2021 UEFA Nations League Finals

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Not to be confused with 2021 UEFA Nations League final, the final match of the Nations League.

2021 UEFA Nations League Finals
Fase finale della UEFA Nations League 2021 (in Italian)
Tournament details
Host countryItaly
Dates6–10 October
Teams4
Venue(s)2 (in 2 host cities)
Final positions
Champions France (1st title)
Runners-up Spain
Third place Italy
Fourth place Belgium
Tournament statistics
Matches played4
Goals scored14 (3.5 per match)
Attendance94,168 (23,542 per match)
Top scorer(s)France Karim Benzema
France Kylian Mbappé
Spain Ferran Torres
(2 goals each)
Best player(s)Spain Sergio Busquets
← 2019
2023 →

The 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals was the final tournament of the 2020–21 edition of the UEFA Nations League, the second season of the international football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. The tournament was held in Italy from 6 to 10 October 2021,[1] and was contested by the four group winners of Nations League A. The tournament consisted of two semi-finals, a third place play-off and final to determine the champions of the UEFA Nations League.

Portugal were the defending champions, having won the inaugural 2019 finals. However, they failed to qualify for the 2021 finals after finishing second in their group behind France.[2]

France won the final 2–1 against Spain for their first UEFA Nations League title.

Format[edit]

The Nations League Finals took place in October 2021 and were contested by the four group winners of League A. The four teams were each drawn into a five-team group (rather than a six-team group) for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification group stage, thereby leaving the October 2021 window available for the Nations League Finals.[3]

The Nations League Finals were played in single-leg knockout matches, consisting of two semi-finals, a third place play-off and a final. The semi-final pairings were determined by means of an open draw.[4] All matches in the tournament utilised the goal-line technology and video assistant referee (VAR) systems.

In the Nations League Finals, if the scores were level at the end of normal time:[5]

  • In the semi-finals and final, 30 minutes of extra time would be played.[6] If the score was still level after extra time, the winner would be determined by a penalty shoot-out.
  • In the third place play-off, extra time would not be played, and the winner would be determined by a penalty shoot-out (this was a change from the 2019 finals, which utilized extra time in the third place play-off).

On 31 March 2021, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the use of a maximum of five substitutions in matches at the Nations League Finals (with a sixth allowed in extra time).[7] However, each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity allowed in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.[8] The use of five substitutes had been permitted by IFAB during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the resulting fixture congestion, which created a greater burden on players.[9]

Qualified teams[edit]

The four group winners of League A qualified for the Nations League Finals.[10]

Group Winners Date of
qualification 		Previous finals appearances Previous best
UNL Ranking 		UNL Rankings
November 2020 		FIFA Rankings
September 2021
A1  Italy (host) 18 November 2020 0 (debut) 8 (2018–19) 3 5
A2  Belgium 18 November 2020 0 (debut) 5 (2018–19) 2 1
A3  France 14 November 2020 0 (debut) 6 (2018–19) 1 4
A4  Spain 17 November 2020 0 (debut) 7 (2018–19) 4 8

Schedule[edit]

The Nations League Finals, originally scheduled for 2–6 June 2021, were moved to 6–10 October 2021 following the rescheduling of UEFA Euro 2020 to June and July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11][3] The tournament took place over five days, with the semi-finals on 6 and 7 October (the first of which featured the host team), and the third place play-off and final three days after the second semi-final on 10 October 2021.[1]

Host selection[edit]

Italy was confirmed as the host country by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting on 3 December 2020.[12][13] Only League A teams could bid for the Nations League Finals, and only one of the four participants is selected as hosts. The Nations League Finals were held in two stadiums, each with a seating capacity of at least 30,000. Ideally, the stadiums would be located in the same host city or up to approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) apart.

On 24 September 2020, UEFA announced that Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland had declared interest in hosting the tournament, all three of which are members of Group A1.[1] Italy were confirmed as winners of Group A1 over the Netherlands and Poland on 18 November 2020, thereby confirming hosting rights, which were confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee on 3 December 2020, the same day as the Nations League Finals draw.[4][14] If the fourth member of the group, Bosnia and Herzegovina, had qualified for the Nations League Finals, the UEFA Executive Committee would have decided the venues.[15]

Bidding venues

Venues[edit]

In their bid dossier, the Italian Football Federation proposed the San Siro in Milan and Juventus Stadium in Turin as the venues.[15][18]

