Northern Ireland drawn with Austria and Bosnia in first ever UEFA Nations League

The draw for the first UEFA Nations League has seen the likes of Northern Ireland, Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina grouped together in its top league.

Belgium, Switzerland and Iceland, Portugal, Italy and Poland, and Spain, England and Croatia make up the other groups in League A. The remaining 43 teams have been split among groups in three further leagues based on UEFA seedings, each comprising of four sections apiece.

With the group stage running between September and November 2018, the new tournament has been introduced to provide a competitive alternative to friendlies in Europe, allowing teams to face similarly-ranked sides, as well as offering relegation and promotion between leagues.

The four League A group winners will contest at the Nations League Finals in June 2019, while the competition will also provide a secondary path to UEFA EURO 2020 for sides who miss out in the traditional ten-group qualifiers. The top two in each EURO 2020 qualifying group will qualify, with the top 16 sides based on Nations League rankings battling for the final four tournament spots through playoffs in March 2020.

UEFA Nations League draw

League A
Group 1: Germany France, the Netherlands
Group 2: Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland
Group 3: Portugal, Italy, Poland
Group 4: Spain, England, Croatia

League B
Group 1: Slovakia, Ukraine, Czech Republic
Group 2: Russia, Sweden, Turkey
Group 3: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland
Group 4: Wales, Republic of Ireland, Denmark

League C
Group 1: Scotland, Albania, Israel
Group 2: Hungary, Greece, Finland, Estonia
Group 3: Slovenia, Norway, Bulgaria, Cyprus
Group 4: Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Lithuania

League D
Group 1: Georgia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Andorra
Group 2: Belarus, Luxembourg, Moldova, San Marino
Group 3: Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands, Malta, Kosovo
Group 4: FYR Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar

Article was according to the official FIFA.com website.