All the League A group phase fixtures for A1, A3, and A4 were completed on Monday night, and the three qualifying teams for the Nations League finals were confirmed. Croatia, Italy, and the Netherlands secured their place in the finals. The match between Portugal and Spain will decide who will advance to the final from Group A2. Let's look at five noteworthy images from the UEFA Nations League games on Monday night.  (1/5) Harry Kane celebrates his 51st goal for England during a Nations League match against Germany. (2/5) England's Luke Shaw blasted the ball into the net to cut Germany's advantage to 2-1. (3/5) Germany's Kai Havertz blew everyone away by scoring twice against England on Monday night. (4/5) Gianluigi Donnarumma of Italy was excellent against Hungary in an important UEFA National League match, making several crucial saves. (5/5) Left-back Federico Dimarco scored Italy's second goal in a crucial Nations League encounter against Hungary.

Europe's football governing body, UEFA, launched a brand new tournament named the UEFA Nations League in 2018. This is Europe's third men's national team competition apart from the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA EURO. The main objective of organizing this competition is to replace international friendlies with more competitive matches. In addition, the competition serves as a qualifier for the European Championship. The UEFA Nations League 2022–2023 league phase will begin on June 1st, 2022. Portugal won the first edition, while France won the second edition the previous year. UEFA Nations League Format All the members of UEFA are eligible to take part in the competition. Therefore, 55 nations compete in the A, B, C, and D leagues based on rankings and previous tournament results. Read European Football Season 2021-2022: Winners and Losers From Big Three leagues The highest tier is League A, where the teams compete for the Nations League trophy. A total of 16 teams each compete in Leagues A, B, and C. In each league of these three, they have four groups. The remaining seven teams are divided into two groups of League D, where one group has four teams and the other has three. The winners of four groups in League A qualify for the Nations League finals. The final is a knockout tournament where two semi-finals, one third place, and a championship match take place. One of four qualifying teams will host the knockout finals, decided by the UEFA executive committee. Teams from Leagues A and B that finish fourth in their groups are relegated to League C. The fourth-placed teams in League C's groups go to the play-offs, with the two teams who lose in those ties demoted to League D. Read UEFA Champions League 2022 Final: Vinicius Jr.'s Strikes Secure Real Madrid's 14th UCL Title Teams Competing in League A of the UEFA Nations League 2022–2023 From the League A participants, four national teams will be qualified for the knockout finals in June 2023. Therefore, the League A group stage fixtures are the center of attention. In the group stage, each side will play six matches, with home and away bases. Here are the competing teams and their groupings. Group A1: France, Denmark, Croatia, Austria Group A2: Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Czech Republic Group A3: Italy, Germany, England, Hungary Group A4: Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Wales. Read Argentina vs Italy: Finalissima 2022 Match Details, Predicted Line-ups, Where to Watch Here are the six matchdays and the Knockout Finals schedule: Matchdays 1 and 2: Between 1-8 June 1, 2022 Matchdays 1 and 2: Between 1-8 June 1, 2022 Matchdays 1 and 2: Between 1-8 June 1, 2022 Semi-Finals: 14 and 15 June 2023 Third-place and Championship match: 18 June 2023 Bottom Line Following the success of the previous two seasons, the UEFA Nations League 2022-2023 is likely to engage fans even more. Some of the world's top national teams will participate in League A, and they will give it their all to qualify for the knockout finals next year. The third season of the Nations League will begin with a match between Poland and Wales at Stadion Miejski Wrocław on Wednesday (June 1). Read UEFA Champions League Overview: Complete Winners List from 1956 to 2022

France won the second edition of the UEFA Nations League (2020-2021) by overcoming Spain 2-1 in the final. Spain could not have the last smile after playing fantastic football in the final and dominating ball possession for longer periods of time. On the contrary, France's counter-attacking style had caught the youthful Spanish team off guard. The French team was defeated by Switzerland in the round of 16 of EURO 2020. This victory will help them to move on from some of their past regrets. The match report of the UEFA Nations League 2021 final is discussed in this article. Nations League Final Match Report: France vs. Spain Kylian Mbappe's goal in the 80th minute of the match gave France's first-ever Nations League victory. Spain grabbed the lead in the 64th minute of the final match in Milan's iconic San Siro stadium. Spanish striker Mikel Oyarzabal placed the ball into the bottom corner after receiving a long pass from Sergio Busquets. French defender Dayot Upamecano tried but failed to stop him in a one-on-one duel. Read Argentina wins; Brazil draws in World Cup qualifiers Following the goal, the French side responded immediately and took the lead within two minutes, thanks to a spectacular long-range strike from veteran forward Karim Benzema. The Real Madrid striker received a through pass from Mbappe and went inside before firing a stunning shot towards the far right corner to level the score at 1-1 in the 66th minute. Both teams tried to equalize after that, but it was Mbappe who scored in the 80th minute to give France the victory. He sprinted forward after catching a through pass from Hernandez and calmly placed the ball into the net. Read: UEFA Nations League 2021: Semifinals Preview Spain claimed Mbappe was offside when he got the ball, but a VAR assessment revealed a tiny contact from defender Eric Garcia. So, France's lead was maintained following this decision. Match Stats: France vs. Spain Overall, Spain had more ball control and executed with more efficiency than France. Spain dominated the game from the start, with 64% ball possession. They passed with an accuracy of 85%, compared to France's 78%.