Milan Turin
San Siro Juventus Stadium
Capacity: 75,923 Capacity: 41,507

Draw[edit]

The semi-final pairings were determined by means of an open draw on 3 December 2020, 17:30 CET, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[19][20][21][22] The first two teams drawn were allocated to match pairing A, while the remaining two teams drawn were allocated to match pairing B.[23] For scheduling purposes, the host team was allocated to the first semi-final as the administrative home team. The administrative home team for both the third place play-off and final were predetermined as the teams which advanced from semi-final 1.[5]

Squads[edit]

Main article: 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals squads

Each national team had to submit a squad of 23 players, three of whom had to be goalkeepers, at least ten days before the opening match of the tournament. If a player became injured or ill severely enough to prevent his participation in the tournament before his team's first match, he was replaced by another player.[5]

Bracket[edit]

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
6 October – Milan
 
 
 Italy1
 
10 October – Milan
 
 Spain2
 
 Spain1
 
7 October – Turin
 
 France2
 
 Belgium2
 
 
 France3
 
Third place play-off
 
 
10 October – Turin
 
 
 Italy2
 
 
 Belgium1

All times are local, CEST (UTC+2).

Semi-finals[edit]

Italy vs Spain[edit]

Italy 1–2 Spain
 Report
Attendance: 33,524[24]
Italy[25]
Spain[25]
GK 21 Gianluigi Donnarumma
RB 2 Giovanni Di Lorenzo
CB 19 Leonardo Bonucci (c) Yellow card 30' Yellow-red card 42'
CB 23 Alessandro Bastoni
LB 13 Emerson Palmieri
CM 18 Nicolò Barella downward-facing red arrow 72'
CM 8 Jorginho downward-facing red arrow 64'
CM 6 Marco Verratti downward-facing red arrow 58'
RF 14 Federico Chiesa
CF 20 Federico Bernardeschi downward-facing red arrow 46'
LF 10 Lorenzo Insigne downward-facing red arrow 58'
Substitutions:
DF 3 Giorgio Chiellini upward-facing green arrow 46'
FW 17 Moise Kean upward-facing green arrow 58'
MF 5 Manuel Locatelli Yellow card 82' upward-facing green arrow 58'
MF 7 Lorenzo Pellegrini upward-facing green arrow 64'
DF 4 Davide Calabria upward-facing green arrow 72'
Manager:
Roberto Mancini
GK 23 Unai Simón
RB 2 César Azpilicueta Yellow card 45'
CB 19 Aymeric Laporte
CB 3 Pau Torres
LB 17 Marcos Alonso
CM 8 Koke downward-facing red arrow 75'
CM 5 Sergio Busquets (c)
CM 9 Gavi downward-facing red arrow 84'
RF 22 Pablo Sarabia Yellow card 65' downward-facing red arrow 75'
CF 11 Ferran Torres downward-facing red arrow 49'
LF 21 Mikel Oyarzabal Yellow card 89'
Substitutions:
FW 7 Yeremy Pino Yellow card 71' upward-facing green arrow 49'
MF 20 Mikel Merino upward-facing green arrow 75'
MF 6 Bryan Gil upward-facing green arrow 75'
MF 10 Sergi Roberto upward-facing green arrow 84'
Manager:
Luis Enrique

Man of the Match:
Ferran Torres (Spain)[26]

Assistant referees:[25]
Igor Demeshko (Russia)
Maksim Gavrilin (Russia)
Fourth official:
Sergey Ivanov (Russia)
Video assistant referee:
Pol van Boekel (Netherlands)
Assistant video assistant referee:
Christian Dingert (Germany)

Belgium vs France[edit]

