Amsterdam (AFP)

The French team already has the lead at Euro-2020, but it will have an eye on Amsterdam on Tuesday for the draw for the second edition of the League of Nations, which will certainly give birth to ultra-tough duels at the 'autumn.

France, Germany and Portugal: it is the composition of group F of the Euro in June, a hen of all dangers that promises the spectacle. It could also be that of a group of Nations League, UEFA tournament having replaced since 2018 windows of friendly matches often disappointing in their intensity.

After the success of the inaugural edition, won at home by Portugal by Cristiano Ronaldo in the spring of 2019, the event is repeated in an almost identical format.

Fifty-five nations, still divided into four "Leagues", divisions of close level. In each League, several groups, whose teams compete in round-trip matches between September and November. The last of each group is relegated to the lower division for the next edition, the first are promoted to the upper echelon. Except for the first division group winners: they will compete for the trophy during a final phase scheduled for June 2021.

- Guaranteed draft drawdown -

All eyes are obviously turned to League A, that of the favorites, with inevitably promising duels to come.

Didier Deschamps, present Tuesday in the Dutch capital, will know shortly after 6.30pm which opponents his Blues will find in the autumn, after having challenged during the first edition Germany and the Netherlands, with a second place obtained behind the selection " Oranje ".

They could also find these same two opponents, because the Germans, initially relegated to the second division, were finally maintained in Ligue A, UEFA having increased the number of teams present in this prestige division.

Portugal, the Netherlands, Switzerland and England, the "finalists" of the first edition, are seeded, while France is in hat 2 alongside Belgium, Spain and Italy.

The "Nationalmannschaft" is like a scarecrow with the Croatian vice-world champions in hat N.4, which seems more formidable than the N.3, composed of Ukraine, Bosnia, Denmark and Sweden . What is at stake? In 2020, the League of Nations sets up a repechage system for the World Cup-2022: two nations not qualified through the traditional eliminations will be drafted and then returned to the play-offs in the Europe zone.

But the caliber of oppositions made it an event played thoroughly by the teams, despite the reluctance of some club coaches hoping to see their players spared.

"Playing Germany, the Netherlands with a stake, psychologically for the players, is a good thing", had for example applauded Deschamps at the end of 2018. "The group wants to go and find other things, d 'have other goals and there we have one.'

Not sure, however, that the world champions are projecting so far. Because before that, there is a Euro to play.

© 2020 AFP