In addition to domestic seasons like the Premier League getting back underway, one tournament also in progress is the UEFA Nations League with 55 national teams from across Europe competing in the group stage for 2020/21. Now those group stage games have been completed, we now know which teams will be progressing to the finals in 2021 and which nations have been promoted and relegated for the next group stage.
We've got all of the details below as well as info on how to live stream UEFA Nations League 2020/21 games online no matter where you are in the world.
The global pandemic put a pause on the majority of domestic seasons across Europe leading to a delayed end to the campaign. That delay also saw the planned Euro 2020 competition being postponed until next summer. If you were excited to see some international football, the UEFA Nations League has got you covered.
Portugal emerged as winners in the inaugural UEFA Nations League tournament in 2018/19 and were hoping to defend their title this season, though they failed to escape the group.
Read on for full details on how to get a live stream of the UEFA Nations League 2020/21 season no matter where you are in the world with our guide below.
How does the UEFA Nations League 2020/21 competition work?
The UEFA Nations League is a biennial competition that sees UEFA's 55 national teams face off in a group-style competition. Though its format is slightly confusing, its purpose is to replace international friendly games in the calendar with more competitive games. It also gives teams a chance to battle it out for some silverware.
The format was slightly rejigged for the 2020/21 edition of the competition which now sees the 55 UEFA national teams divided into four leagues. Leagues A, B, and C feature 16 teams each, divided into four groups of four teams. League D features seven teams divided into two groups, one containing four teams and the other containing three. The league placings were determined by ranking based on performance in the 2018/19 competition.
Promotion and relegation is possible between all of the leagues, giving all teams something to play for, and the winners of the four League A groups will progress to a knockout stage for the Nations League trophy itself. Since there are four groups in League C and only two in League D, a relegation play-out will decide which two sides drop down a league.
FIFA World Cup qualification is also at play with the two best-performing Nations League teams (who do not qualify for the World Cup or play-offs via regular qualification games) going into the 12-team World Cup play-offs in March 2022 alongside 10 runners-up from Europe's 10 World Cup qualifying groups. Three teams from those play-offs will gain entry to the FIFA World Cup.
When does the UEFA Nations League 2020/21 competition start?
The first crop of fixtures in the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League took place in early September 2020, with teams competing twice. The second set of group stage games took place from Saturday, October 11, 2020, with games continuing until Wednesday, October 14. The last group stage games were played in November 2020 with the finals set to take place in October 2021. League C relegation play-outs will take place in March 2022 to decide who drops into League D placement ahead of the next iteration of the Nations League competition.
When are the Nations League 2020/21 finals and which teams qualified?
The dates for the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League final tournament have now been confirmed. The semi-finals will be played on 6 and 7 October 2021 with the final and third-place play-off to follow on October 10.
The four teams who topped the League A groups and will compete for the Nations League trophy are Italy, Belgium, France, and Spain.
Who got relegated in the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League group stage?
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Sweden, and Switzerland, were the four nations relegated from League A this time around and will be replaced by League B group winners Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Wales in 2022.
Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Turkey, and Bulgaria were relegated from League B and will drop down to League C for the next iteration of this tournament. They will be replaced by Montenegro, Armenia, Slovenia, and Albania.
Bottom League C sides Cyprus, Estonia, Moldova, and Kazakhstan will face off in a two-legged relegation play-out to decide which two sides will drop into League D for 2022/23. The two losers of those play-outs will swap places with the Faroe Islands and Gibraltar in League D.
Watch the UEFA Nations League 2020/21 online from outside your country
We have details of all the U.S. and UK broadcasters of the UEFA Nations League further down in this guide. If you're looking to watch the action, but find yourself away from home then you'll run into problems when trying to stream your domestic coverage online from abroad as its likely to be geo-blocked.
That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can be a lifesaver. They allow you to virtually change the ISP of your laptop, tablet, or mobile to one that's back in your home country, letting you watch as if you were back there.
VPN's are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of giving you a further layer of security when surfing the web. There are lots of options, and we recommend ExpressVPN as our #1 pick due to its speed, security, and ease of use. It can be used on a vast array of operating systems and devices (e.g. iOS, Android, Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, Roku, games consoles, etc). Sign up for ExpressVPN now now and enjoy a 49% discount and 3 months FREE with an annual subscription. Or give it a try with its 30-day money-back guarantee. Looking for other options? Here are some alternatives that are on sale right now.
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How to stream UEFA Nations League 2020/21 matches online in the UK
Sky Sports has extensive coverage of the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League coverage in the UK. You can add Sky Sports to your Sky or Virgin Media TV packages, or pick up a Now TV Sky Sports Pass for access to the same channels if you've cut the cord.
How to stream UEFA Nations League 2020/21 matches online in the U.S.
ESPN has broad coverage of the UEFA Nations League 2020/21 and is splitting fixtures across its various channels and ESPN+ service which gives you a few ways to watch the games live online. Select games are also being shown on ABC.
Sling's Orange plan includes ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3 which will give you access to a variety of live games. Hulu with Live TV is another great option with ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNews. AT&T Now and YouTube TV also feature ESPN and ESPN2 plus some other sports channels that may make them better options depending on the other content you want to watch.
Over-the-top service fuboTV will live stream UEFA Nations League matches that are broadcast in Spanish by TUDN.
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Source: androidcentral