Croatia draws Portugal, Poland, Scotland in UEFA Nations League

Croatia learns Nations League opponents

The draw for the fourth edition of the UEFA Nations League took place this evening in Paris.

Croatia, who were seeded in Pot 1, were drawn in Group A1 with Portugal, Poland and Scotland.  

“We are facing another big competition again, the UEFA Nations League final is behind us, and ahead of us is a new challenge. I think the group with Portugal, Poland, and Scotland isn’t bad; we’re meeting Portugal for the second time in the Nations League. It will be a very good competition for us, we will enjoy football, and our goal will be to qualify for one of the top two spots in the group and advance to the quarterfinals. The Nations League has been a sore point for us in the first two instances, but the third time we made it to the final and we will try to repeat that,” said coach Zlatko Dalić after the draw.

Unlike the first three editions of the UEFA Nations League, won by Portugal, Italy, and Spain respectively, the two top teams from each group will now advance to the quarterfinals, which will be played over two legs in March 2025.

Additionally, the third-placed team in the group won’t automatically remain in League A but will participate in a relegation playoff with the second-placed team from League B.

LEAGUE A ✅#NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/GP7iQXf2vg

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The final tournament featuring the top four teams will remain in its current format, with one of the semi-finalists hosting the event. All eight Nations League quarterfinalists, along with World Cup qualifiers, will commence their journey in September 2025, being grouped with four teams.

When are the matches played?

As before, matches are scheduled in three blocks: September, October, and November.

1st round: September 5-7

2nd round: September 8-10

3rd round: October 10-12

4th round: October 13-15

5th round: November 14-16

6th round: November 17-19