Nations League: what Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland need from the final games

The Nations League group stage finishes this week, and promotion, relegation and play-off places are on the line for all four home nations outside England.

Northern Ireland can win promotion to League A, while Wales are fighting to avoid relegation from it. Scotland need points to stay out of the bottom two in their group, and Ireland are chasing a promotion play-off. Each team has two games left, between Friday and Tuesday.

How the Nations League works

• League A: the top two in each group reach the quarter-finals in March. Third place goes into a relegation play-off against a League B side, and fourth is relegated.
• League B: group winners are promoted to League A, and second place goes into a promotion play-off. Third place goes into a relegation play-off, and fourth is relegated to League C.

The play-offs are on 25-30 March 2027. England’s own route to the quarter-finals is covered in our England qualification guide.

Wales: Group A4

Pos	Team	P	Pts
1	Portugal	4	12
2	Denmark	4	6
3	Wales	4	3
4	Norway	4	3

Remaining games: Norway vs Wales (Sat 14 Nov, 5pm), Wales vs Portugal (Tue 17 Nov, 7.45pm).

Portugal have already qualified for the quarter-finals. The fight is between Wales and Norway for third place, which means a play-off rather than automatic relegation. A win in Oslo would leave Wales three points clear of Norway with one game left. Wales can still catch Denmark if they win both games and the Danes lose to Portugal and Norway. More in our Norway vs Wales preview.

Scotland: Group B1

Pos	Team	P	Pts
1	Switzerland	4	12
2	Slovenia	4	7
3	Scotland	4	4
4	North Macedonia	4	0

Remaining games: Scotland vs North Macedonia (Fri 13 Nov, 7.45pm), Switzerland vs Scotland (Mon 16 Nov, 7.45pm).

Switzerland are close to promotion. Scotland are three points behind Slovenia for the promotion play-off spot and four clear of North Macedonia. Beating North Macedonia on Friday guarantees Scotland finish above them. Getting into the top two needs two wins and Slovenia dropping points. More in our Scotland vs North Macedonia preview.

Northern Ireland: Group B2

Pos	Team	P	Pts
1	Northern Ireland	4	8
2	Hungary	4	7
3	Ukraine	4	4
4	Georgia	4	2

Remaining games: Northern Ireland vs Ukraine (Sat 14 Nov, 7.45pm), Hungary vs Northern Ireland (Tue 17 Nov, 7.45pm).

Northern Ireland lead the group and two wins would take them into League A. Tuesday’s trip to Budapest could be a straight shoot-out for top spot, and Hungary’s captain Dominik Szoboszlai is a doubt with a knee sprain.

Republic of Ireland: Group B3

Pos	Team	P	Pts
1	Austria	4	8
2	Kosovo	4	5
3	Republic of Ireland	4	5
4	Israel	4	2

Remaining games: Austria vs Ireland (Sat 14 Nov), Ireland vs Kosovo (Tue 17 Nov, 7.45pm).

Ireland are level on points with Kosovo, who beat them 1-0 in September. Tuesday’s home game against Kosovo looks like the decider for second place and a promotion play-off.

[After each game: update the table, the remaining fixtures line and one sentence on what has changed. Add a “Latest” line at the top with the time of the update.]

Follow every match in our international football coverage and Nations League news.

Nations League: FAQs

Can Wales be relegated from League A? Yes. Fourth place in Group A4 means relegation, and third means a play-off in March.

Can Northern Ireland be promoted? Yes. They top Group B2, and finishing first would take them into League A.

When are the Nations League play-offs? 25-30 March 2027.