Belgium 2–3 France
 Report
Attendance: 12,409[27]
Belgium[28]
France[28]
GK 1 Thibaut Courtois
CB 2 Toby Alderweireld
CB 3 Jason Denayer
CB 5 Jan Vertonghen Yellow card 67'
RM 21 Timothy Castagne downward-facing red arrow 90+2'
CM 6 Axel Witsel
CM 8 Youri Tielemans downward-facing red arrow 70'
LM 11 Yannick Carrasco
RF 7 Kevin De Bruyne
CF 9 Romelu Lukaku
LF 10 Eden Hazard (c) downward-facing red arrow 74'
Substitutions:
MF 17 Hans Vanaken upward-facing green arrow 70'
FW 20 Leandro Trossard upward-facing green arrow 74'
FW 23 Michy Batshuayi upward-facing green arrow 90+2'
Manager:
Spain Roberto Martínez
GK 1 Hugo Lloris (c)
CB 5 Jules Koundé
CB 4 Raphaël Varane
CB 21 Lucas Hernandez
RM 2 Benjamin Pavard downward-facing red arrow 90+2'
CM 6 Paul Pogba
CM 14 Adrien Rabiot downward-facing red arrow 75'
LM 22 Théo Hernandez
AM 7 Antoine Griezmann
CF 19 Karim Benzema downward-facing red arrow 90+7'
CF 10 Kylian Mbappé
Substitutions:
MF 8 Aurélien Tchouaméni upward-facing green arrow 75'
DF 12 Léo Dubois upward-facing green arrow 90+2'
MF 17 Jordan Veretout upward-facing green arrow 90+7'
Manager:
Didier Deschamps

Man of the Match:
Kylian Mbappé (France)[29]

Assistant referees:[28]
Jan Seidel (Germany)
Eduard Beitinger (Germany)
Fourth official:
Harm Osmers (Germany)
Video assistant referee:
Christian Dingert (Germany)
Assistant video assistant referee:
Pol van Boekel (Netherlands)

Third place play-off[edit]

Italy 2–1 Belgium
 Report
Attendance: 16,724[30]
Italy[31]
Belgium[31]
GK 21 Gianluigi Donnarumma (c)
RB 2 Giovanni Di Lorenzo Yellow card 30'
CB 15 Francesco Acerbi
CB 23 Alessandro Bastoni
LB 13 Emerson Palmieri Yellow card 82'
CM 18 Nicolò Barella downward-facing red arrow 70'
CM 5 Manuel Locatelli
CM 7 Lorenzo Pellegrini downward-facing red arrow 70'
RF 11 Domenico Berardi downward-facing red arrow 90+1'
CF 9 Giacomo Raspadori downward-facing red arrow 65'
LF 14 Federico Chiesa downward-facing red arrow 90+2'
Substitutions:
FW 17 Moise Kean upward-facing green arrow 65'
MF 16 Bryan Cristante upward-facing green arrow 70'
MF 8 Jorginho upward-facing green arrow 70'
FW 10 Lorenzo Insigne upward-facing green arrow 90+1'
MF 20 Federico Bernardeschi upward-facing green arrow 90+2'
Manager:
Roberto Mancini
GK 1 Thibaut Courtois
CB 2 Toby Alderweireld Yellow card 63'
CB 3 Jason Denayer
CB 5 Jan Vertonghen (c) Yellow card 14'
RM 21 Timothy Castagne
CM 6 Axel Witsel Yellow card 56'
CM 8 Youri Tielemans downward-facing red arrow 59'
LM 22 Alexis Saelemaekers downward-facing red arrow 59'
RF 17 Hans Vanaken
CF 23 Michy Batshuayi
LF 11 Yannick Carrasco downward-facing red arrow 87'
Substitutions:
MF 7 Kevin De Bruyne upward-facing green arrow 59'
FW 18 Charles De Ketelaere upward-facing green arrow 59'
FW 20 Leandro Trossard upward-facing green arrow 87'
Manager:
Spain Roberto Martínez

Man of the Match:
Domenico Berardi (Italy)[32]

Assistant referees:[31]
Uroš Stojković (Serbia)
Milan Mihajlović (Serbia)
Fourth official:
Novak Simović (Serbia)
Video assistant referee:
Marco Fritz (Germany)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Chris Kavanagh (England)
Lee Betts (England)
Pol van Boekel (Netherlands)

Final[edit]

