# 2026–27 UEFA Nations League B
League B of the 2026–27 [UEFA Nations League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-nations-league) is the second tier of UEFA's biennial national team competition, holding the 16 European associations ranked 17th to 32nd on the competition's access list. The teams play a home-and-away group phase in four groups of four during the autumn international windows, after which group winners are promoted to League A and the bottom sides face relegation play-offs. This edition is the last to use the four-league structure: from 2028/29 the competition moves to three leagues of 18 teams, and the promotion and relegation rules for 2026/27 were adjusted in September 2026 to manage that transition.[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/02a2-1fe81f47532b-33ea7fae9cab-1000/20260123_circular_2026_03_en_enclosure_1_unl_2627_league_phase_draw_procedure_en_1.pdf) • [2](https://it.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/02a9-2198a3fd8955-5de41c73a156-1000--approvato-il-nuovo-sistema-di-promozioni-retrocessioni-del/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier and size | Second of four leagues; 16 teams ranked 17th–32nd on the 2026/27 access list, in four groups of four[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/02a2-1fe81f47532b-33ea7fae9cab-1000/20260123_circular_2026_03_en_enclosure_1_unl_2627_league_phase_draw_procedure_en_1.pdf) |
| Draw | Thursday, 12 February 2026, 18:00 CET, Brussels; seeding based on the access list in Annex C of the competition regulations[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/02a2-1fe81f47532b-33ea7fae9cab-1000/20260123_circular_2026_03_en_enclosure_1_unl_2627_league_phase_draw_procedure_en_1.pdf) |
| Pot 1 teams | Scotland (17), Hungary (18), Poland (19), Israel (20)[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/02a2-1fe81f47532b-33ea7fae9cab-1000/20260123_circular_2026_03_en_enclosure_1_unl_2627_league_phase_draw_procedure_en_1.pdf) |
| Promotion | The four group winners move up to League A for 2028/29[2](https://it.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/02a9-2198a3fd8955-5de41c73a156-1000--approvato-il-nuovo-sistema-di-promozioni-retrocessioni-del/) |
| Relegation play-offs | The four fourth-placed teams meet the four League C runners-up in League B/C play-offs; winners play League B in 2028/29, losers go to League C[2](https://it.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/02a9-2198a3fd8955-5de41c73a156-1000--approvato-il-nuovo-sistema-di-promozioni-retrocessioni-del/) |
| Regulations | The 2026/27 UEFA Nations League regulations took effect on 15 September 2026[3](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-Nations-League-2026/27-Online) |
## Teams and seeding
The 2026/27 competition involves 54 UEFA member associations divided into four leagues, with League B holding the teams ranked 17th to 32nd on the access list.[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/02a2-1fe81f47532b-33ea7fae9cab-1000/20260123_circular_2026_03_en_enclosure_1_unl_2627_league_phase_draw_procedure_en_1.pdf) The 16 League B teams were divided into four draw pots of four, each pot corresponding to a band of four ranking positions:
- **Pot 1**: Scotland (17), Hungary (18), Poland (19), Israel (20)
- **Pot 2**: Switzerland (21), [Bosnia and Herzegovina](https://www.edgepedia.org/bosnia-and-herzegovina) (22), Austria (23), Ukraine (24)
- **Pot 3**: Slovenia (25), Georgia (26), [Republic of Ireland](https://www.edgepedia.org/republic-of-ireland) (27), Romania (28)
- **Pot 4**: Sweden (29), [North Macedonia](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-macedonia) (30), Northern Ireland (31), Kosovo (32)[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/02a2-1fe81f47532b-33ea7fae9cab-1000/20260123_circular_2026_03_en_enclosure_1_unl_2627_league_phase_draw_procedure_en_1.pdf)
One draw condition applied to League B: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo could not be drawn into the same group, under UEFA Executive Committee decisions on prohibited team clashes. If a clash occurred or could occur, the computer assisting the draw placed the team drawn in the first available group in alphabetical order.[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/02a2-1fe81f47532b-33ea7fae9cab-1000/20260123_circular_2026_03_en_enclosure_1_unl_2627_league_phase_draw_procedure_en_1.pdf)
## Draw and group phase
The league phase draw was held on Thursday, 12 February 2026 at 18:00 CET in Brussels and lasted approximately 40 minutes, conducted under Articles 12.01 and 13.01-02 of the competition regulations. The draw began with League D and proceeded upward through Leagues C, B, and A, with each group receiving one team from each pot.[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/02a2-1fe81f47532b-33ea7fae9cab-1000/20260123_circular_2026_03_en_enclosure_1_unl_2627_league_phase_draw_procedure_en_1.pdf)
