Nations League explained as Southgate picks Bowen and Justin for England squad

England boss Gareth Southgate has named his squad for the forthcoming fixtures in the UEFA Nations League.

Southgate and his England side will take on Hungary on June 4, Germany on June 7 and Italy on June 11, before meeting Hungary again at Molineux on June 14.

Among those selected for the squad are West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen, who ended the domestic season on a strong run of form in the Premier League, alongside Leicester City defender James Justin.

Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, meanwhile, miss out. But what exactly is the UEFA Nations League – and how does it work?

What is the UEFA Nations League?

The UEFA Nations League is an international football competition involving the 55 national teams from UEFA’s member associations.

It largely replaced the international friendly matches which were previously held.

How does the Nations League work?

In the Nations League, teams are divided into different groups – known as ‘Leagues’ – according to a ranking based on recent results.

There are four Leagues in the Nations League: in the 2022/23 competition, Leagues A, B and C all have 16 teams, with seven teams in League D.

Within Leagues A, B and C, four groups consisting of four teams are formed. In League D, teams are divided into one group of four and another group of three.

The four group winners within League A will advance to the knockout finals. The winners from the two semi-finals will face one another in the final.

Group winners from the other three leagues will each be promoted for the 2024/25 Nations League, according to UEFA.

Teams who finish fourth in their respective groups in Leagues A and B will be relegated. Fourth-placed teams in the League C groups will compete in the play-outs in March 2024.

The defeated teams in the play-out fixtures will then be demoted to League D for the following Nations League season.

When are the Nations League finals?

The 2022/23 UEFA Nations League knockout finals will take place in June 2023.

Four countries are currently in the running to host the Nations League finals: Wales, Belgium, Poland and the Netherlands.

UEFA has said that it will select a host for the Nations League finals in January 2023.

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