The draw for the third edition of the women’s Nations League took place in Nyon in Switzerland today, with Portugal in the top tier having won their World Cup Qualifying group.
Portugal women were drawn in Group A2 and will lock horns against England, France and Austria.
“Whatever the draw was, we would have had very tough games because it’s League A and all the teams are very strong,” said coach Francisco Neto.
“We’ve gained more experience in the last few years. We’re a better, more competitive team. Irrespective of the opponents, we believe we can play a good Nations League and achieve our goals.”
The realistic objective for Portugal women will be to try and avoid relegation from the top tier. In other words, finishing in third place and winning the promotion/relegation playoff.
The third-placed teams of the League A groups will play the runners-up of the League B groups in a home and away playoff, with the League A team seeded and playing the second leg at home.
“France and England are two teams who usually fight to win tournaments. England are the reigning European champions. So it’s a huge challenge. France have already qualified for the World Cup. These will be two big tests for us,” said Neto.
“Then we have Austria, who we played in the first Nations League [Austria won 2-1 both home and away], and whose players mostly play in highly competitive championships.
“When you’re in League A there are no easy games and we’ll have to be at our best. We want to keep hold of our League A status, which is something we’ve never managed to do, but I believe with the quality and competence we have shown it’s possible.”
The league phase of the competition will be played between February and June 2027, with the promotion/relegation playoffs in October.
The final, over two legs, will be played on 23 November and 4 December 2027. The two previous women’s Nations League tournaments were won by current World Champions Spain.
