2020–21 UEFA Nations LeagueTournament detailsDates League phase:
3 September – 18 November 2020
Nations League Finals:
6–10 October 2021
Relegation play-outs:
24–29 March 2022Teams55Final positionsChampions
France ( 1st style )
Reading: 2020–21 UEFA Nations League
Runners-up
SpainThird place
ItalyFourth place
BelgiumTournament statisticsMatches played164Goals scored376 (2.29 per match)Attendance196,706 (1,199 per match)Top scorer(s)Romelu Lukaku
Erling HaalandFerran Torres
(6 goals each) ( 6 goals each )2018–19 2022–23 → All statistics correct as of 10 October 2021. International football rival
The 2020–21 UEFA Nations League is the moment season of the UEFA Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men ‘s national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. [ 1 ] The rival is being held from September to November 2020 ( league phase ), October 2021 ( Nations League Finals ) and March 2022 ( relegation play-outs ). [ 2 ] Portugal were the defending champions, having won the inauguration 2019 finals. however, they failed to qualify for the 2021 finals after finishing second in their group behind France. [ 3 ] none of the teams that had qualified for the previous UEFA Nations League Finals qualified for the 2021 edition. France won the concluding 2–1 against Spain for their first UEFA Nations League title .
format [edit ]
On 24 September 2019, UEFA announced that a revised format would be used for the 2020–21 edition, the second temper of the rival. [ 4 ] The 55 UEFA national teams were divided into four leagues, with Leagues A, B and C featuring 16 teams each, divided into four groups of four teams. League D featured 7 teams divided into two groups, with one containing four teams and the other hold three. The teams were allocated to leagues based on the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League overall rank. Each team now played six matches within their group, except for one group in League D that played four, using the home-and-away round-robin format on doubly matchdays in September, October and November 2020. This format ensured that for about all groups, teams in the lapp group played their last matches at the same fourth dimension. It besides increased the act of total league phase matches from 138 to 162, and minimised the number of friendly matches. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] In the exceed division, League A, teams compete to become the UEFA Nations League champions. The four group winners of League A qualified for the Nations League Finals, which is played in a smasher format consist of the semi-finals, third place play-off, and final. The semi-final pairings will be determined by means of an open trace. Host country Italy was selected among the four qualify teams by the UEFA Executive Committee, with the winners of the final examination crowned as the Nations League champions. The video assistant reviewer ( VAR ) system will be used in the Nations League Finals. [ 7 ] Teams besides compete for promotion and relegation to a higher or lower league. In Leagues B, C and D, the group winners were promoted, while the last-placed teams of each group in Leagues A and B were relegated. As League C had four groups while League D had lone two, the two League C teams that are to be relegated will be determined by play-outs in March 2022. Based on the Nations League overall rate of the fourth-placed teams, the first-ranked team will face the fourth-ranked team, and the second-ranked team will face the third-ranked team. Two ties will be played over two legs, with each team playing one peg at home ( the higher-ranked team will host the second leg ). The team that scores more goals on sum over the two legs will remain in League C, while the loser will be relegated to League D. If the aggregate sexual conquest is level, the away goals rule is applied, with supernumerary time played if away goals are besides peer. The away goals principle is again applied after extra time, with a punishment shoot-out used to decide the winner if no goals are scored during extra time. [ 2 ]
Tiebreakers for group rate [edit ]
If two or more teams in the lapp group were peer on points on completion of the league phase, the following tie-breaking criteria were applied : [ 2 ]
- Higher number of points obtained in the matches played among the teams in question;
- Superior goal difference in matches played among the teams in question;
- Higher number of goals scored in the matches played among the teams in question;
- Higher number of goals scored away from home in the matches played among the teams in question;
- If, after having applied criteria 1 to 4, teams still had an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 4 were reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings.[a] If this procedure did not lead to a decision, criteria 6 to 10 applied;
- Superior goal difference in all group matches;
- Higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
- Higher number of away goals scored in all group matches;
- Higher number of wins in all group matches;
- Higher number of away wins in all group matches;
- Lower disciplinary points total in all group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card).
- Position in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League access list.
Notes
- ^ When there were two or more teams tied in points, criteria 1 to 4 were applied. After these criteria were applied, they may have defined the place of some of the teams involved, but not all of them. For case, if there was a tripartite tie on points, the application of the foremost four standard may only have broken the tie for one of the teams, leaving the other two teams still tied. In this casing, the tiebreaking routine was resumed, from the begin, for those teams that were still tied .
Criteria for league rate [edit ]
Individual league rankings were established according to the follow criteria : [ 2 ]
- Position in the group;
- Higher number of points;
- Superior goal difference;
- Higher number of goals scored;
- Higher number of goals scored away from home;
- Higher number of wins;
- Higher number of wins away from home;
- Lower disciplinary points total (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card).
- Position in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League access list.
