+ What is the Nations League anyway?
On the men's side, the European football federation UEFA launched the Nations League in 2018 and the tournament then replaced the lion's share of sportsmanship-insignificant friendly matches for the European national teams. For the women, this is the first time the tournament has been organized.
+ How does the women's tournament work?
The Nations League consists of three divisions, A to C, where the highest ranked countries – including Sweden – play in the A division. The A and B divisions consist of 16 countries that will be drawn into four different groups. In the C division there are 18 countries.
In the group stage, home and away meetings await. The group winners of the A division will go to the playoffs, while the group winners of the B and C divisions will be promoted one division. The countries that finish last in their respective groups are relegated one division, while the third-placed countries in each group play qualifiers.
In the C-division there is also the possibility of promotion via qualifying play.
Every four years, the Nations League will also serve as a qualifier for the Olympics, with the countries of the A division competing for two places.
The result of the Nations League will also form the basis for seeding in the upcoming European Championship qualifiers, which begin in the spring of 2024.
+ When are the matches played?
First round: 20–22 September
Second round: 23–26 September
Third round: 25–27 October
Fourth round: 28–31 October
Fifth round: 29 November–1 December
The semi-finals, third place match and final, as well as the qualifying matches, will be played sometime in 2024.
+ What does the seeding look like?
The seeding is based on Uefa's national ranking and Sweden will play in the A-division. Sweden will be in pot 1 in the draw. In pot 2 are Spain, the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark. In pot 3 we find Italy, Belgium, Austria and Iceland. Pot 4 consists of Switzerland, Wales, Portugal and Scotland. One team from each pot is drawn into each group.
A Division: England, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Iceland, Switzerland, Wales, Portugal, Scotland, France.
B division: Ireland, Poland, Czech Republic, Finland, Serbia, Slovenia, Northern Ireland, Romania, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Hungary, Greece, Croatia, Belarus, Albania.
C Division: Malta, Israel, Azerbaijan, Turkey, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Luxembourg, Moldova, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Armenia, Andorra.
+ When is the draw?
On Tuesday at 13 p.m. at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
+ What does Sweden's head coach think?
"It's a new form of competition for us, it's just important games. You can look at this in different ways, but I like that it's competitive matches. Somehow it becomes easier to match the best team, when the games mean something", says Peter Gerhardsson to TT.
+ Critique
Just like on the men's side, big clubs around Europe are grumbling as they are forced to watch their important players play more competitive matches with the national teams. More national team matches means more wear and tear and a greater risk of injury.
"I understand the clubs. It is important to handle this issue of the load on the players in the right way", says Peter Gerhardsson.
+ Can Russia join?
No, Uefa and Fifa (International Football Federation), have stopped Russia from playing competitive matches, due to the war in Ukraine. On the other hand, Belarus is allowed to participate, the country has sanctions against it in many other sports but not in football.