Updated:
Dec 16, 2021 6:36 pmEngland has the opportunity to gain revenge for this summer’s Euro 2020 final defeat, as they face Italy in the group stage of next years’ UEFA Nations League campaign.
It will also be an opportunity to renew old rivalries with Germany, which they knocked out in the last-16 of the European Championships, ending a 55-year-old wait for a knockout tie victory against Die Mannschaft. The trio will be joined by Hungary in group three of League A.
Elsewhere, the reigning World Cup and Nations League champions, France, will be confident of topping their group, however, they will face a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final with fixtures against Croatia and Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark.
Beaten finalists last time out, Spain will be joined in group two by inaugural champions Portugal, who won the first edition of the competition in June 2019.
Belgium, which is the number one ranked side in world football, are drawn against a familiar foe in Wales. The pair played each other recently in World Cup qualifying, as well as the Euro 2016 qualifying group and the quarter-finals of the same competition.
In other leagues, Gibraltar was represented in League C, with their first competitive victory coming in this competition in 2018 as they beat Armenia. in 2020/21 they remained unbeaten with two victories and two draws to gain promotion.
Kazakhstan plays Moldova, and Cyprus play Estonia in March 2022 play-offs. The winners will be in League C and the losers in League D.
Draw in full:
League A
Group 1 – France, Denmark, Croatia, Austria
Group 2 – Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Czech Republic
Group 3 – Italy, Germany, England, Hungary
Group 4 – Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Wales
League B
Group 1 – Ukraine, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Armenia
Group 2 – Iceland, Russia, Israel, Albania
Group 3 – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Romania, Montenegro
Group 4 – Sweden, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia
League C
Group 1 – Turkey, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Faroe Islands
Group 2 – Northern Ireland, Greece, Kosovo, Cyprus/Estonia
Group 3 – Slovakia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan/Moldova
Group 4 – Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Georgia, Gibraltar
League D
Group 1 – Liechtenstein, Andorra, Kazakhstan/Moldova, Latvia
Group 2 – San Marino, Cyprus/Estonia, Malta