In the league phase, teams play each opponent in their group home and away across the autumn international windows, finishing the edition promoted, relegated, or unchanged in tier.[4](https://footballinteligence.com/nations-league/format) The competition regulations governing the edition cover the match system for the league phase, equality-of-points tiebreakers, play-offs, and the League A knockout stage, and took effect on 15 September 2026.[3](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-Nations-League-2026/27-Online)
## Promotion, relegation, and the transition to 2028/29
On 15 September 2026 the UEFA Executive Committee approved changes to the 2026/27 promotion and relegation system to allow a gradual transition to the new model approved in May 2026, under which the Nations League will comprise three leagues instead of four from the 2028/29 edition.[2](https://it.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/02a9-2198a3fd8955-5de41c73a156-1000--approvato-il-nuovo-sistema-di-promozioni-retrocessioni-del/)
For League B the rules are as follows. The four group winners earn promotion to League A. The four fourth-placed teams enter the League B/C play-offs against the four runners-up of League C; the four play-off winners play in League B in 2028/29 and the four defeated sides go to League C.[2](https://it.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/02a9-2198a3fd8955-5de41c73a156-1000--approvato-il-nuovo-sistema-di-promozioni-retrocessioni-del/) Because League D ceases to exist, all six League D teams are promoted to League C, which changes the composition League B teams will face in the next cycle.[2](https://it.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/02a9-2198a3fd8955-5de41c73a156-1000--approvato-il-nuovo-sistema-di-promozioni-retrocessioni-del/)
League B for 2028/29 will therefore consist of 18 teams drawn from the 2026/27 results: the two lowest-ranked fourth-placed teams from League A, the four losers of the League A/B play-offs, the four third-placed teams of League B, the four League C group winners, and the four League B/C play-off winners.[2](https://it.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/02a9-2198a3fd8955-5de41c73a156-1000--approvato-il-nuovo-sistema-di-promozioni-retrocessioni-del/) The League A/B play-offs, which also feed into League B's future composition, pit the two lowest-ranked third-placed teams and the two highest-ranked fourth-placed teams of League A against the four League B runners-up.[2](https://it.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/02a9-2198a3fd8955-5de41c73a156-1000--approvato-il-nuovo-sistema-di-promozioni-retrocessioni-del/)
## Commercial context
The 2026/27 edition falls within UEFA's national team competition commercial cycle covering the Nations League editions of 2022/23, 2024/25, and 2026/27 together with the European Qualifiers and associated friendly matches.[5](https://documents.uefa.com/api/khub/documents/AWKrdZIqN3tJlsmDQ05sIQ/content) In October 2026 UEFA appointed Relevent, the agency co-founded by [Miami Dolphins](https://www.edgepedia.org/miami-dolphins) owner Stephen Ross, to sell rights for its national team competitions, replacing a soccer subsidiary of [Creative Artists Agency](https://www.edgepedia.org/creative-artists-agency) that had held a UEFA deal since 2012 to market the European Championships and then the Nations Leagues; Relevent already handles UEFA club competition rights in a separate 2027–2033 deal.[6](https://apnews.com/article/b113566c2ab944819708f61f0f88bd90)
## References
1. [League phase draw procedure, 2026/27 UEFA Nations League (UEFA circular 2026-03, enclosure 1)](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/02a2-1fe81f47532b-33ea7fae9cab-1000/20260123_circular_2026_03_en_enclosure_1_unl_2627_league_phase_draw_procedure_en_1.pdf)
2. [Approvato il nuovo sistema di promozioni/retrocessioni della UEFA Nations League 2026/27, UEFA.com (15 September 2026)](https://it.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/02a9-2198a3fd8955-5de41c73a156-1000--approvato-il-nuovo-sistema-di-promozioni-retrocessioni-del/)
3. [Regulations of the UEFA Nations League, 2026/27 edition, UEFA documents](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-Nations-League-2026/27-Online)
4. [How Does the UEFA Nations League Work? Format Explained, Football Intelligence](https://footballinteligence.com/nations-league/format)
5. [General provisions on commercial rights, UEFA Nations League 2022/23–2026/27, UEFA documents](https://documents.uefa.com/api/khub/documents/AWKrdZIqN3tJlsmDQ05sIQ/content)
6. [European soccer body UEFA ties financial future to US agency Relevent in 2nd rights sales deal, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/b113566c2ab944819708f61f0f88bd90)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Seasons and editions › National team seasons and results archives › Senior national team tournaments*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license