The UEFA Nations League is an international football competition held every two years in which the European men's national team competes. Portugal won the inaugural tournament in 2019. The champions of the four groups in the second edition, Italy, Belgium, France, and Spain have qualified for the semifinals. EURO 2020 champion Italy will face Spain in the first semifinal on Thursday (October 7) at 12.45 p.m. (BST). One day later, Belgium will confront France in the second semifinal on Friday (October 8) at 12.45 p.m. (BST). The previews of the Nations League semifinals are discussed in this article.  Favorites to reach the UEFA Nations League 2021 Final 1st Semi-Final (Italy vs. Spain) Venue: San Siro Stadium, Milan | Date: August 7 | Time (BST): 12.45 am Verdict: Italy 2-1 Spain The first semi-final of Euro 2020 featured Italy vs Spain. Italy won the final 4-2 on penalties thanks to goalkeeper Donnarumma's individual brilliance. Therefore, football fans may get a sense of déjà vu as this match approaches. Italy will have a little advantage over Spain in terms of strength in the Nations League semi-final encounter. This is because Italy set a new world record last September by being undefeated in 36 consecutive matches under Coach Roberto Mancini. So, Spain will find it difficult to beat them. Though they have a number of talented players. Spain will be able to beat Italy if they can play together as a team with the proper plan.  Read: Portugal adds to Italy's struggles with Nations League win Italy’s starting XI (probable) Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (RB), Giorgio Chiellini (CB), Leonardo Bonucci (CB), Emerson (LB), Manuel Locatelli (MF), Jorginho (MF), Marco Verratti (MF), Federico Chiesa (MF), Moise Kean (FW), Lorenzo Insigne (FW) Spain’s starting XI (probable) Unai Simón (GK), Pedro Porro (RB), César Azpilicueta (CB), Aymeric Laporte (CB), Sergio Reguilón (LB), Sergio Busquets (MF), Sergi Roberto (MF), Koke (MF), Rodri (MF), Ferran Torres (FW), Pablo Sarabia (FW)  Read South America World Cup 2022 Qualifiers: Argentina, Brazil to face Uruguay in October 2nd Semi-Final (Belgium vs. France) Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin | Date: October 8 | Time (BST): 12.45 am Verdict: Belgium 3-2 Spain Belgium were eliminated from Euro 2020 after losing to Italy in the quarterfinals. On the other hand, France were defeated by Switzerland in the Round of 16. So, both teams will be eager to reach the UEFA Nations League 2021 final. Both sides are equally strong in terms of squad strength. France have three of the best players in the world in the attacking third. On the other side, Belgium's midfield is presently rated among the best in the world. The team that can outsmart the other team's tactics has a better chance of winning this contest.  Read Ballon d'Or 2021: Five favorites to win the coveted award Belgium’s starting XI (probable) Thibaut Courtois (GK), Thomas Meunier (RB), Jan Vertonghen (CB), Jason Denayer (CB), Timothy Castagne (LB), Axel Witsel (MF), Yannick Carrasco (MF), Kevin De Bruyne (MF), Eden Hazard (MF), Romelu Lukaku (FW), Michy Batshuayi (FW) France’s starting XI (probable) Hugo Lloris (GK), Benjamin Pavard (RB), Presnel Kimpembe (CB), Raphaël Varane (CB), Lucas Digne (LB), Paul Pogba (MF), Adrien Rabiot (MF), Aurélien Tchouaméni (MF), Antoine Griezmann (FW), Kylian Mbappé (FW), Karim Benzema (FW) Read Barcelona coach Koeman says rumors of firing 'probably true' Verdict Based on the current form of the semifinalists, Italy and Belgium are the two favorites to advance to the UEFA Nations League 2021 final. However, both Spain and France have very strong squads, and it wouldn't be surprising if they beat their respective opponents in the semifinals and proceed to the championship match. Neutral football fans will anticipate the top two teams to go to the final, in which they will compete in an entertaining match. The final match of the tournament will be staged at the San Siro stadium in Milan. Read Bruzon era starts brightly as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in SAFF opener