In order to rank teams in League D, which was composed of different sized groups, the results against the fourth-placed team in Group D1 were not taken into account for the purposes of comparing teams placed first, second base and third base in their respective groups. [ 2 ] The rank of the crown four teams in League A will be determined by their eat up in the Nations League Finals ( first to fourth ). [ 2 ]
Criteria for overall ranking [edit ]
The overall UEFA Nations League rankings were established as follows : [ 2 ]
- The 16 League A teams were ranked 1st to 16th according to their league rankings.
- The 16 League B teams were ranked 17th to 32nd according to their league rankings.
- The 16 League C teams were ranked 33rd to 48th according to their league rankings.
- The 7 League D teams were ranked 49th to 55th according to their league rankings.
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification [edit ]
The Nations League will be partially linked with european qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with the format confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee during their merging in Nyon, Switzerland on 4 December 2019. [ 8 ] [ 9 ] The qualify social organization will depend on results from the Nations League, although to a lesser degree than the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs. The ten-spot group winners after the beginning polish ( group stagecoach ) will qualify directly for the World Cup. then, the second round ( play-offs ) will be contested by the ten group runner-up, along with the best two Nations League group winners, based on the Nations League overall ranking, that finished outside the top two of their qualify group. [ 10 ] The play-offs will be split into three play-off paths, played in two single-match hard rounds ( semi-finals and finals, with the home teams to be drawn ), from which an extra three teams will besides qualify. [ 2 ]
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic [edit ]
due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the UEFA Executive Committee approved on 28 August 2020 the follow principles for the league phase of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League : [ 11 ]
- If a team could not field the minimum required number of players (at least 13 players including at least one goalkeeper) due to positive SARS-CoV-2 tests and the match could not be rescheduled, the team responsible for the match not taking place were considered to have forfeited the match and lost 0–3.
- If UEFA came to the conclusion that both or none of the teams were responsible for the match not taking place, the outcome of the match was decided by drawing of lots, either home win 1–0, home loss 0–1 or draw 0–0, carried out by the UEFA administration.
On 24 September 2020, UEFA announced that five substitutions would be permitted in Nations League matches during the October and November 2020 international windows. On 31 March 2021, the function of five substitutes was extended to the Nations League Finals in October 2021 and the League C relegation play-outs in March 2022, with these knockout matches permitting a sixth substitution should the match go to extra time. [ 12 ] however, each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions during matches, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the begin of supernumerary time and at half-time in excess prison term. During the September 2020 window, only three substitutions had been permitted. [ 13 ] All matches played in September 2020 were required by UEFA to be held behind close doors ascribable to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. [ 14 ] [ 15 ] On 1 October 2020, UEFA announced the partial return of spectators to matches beginning in October 2020, restricted to a maximum of 30 percentage of the respective stadium capacity. however, the render of spectators was subject to the decision of local authorities, with regional limits taking priority over UEFA ‘s maximum allowed capacity. Away supporters were not allowed at the venues. Social outdistance was mandate for spectators, and extra precautionary measures ( such as front masks ) were implemented in accordance with local regulations. [ 16 ]
agenda [edit ]
Below is the schedule of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League. [ 17 ] [ 2 ] The Nations League Finals, primitively scheduled for 2–6 June 2021, were moved to October 2021 following the reschedule of UEFA Euro 2020 to June and July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [ 18 ] [ 19 ] [ 13 ] The schedule of the league phase was reviewed by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meet on 17 June 2020. [ 20 ] At the meet, UEFA decided to adjust the match schedule for October and November 2020 in orderliness for an extra match to be played in each window. [ 21 ] This allowed for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs, along with the postponed March 2020 international friendlies, to be played on 7–8 October and 11–12 November 2020. therefore, matchdays 3–6, which primitively would spread over three days each during 8–13 October and 12–17 November 2020, would now spread over entirely two days. [ 22 ] The changes to the International Match Calendar for October and November 2020, which extended each window by one day, were approved by the FIFA Council on 25 June 2020. [ 23 ]
Stage
Round
Dates
League phase
Matchday 1
3–5 September 2020
Matchday 2
6–8 September 2020
Matchday 3
10–11 October 2020
Matchday 4
13–14 October 2020
Matchday 5
14–15 November 2020
Matchday 6
17–18 November 2020
Finals
Semi-finals
6–7 October 2021
Third place play-off
10 October 2021
Final
Relegation play-outs
First leg
24 March 2022
Second leg
29 March 2022
The original fixture tilt was confirmed by UEFA on 3 March 2020 following the disembowel. [ 24 ] however, due to the change of the league phase calendar, a revise schedule for the October and November 2020 fixtures was released by UEFA on 26 June 2020. [ 25 ] [ 26 ] The relegation play-outs of League C are scheduled on the same dates as the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying play-offs. If one or more of the teams due to participate in the relegation play-outs besides qualifies for the World Cup qualifying play-offs, the relegation play-outs will be cancelled and the teams in League C ranked 47th and 48th in the Nations League overall rate will be mechanically relegated. [ 2 ]
Seeding [edit ]
League adenine
League B
League C
League D Map showing the leagues each national team is participating in. All 55 UEFA national teams entered the competition. Due to the format switch of the competition, no teams were actually relegated from the 2018–19 season. In addition to the group winners, the second-placed teams in Leagues C and D, along with the best-ranked third-placed team of League D, were besides promoted. [ 17 ] In the 2020–21 access list, UEFA ranked teams based on the 2018–19 Nations League overall rank, with a slight modification : teams that were primitively relegated in the previous season were ranked immediately below teams promoted anterior to the format variety. [ 27 ] The seeding pots for the league phase were based on the access list ranking. [ 2 ] The seeding pots, draw operation and repair list procedures were confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee during their merging in Nyon, Switzerland on 4 December 2019. [ 8 ] [ 28 ]
Key
Originally promoted in previous season (prior to format change)
Originally relegated in previous season (spared after format change)
*
Promoted after format change
The draw for the league phase took place at the Beurs van Berlage Conference Centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 3 March 2020, 18:00 CET. [ 29 ] [ 30 ] [ 31 ] [ 32 ] While the draw typically had restrictions for forbidden clashes, winter venues and excessive travel, no conditions applied to the draw given the allocation of the teams to both leagues and pots. [ 28 ]
league A [edit ]
Group A1 [edit ]
( radius ) Relegated reference : UEFA Relegated
Read more: Swansea City A.F.C.
