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UEFA Nations League draw: Poland to play Belgium, Netherlands, Wales

17.12.2021 08:00
Poland have been drawn to play Belgium, the Netherlands and Wales in the group stage of the 2022/2023 UEFA Nations League.
Image: pzpn.pl
Image: pzpn.plpzpn.pl

Polish football officials have shared mixed reactions to the draw, which the European football governing body held at its headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Thursday.

Cezary Kulesza, head of the Polish Football Association (PZPN), said in a tweet that the Polish team would be playing games against "interesting opponents" in its Nations League group.

"I hope these matches will be a great warm-up for us before the World Cup in Qatar," he wrote.

He added that "matches against such strong opponents ... will be a big challenge" for Poland "regardless of the circumstances."

Poland is set to play Russia in March in the playoffs for a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The 2022 World Cup tournament will be held in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, 2022.

Poland's Portuguese manager Paulo Sousa told broadcaster TVP Sport that "it's important to have a positive mental attitude before playing a game against any opponent."

Paulo Sousa Paulo Sousa. Photo: PAP/Andrzej Lange

In the Nations League draw, European nations were arranged into four Leagues, A, B, C and D, based on their UEFA ranking.

Poland will play Belgium, the Netherlands and Wales at home and away in Group 4 of the top League A in June and September next year.

The winner of the group will advance to the Nations League finals along with the winners of three other League A groups, while the loser will be relegated to League B.

The Nations League is UEFA’s newest national-team competition that is now in its third edition.

The biennial competition is designed to enable teams to play against those that are similarly ranked and may also offer an alternative path for teams to qualify for the 2024 European championships.

Portugal won the first edition of the Nations League in 2019, while France won the 2020/2021 UEFA Nations League after beating Spain 2-1 in the final in Milan in October.

2022/2023 UEFA Nations League

League A

Group 1: France, Denmark, Croatia, Austria
Group 2: Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Czech Republic
Group 3: Italy, Germany, England, Hungary
Group 4: Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Wales

(gs)

Source: PAPuefa.com