UEFA Nations League knockout and playoff draw, explained: Date, time and how 2024/25 format works

The 2024/25 UEFA Nations League group stage has come to an end, which means the teams in qualifying positions across all phases are close to finding their pathway to either reward or punishment.

Teams at the top of their group standings will find themselves moving up a league, while teams near the bottom of their groups will end up being relegated — or facing a decisive playoff.

Finally, those at the very top of League A will contest the knockout stage, with Spain hoping to defend their title next year.

The Sporting News brings you a rundown of when the upcoming Nations League draw will take place and how it will be formatted with the new expanded knockout stage making its debut.

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When is the 2024 UEFA Nations League knockout and playoff draw?

• Date: Friday, November 22, 2024
• Time (local): 12 p.m. CET (11 a.m. GMT, 6 a.m. ET)

The 2024/25 UEFA Nations League knockout and playoff draws will take place in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday, November 22 at 12 p.m. local time.

They will conduct all four draws in order, starting with the lowest tier (the League C/D playoff) and working their way up to the League A knockout draw.

How does the UEFA Nations League knockout and playoff draw work?

Four different draws will take place during this event: three playoff draws, one for each league, plus the League A knockout draw to determine the four quarterfinal matchups.

League A knockout draw

Previously, only the group winners advanced, but this competition will see the knockout stage expanded from four teams to eight. This time around, the top two finishers in each League A group will qualify for the knockout stage.

The four group winners will be drawn against the four group runners-up, with no teams able to be drawn against a nation from their own group. For example, the Group 2 winner could not be drawn against the Group 2 runner-up, in an effort to avoid rematches so soon.

Following that, the draw will then pull placeholders for the semifinals, solidifying the entire bracket in one go.

League A knockout qualifiers

League A/B playoff draw

The four third-place finishers from League A are drawn against the four runners-up from League B groups, with the winners to compete in next year's League A, while the losers stay in League B.

The League A teams, who are seeded and drawn from Pot 1, will be home for the second leg of the two-legged matchups.

League A/B playoff qualifiers

League B/C playoff draw

The four third-place finishers from League B are drawn against the four runners-up from League C groups, with the winners to compete in next year's League B, while the losers are placed in League C in the next competition.

The League B teams, who are seeded and drawn from Pot 1, will be home for the second leg of the two-legged matchups.

League B/C playoff qualifiers

*Pending result of suspended match vs. Romania

League C/D playoff draw

Because League D has just two groups of three teams each, the League C/D playoffs work a bit differently than the two above.

In League C, the four fourth-place finishers are ordered by their UEFA ranking. The lower-ranked two nations are automatically relegated to League D, while the two higher-ranked nations will be placed into the playoff.

Those two League C playoff teams are then drawn against the two group runners-up from League D. The League C teams, who are seeded and drawn from Pot 1, will be home for the second leg of the two-legged matchups.

League C/D playoff qualifiers