Spain bets on League A under the new relegation system

Spain opens its campaign in the Nations League on Saturday 26 September at Wembley, but the tournament is not the same: UEFA modified the promotion and relegation system on 15 September, leaving the national team under pressure to finish among the top two of Group A3 to secure its place in League A of the new format.

New promotion and relegation system

The UEFA Executive Committee, meeting in Thessaloniki, approved on 15 September a readjustment designed to prepare the new 2028‑29 format. From that edition the competition will move from four leagues to three: Leagues A and B will contain 18 national teams each, divided into three groups of six, while League C will comprise 19 teams in a group of seven.

To achieve that distribution, the relegation rule changed: the last‑placed team in each group no longer drops directly. Only the two worst fourth‑placed teams of the four groups fall to League B. The third‑placed teams also benefit: the two best stay in League A without playing any further matches, while the two worst and the two best fourth‑placed teams will contest a two‑legged playoff against the four second‑placed teams from League B.

What it means for Spain in Group A3

The draw placed Spain in Group A3 alongside England, Croatia and the Czech Republic. England, semifinalist of the North American tournament, lost to Argentina. The minimum objective for Spain is to finish among the top two in the group, which guarantees a spot in the March quarter‑finals and a stay in League A of the new format.

If the national team fell to third place, the new regulations would allow it to survive without additional matches only if its points total is among the two best third‑placed teams. Otherwise, it would have to face a playoff in March, coinciding with the quarter‑finals of the other groups.

Spain kick off the Nations League at Wembley against England

Schedule, preparation and link to Euro 2028

The schedule packs four matchdays into 11 days due to the new FIFA window. Spain travels to Wembley on 26 September, hosts Croatia at the Ramón Sánchez‑Pizjuán on 29 September and the Czech Republic at the Carlos Tartiere in Oviedo on 3 October. The window closes in Split against Croatia on 6 October; the final two matches are played in November, on the 12th and the 15th respectively.

The training camp starts on Tuesday 22 September at 13:00 at the Football City in Las Rozas, with just four days of work before the trip to London. Luis de la Fuente called up 26 players in his first squad after the World Cup.

The Nations League also serves as a pathway to Euro 2028, which will be hosted by the United Kingdom and Ireland. UEFA will allocate between two and four playoff spots to the best‑placed teams that do not qualify through the regular route, a decision that will be taken in March 2028. The draw for the Euro 2028 qualifying phase will take place on 6 December 2026 in Belfast, with the Executive Committee meeting the following day in the same city.

Spain, which has contested the last three Nations League finals, sees the new regulations as an opportunity to consolidate its position in League A and, at the same time, secure a route to Euro 2028, although it does not expect to need the playoff.