated to the next lower league. The two worst-performing fourth-placed teams in the C League are also relegated to the D League.

The third-placed teams in the A League and the second-placed teams in the B League compete in two-legged play-off matches. Similarly, the third-placed teams in the B League and the second-placed teams in the C League also face each other in play-off matches. Additionally, play-off matches are held between the two best fourth-placed teams in the C League and the two second-placed teams in the D League.

Under the new format, the team finishing last in its group is relegated to the lower league, while the team finishing third must compete in a play-off to retain its place in the league.

Match Schedule

The first four matchdays of the league phase will be played within a single international match window at the end of September and beginning of October, in accordance with the FIFA International Match Calendar. The final two matchdays of each group will be held in November.

The league phase match dates are as follows:

1. Matchdays: 24–26 September 2026
2. Matchdays: 27–29 September 2026
3. Matchdays: 30 September–3 October 2026
4. Matchdays: 4–6 October 2026
5. Matchdays: 12–14 November 2026
6. Matchdays: 15–17 November 2026

The quarterfinals and the promotion/relegation play-offs between the A and B Leagues and the B and C Leagues will be played between 25 and 30 March 2027. The A League finals will be held between 9 and 15 June 2027.

The C/D League play-off round will take place between 23 and 28 March 2028.

Head Coach’s Statements

A National Team Head Coach Vincenzo Montella noted after the draw that Turkey has been placed in a group with France, Italy and Belgium. He emphasized that facing Italy again holds special significance, recalling a friendly match previously played in Bologna, and stated that this upcoming encounter will be pursued with a different objective in mind.

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Montella stated that the team is focusing on the play-off matches scheduled for March, has been visiting clubs to monitor player performances, and highlighted that qualifying for the World Cup remains a shared goal among the players and coaching staff.

Overview of the Competition

For the 2026/27 season, Turkey has earned the right to compete at the A League level of the UEFA Nations League and has been placed in Group 1 alongside France, Italy and Belgium. The league phase will be played between September and November 2026, with the qualification and final stages concluding in 2027. A multi-tiered structure has been established with a promotion and relegation system, enabling sport-based movement between the A, B, C and D Leagues.