Nations League draw: Spain, England and Croatia in same group

BRUSSELS (AP) — European champion Spain was drawn in the same group as England and Croatia for the next edition of the Nations League on Thursday.

The Czech Republic completes what looks like the most testing of the four top-tier League A groups.

Spain and England are ranked first and fourth, respectively, in the FIFA rankings and played each other in the final of Euro 2024, which Spain won. Croatia was a semifinalist at each of the last two World Cups.

Defending Nations League champion Portugal was grouped with Denmark, Norway and Wales.

France was drawn against Italy, Belgium and Turkey.

Germany, Netherlands, Serbia and Greece are in the other League A group.

The 2026-27 Nations League group phase runs from September to November. The top two in the League A groups then play in the quarterfinals in March 2027, with the final tournament in June.

Ireland and Israel drawn together

Ireland and Israel are in the same group in League B, which could be the cause of some tension.

Ireland’s soccer federation voted in November to submit a motion to UEFA to ban Israel from competitions organized by European soccer’s governing body.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) cited two alleged violations of UEFA statutes by the Israel Football Association. The first was “organizing clubs in occupied Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian FA” and the second was “the alleged failure of the IFA to enforce an effective anti-racism policy.”

But on Thursday the FAI confirmed it would fulfill its games against Israel -- noting potential sanctions such as disqualification if it refused to play.

The full draw

League A

Group A1: France, Italy, Belgium, Turkey

Group A2: Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Greece

Group A3: Spain, Croatia, England, Czech Republic

Group A4: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Wales

League B

Group B1: Scotland, Switzerland, Slovenia, North Macedonia

Group B2: Hungary, Ukraine, Georgia, Northern Ireland

Group B3: Israel, Austria, Ireland, Kosovo

Group B4: Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Sweden

League C

Group C1: Albania, Finland, Belarus, San Marino

Group C2: Montenegro, Armenia, Cyprus, Latvia/Gibraltar

Group C3: Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Faroe Islands, Moldova

Group C4: Iceland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Luxembourg/Malta

League D

Group D1: Latvia/Gibraltar, Luxembourg/Malta, Andorra

Group D2: Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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