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Xherdan Shaqiri and company are under great pressure in the last two Nations League games. Image: keystone
Why it is important that the national team does not descend in the Nations League
Just two points from four games: After 3: 3 against Germany, the Swiss team has its back to the wall in the Nations League. Last year, in the final phase of the tournament, Vladimir Petkovic’s team now battles relegation from Division A.
Because the biggest surprise of the night was Vladimir Petkovic yesterday shortly after the final whistle of the match in Cologne. Ukraine had surprisingly defeated Spain 1-0, which greatly worsened Switzerland’s starting position. With four points behind Germany and Ukraine, it falls behind in last place.
“Unfortunately I found out about the result too late, otherwise I would have replaced a striker,” Petkovic said with a smile. His team now needs at least a point against Spain in November and a win against Ukraine to avoid relegation from League A. “We have to push our luck in November,” says Petkovic.
But would a descent be so bad? Nations League duels are better friendlies, you hear it over and over again. Only the appeal of opponents increases in the higher leagues. But far from it: the division to which it belongs is decisive for the division in the pots of the draw for the qualification for the European Championship. If Switzerland is left out of the A-League, they automatically drop from Pot 1 for the next qualifying draw for the European Championship. The consequence would be that, unlike last time, Switzerland will face at least one really difficult part in qualifying for the European Championship.
In Pot 2, the road to EM 2024 will definitely be more difficult. Bild: AP / AP
The Nations League will also play a role in qualifying for the World Cup, albeit to a much lesser extent. The seeded list for group classification for qualification will be based on the FIFA world rankings. The world association has anchored this in its regulations for the World Cup. Originally, UEFA also wanted to follow the Nations League results here.
However, the Nations League does play a role in qualifying for the World Cup: ten of UEFA’s 13 starting spots are awarded directly through qualifying for the World Cup. The other three will be awarded in the World Cup playoffs, where 12 teams will compete against each other in three playoff groups. Two of these 12 playoff teams will be determined through the Nations League. (pre)
