Three Lions to begin Nations League in Dublin

ENGLAND and the Republic of Ireland will kick-off the next edition of the Nations League against each other in their first competitive match since 1991, writes Simon Peach.

The nations were drawn together in Paris on Thursday and UEFA has confirmed they will open Group B2 in Dublin on September 7.

England will host the return fixture on matchday six on November 17, with the pool completed by Finland and Greece.

These will be the first competitive fixtures between the Republic and England since a Euro 92 qualifier at

Wembley. They have met in four friendlies since then, most recently in November 2020 at Wembley.

This will be England’s first taste of the Nations League’s second tier, having gone from winning bronze in the inaugural edition to relegation in the most recent campaign.

Scotland have been promoted to the top tier this time around and have been drawn against Croatia, Portugal and Poland. Steve Clarke’s men open Group A1 at home to Poland on September 5.

Wales welcome Turkey when they kick-off Group B4 on September 6, with Iceland and Montenegro completing their group.

Northern Ireland also start their campaign with a home fixture. Luxembourg are the visitors on September 5, with Bulgaria and Belarus completing Group C3.

Their away game against Belarus, scheduled for October 12, is set to be played at a neutral venue.

UEFA, in its Nations League draw press kit, said: “Based on decisions by the UEFA executive committee, Belarus and Ukraine organise their respective home matches on neutral ground until further notice.”