Group A2 [edit ]
- a b neck and neck points : Denmark 4, England 1 .
Group A3 [edit ]
- a b Tied on tete-a-tete results. overall goal remainder was used as the tiebreaker .
Group A4 [edit ]
- a b Tied on tete-a-tete points ( 3 ). neck and neck goal remainder : Switzerland +2, Ukraine −2 .
- ^ The Switzerland v Ukraine catch was awarded as a 3–0 win to Switzerland after being cancelled as Ukraine were placed in quarantine anterior to the equal due to positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in the team .
Nations League Finals [edit ]
The host of the Nations League Finals, Italy, was selected from the four qualify teams. [ 33 ] The semi-final pairings were determined by means of an open tie on 3 December 2020, 17:30 CET, at the UEFA headquarter in Nyon, Switzerland. For scheduling purposes, the horde team was allocated to semi-final 1 as the administrative home team. [ 34 ] Times are CEST ( UTC+2 ), as listed by UEFA .
bracket [edit ]
final [edit ]
crown goalscorers [edit ]
There were 143 goals scored in 51 matches, for an average of 2.8 goals per match .
league B [edit ]
Group B1 [edit ]
- ^ The Romania v Norway match was awarded as a 3–0 succeed to Romania after being cancelled as Norway could not travel to the match due to a positive SARS-CoV-2 test in the team .
Group B2 [edit ]
Group B3 [edit ]
- a b Tied on neck and neck points ( 2 ) and neck and neck goal difference ( 0 ). tete-a-tete away goals : Serbia 2, Turkey 0 .
Group B4 [edit ]
top goalscorers [edit ]
There were 104 goals scored in 47 matches, for an average of 2.21 goals per equal .
League C [edit ]
Group C1 [edit ]
( P ) Promoted; ( Q ) Qualified to the phase indicated source : UEFA Promoted ; Qualified to the phase indicated
Group C2 [edit ]
( P ) Promoted; ( Q ) Qualified to the phase indicated source : UEFA Promoted ; Qualified to the phase indicated
Group C3 [edit ]
( P ) Promoted; ( Q ) Qualified to the phase indicated informant : UEFA Promoted ; Qualified to the phase indicated
Group C4 [edit ]
( P ) Promoted; ( Q ) Qualified to the phase indicated source : UEFA Promoted ; Qualified to the phase indicated
Relegation play-outs [edit ]
top goalscorers [edit ]
There have been 97 goals scored in 48 matches, for an average of 2.02 goals per match ( as of 18 November 2020 ) .
League D [edit ]
Group D1 [edit ]
( P ) Promoted beginning : UEFA Promoted
Group D2 [edit ]
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Promotion
1
Gibraltar ( P )
4
2
2
0
3
1
+2
8
Promotion to League C
—
1–1
1–0
2
Liechtenstein
4
1
2
1
3
2
+1
5
0–1
—
0–0
3
San Marino
4
0
2
2
0
3
−3
2
0–0
0–2
—
( P ) Promoted source : UEFA Promoted
top goalscorers [edit ]
There were 32 goals scored in 18 matches, for an average of 1.78 goals per match .
overall rank [edit ]
The results of each team are used to calculate the overall rate of the rival. [ 39 ]
2022 World Cup qualification play-offs [edit ]
The best two Nations League group winners based on the overall ranking that finished outside the crown two of their World Cup qualifying group will join the ten group runner-up in the World Cup reservation moment polish ( play-offs ). [ 30 ]
Key
- & Team qualified directly for World Cup as qualifying group winner
-
bold) advanced to the play-offs as one of the best two Nations League group winners outside top two of their qualifying group
References [edit ]
Read more: Real Sociedad