Scotland discover 2026/27 UEFA Nations League opponents as Steve Clarke's side drawn against familiar foes
The Scots have learned the three nations they will face in the latest edition of the Nations League
Scotland will face Switzerland, Slovenia and North Macedonia in Group B1 of the UEFA Nations League later this year.
Based on current world rankings, Steve Clarke’s side were in Pot 1 based for the draw, which took place in Brussels this evening - ruling out the possibility of facing Poland, Hungary and Israel.
However, it meant there was still a chance of being paired against the likes of Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland again in the competition.
However, the draw pitted Clarke’s men with Euro 2024 opponents Switzerland, along with two nations that Scotland haven’t faced for some time.
They will play each opponent twice - home and away - with the fixtures grouped into three double-headers in September, October and November.
Should the Scots finish top of the section as they did to quality for this summer’s World Cup finals, they will earn automatic promotion back to League A and guarantee the safety net of at least a play-off place for UEFA Euro 2028 if qualification is not achieved through the traditional route or as one of the tournament hosts.
A runners-up spot would set up a play-off to return to League A, while a third-place finish would result in a relegation play-off or the nation who finished bottom will be drop straight into League C.
The Swiss are currently ranked 20 places below Scotland in 18th in the world, while Slovenia are 57th and North Macedonia 66th.
What are the key UEFA Nations League dates?
The latest UEFA Nations League campaign will kick-off in September during a revamped international window which sees nations compete in FOUR matches over the course of a two-week window, starting on Thursday, 24 September and ending on Tuesday, 6 October.
The final two match days of the group stage format take place between Thursday, 12 November and Tuesday, 17 November.
- Matchday 1: 24-26 September 2026
- Matchday 2: 27-29 September 2026
- Matchday 3: 30 September-3 October 2026
- Matchday 4: 4-6 October 2026
- Matchday 5: 12-14 November 2026
- Matchday 6: 15-17 November 2026
- League A quarter-finals: 25-30 March 2027
- League A/B and B/C play-offs: 25-30 March 2027
- Final tournament: 9-13 June 2027
- League C/D play-offs: 23-28 March 2028
How have Scotland fared in the UEFA Nations League?
It is a competition that has been largely kind to Scotland in recent years.
Initially starting out in League C during the inaugural campaign in 2018/19, the Scots bounced back from a narrow defeat to Israel by beating Albania and defeating the Israeli’s 3-2 at Hampden to secure promotion to League B.
In 2020 Scotland looked on course for back-to-back promotions after three straight wins over Czech Republic (twice) and Slovakia, but a 1-0 loss to Israel in the final game led to a runners-up finish.
Promotion was earned to League A in 2022, courtesy of four wins across the six matches, including memorable victories over Ukraine and Republic of Ireland, and a goalless draw away to Ukraine which cemented top spot.
Paired alongside Portugal, Croatia and Poland in 2024, Clarke’ men began with back-to-back losses but a late Andy Robertson header away to Poland in the final game staved of immediate threat of relegation, albeit a 3-1 play-off defeat to Greece over two legs followed.