Without Euro or World Cup, the French team will aim for the Nations League in 2025. Qualified for the final phase thanks to their first place in the group, the Blues will know their opponent for the quarter-finals during the draw, scheduled for Friday 22 November in Nyon in Switzerland from 12 p.m. This draw will concern the quarter-finals, semi-finals and play-offs of the 2024/2025 Nations League.
Winners of the competition in 2021, the French had failed to qualify for the final phase during the previous edition. With the new formula, the elimination phase begins in the quarter-finals, and the runners-up in the group are also qualified, unlike the previous edition where only the first in each group were guaranteed to participate in the semi-finals.
The Blues face the Netherlands, Croatia or Denmark in the quarter-finals
Thanks to their victory against Italy on Sunday, the Blues took the lead in the group, relegating Squadra Azzurra to second place. Despite a checkered qualifying phase (home defeat against Italy, draw against Israel), Didier Deschamps’ men thus avoided, for the quarter-finals, an opponent from the first hat, namely Spain, Germany or Portugal. Another advantage, the Blues will play the return match at home.
The French team will face one of the three teams having finished second in their group: the Netherlands, Croatia or Denmark. Opponents that the Blues know well, having faced Denmark three times, the Netherlands also three times, and Croatia on four occasions since 2020.
Round-trip quarter-finals in March, semi-finals in June
After the draw for the quarter-finals, a new draw will determine the final draw of the competition. The quarter-finals, which will pit the teams from the first hat (France, Spain, Portugal, Germany) against those from the second hat (Italy, Netherlands, Croatia, Denmark) will allow us to speculate on the future opponents of the Blues.
The elimination phase will be broken down into two stages: the quarter-finals, with a return leg, will be played between March 20 and 23, 2025, while the second part, which will consist of a knockout match, will take place in June. The semi-finals are scheduled for June 4 and 5 and the small final and the grand final will take place on Sunday June 8.
Belgium under pressure in the play-off
Before knowing the fate of the France team in this competition, other draws will concern the lower levels. We will know the posters for the round-trip play-offs of Leagues A/B, B/C and C/D, which will take place during the international break in March. Those who come third in their group will face the second in the Lower League.
Belgium, Serbia, Scotland and Hungary will have to defend their place in the elite Group A, with Ukraine, Turkey, Greece and Austria vying for the elevator to access it. Iceland, Georgia, Ireland and Slovenia are on reprieve in League B and will play their place against Armenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Kosovo. Residents of League D, the selections of Gibraltar and Malta will have the opportunity to join San Marino and Moldova in League C following a play-off against Lithuania or Azerbaijan.
Repercussions on qualifying for the 2026 World Cup
Teams qualified for the quarter-finals of the Nations League or the play-offs will not be able to start the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March and will therefore begin their campaign in June. Those qualified for the semi-finals of the Nations League in June will be included in a separate qualifying group, which will have only four teams (instead of five for the others). The UEFA preliminary round draw will take place on Friday December 13, 2024.
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