England

England’s Nations League campaign will not only have a bearing on which level they next play in the competition, but could also improve their chances of qualifying for the next World Cup.

Interim head coach Lee Carsley was given one main challenge when accepting his current role with England – to help the Three Lions earn promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League.

They would earn automatic promotion by winning their group, while finishing second would set up a play-off against a side that finishes third in League A.

The draw for those play-offs will be made on November 22, with the matches to be played in March, so it is not clear whether Carsley would remain in his position by that point after being appointed until the end of the group phase.

As an aside, countries that win their Nations League group could earn a place in the qualifying play-offs for the 2026 World Cup, should they fail to qualify for the competition by normal means.

The 12 group winners in Europe’s World Cup qualifying will go through to the finals automatically, while the 12 runners-up go into the play-offs, which will also include the four Nations League group winners with the best records that did not make it out of their World Cup group.

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