Ukraine, Greece, Austria or Turkey. One of those four will be the opponent for the Red Devils in the play-offs for promotion and relegation in the Nations League.
The Devils will go into the draw for the draw on Friday afternoon (12 noon) in Nyon, Switzerland. Greece and Austria were previously known as possible opponents, but the Nations League results on Tuesday evening added Ukraine and Turkey.
That’s some serious food. Austria and Turkey were revelations at the last European Championship, where the Red Devils themselves had a very difficult time against Ukraine (0-0). Greece surprised with a 15 out of 18 in a Nations League group with England. The matches to determine who will play in the A division in the next edition of the Nations League will be played on March 20 and 23 next year.
Probably only three opponents in World Cup qualifying
The Belgians also know who the possible opponents are in the World Cup qualifiers. The draw will be held on December 13 in Zurich, Switzerland, but it will look different than usual due to the Nations League and the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams.
Because the Belgians have to participate in the Nations League play-offs in March, they can only play their first World Cup qualifying matches from June 2025. There is a good chance that they will therefore be drawn in a group with barely three opponents who only have six. match days.
As a seed, the Red Devils are certainly in pot 1, which means they avoid France, Spain, England, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria. Ukraine, Turkey or Greece, three countries that they can also meet in the Nations League jump-offs, are among the toughest opponents from pot 2. Group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, numbers two end up in a play-off system with semi-finals and a final.
Pot 1
France
Spain
England
Portugal
The Netherlands
Belgium
Italy
Germany
Croatia
Switzerland
Denmark
Austria
Pot 2
Ukraine
Turkey
Sweden
Wales
Poland
Hungary
Serbia
Greece
Romania
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Norway
Pot 3
Scotland
Slovenia
Ireland
Albania
North Macedonia
Georgia
Finland
Iceland
Northern Ireland
Israel
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Montenegro
Pot 4
Bulgaria
Luxemburg
Belarus
Armenia
Kosovo
Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan
Estonia
Cyprus
Faroese
Latvia
Lithuania
Pot 5
Moldavia
Malta
Andorra
Gibraltar
Liechtenstein
San Marino