Main article: 2021 UEFA Nations League final
Spain 1–2 France
 Report
Attendance: 31,511[33]
Spain[34]
France[34]
GK 23 Unai Simón
RB 2 César Azpilicueta
CB 19 Aymeric Laporte Yellow card 86'
CB 12 Eric García
LB 17 Marcos Alonso
CM 9 Gavi downward-facing red arrow 75'
CM 5 Sergio Busquets (c)
CM 16 Rodri downward-facing red arrow 84'
RF 11 Ferran Torres downward-facing red arrow 84'
CF 22 Pablo Sarabia downward-facing red arrow 61'
LF 21 Mikel Oyarzabal
Substitutions:
FW 7 Yeremy Pino upward-facing green arrow 61'
MF 8 Koke upward-facing green arrow 75'
MF 20 Mikel Merino upward-facing green arrow 84'
MF 18 Pablo Fornals upward-facing green arrow 84'
Manager:
Luis Enrique
GK 1 Hugo Lloris (c)
CB 5 Jules Koundé Yellow card 55'
CB 4 Raphaël Varane downward-facing red arrow 43'
CB 3 Presnel Kimpembe
RM 2 Benjamin Pavard downward-facing red arrow 79'
CM 6 Paul Pogba Yellow card 46'
CM 8 Aurélien Tchouaméni
LM 22 Théo Hernandez
AM 7 Antoine Griezmann downward-facing red arrow 90+2'
CF 19 Karim Benzema
CF 10 Kylian Mbappé Yellow card 90'
Substitutions:
DF 15 Dayot Upamecano upward-facing green arrow 43'
DF 12 Léo Dubois upward-facing green arrow 79'
MF 17 Jordan Veretout upward-facing green arrow 90+2'
Manager:
Didier Deschamps

Man of the Match:
Karim Benzema (France)[35]

Assistant referees:[36]
Gary Beswick (England)
Adam Nunn (England)
Fourth official:
Craig Pawson (England)
Reserve assistant referee:
Stuart Burt (England)
Video assistant referee:
Stuart Attwell (England)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Chris Kavanagh (England)
Lee Betts (England)
Pol van Boekel (Netherlands)

Statistics[edit]

Goalscorers[edit]

There were 14 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 3.5 goals per match.

2 goals

1 goal

Awards[edit]

Player of the Tournament

The Hisense Player of the Finals award was given to Sergio Busquets, who was chosen by UEFA's technical observers.[37]

Top Scorer

The "Alipay Top Scorer Trophy", given to the top scorer in the Nations League Finals,[38] was awarded to Kylian Mbappé, who finished with two goals and two assists in the Nations League Finals.[39] The ranking was determined using the following criteria: 1) goals in Nations League Finals, 2) assists in Nations League Finals, 3) fewest minutes played in Nations League Finals, 4) goals in league phase.[40]

Top scorer rankings
Rank Player Goals Assists Minutes
1st place, gold medalist(s) France Kylian Mbappé 2 2 180
2nd place, silver medalist(s) France Karim Benzema 2 0 179
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Spain Ferran Torres 2 0 133

Goal of the Tournament

The Gazprom Goal of the Tournament was decided by online voting. A total four goals were in the shortlist, chosen by UEFA's technical observers: Karim Benzema (against Spain), Ferran Torres (second goal against Italy), Théo Hernandez (against Belgium) and Romelu Lukaku (against France). Benzema won the award for his goal in the final.[41][42]

Rank Goalscorer Opponent Score Result Round
1st place, gold medalist(s) France Karim Benzema  Spain 1–1 2–1 Final
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Belgium Romelu Lukaku  France 2–0 2–3 Semi-finals
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Spain Ferran Torres  Italy 2–0 2–1 Semi-finals
4 France Théo Hernandez  Belgium 3–2 3–2 Semi-finals

Discipline[edit]

A player was automatically suspended for the next match for receiving a red card, which could be extended for serious offences. Yellow card suspensions did not apply in the Nations League Finals.[5]

The following suspensions were served during the tournament:[43]

Player Offence(s) Suspension(s)
Italy Leonardo Bonucci Yellow card Yellow-red card in semi-finals vs Spain (6 October 2021) Third place play-off vs Belgium (10 October 2021)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Two triple-headers approved for 2021 March and September national team windows". UEFA. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Portugal 0–1 France: N'Golo Kante winner sends Blues into finals". BBC Sport. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b "European Qualifiers: FIFA World Cup – Qualifying draw procedure" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b UEFA.com (11 July 2021). "UEFA Nations League finals: all you need to know". UEFA.com. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Regulations of the UEFA Nations League, 2020/21" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 October 2019. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Amendments to football's Laws of the Game in various UEFA competitions". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Five substitutions allowed at UEFA EURO 2020 and 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals". UEFA. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Temporary amendment to Law 3" (PDF). International Football Association Board. Zürich. 8 May 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  9. ^ "IFAB approves trials with additional concussion substitutes". International Football Association Board. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Who is in the Nations League finals?". UEFA. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Resolution of the European football family on a coordinated response to the impact of the COVID-19 on competitions". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  12. ^ "UEFA Executive Committee agenda for December meeting". UEFA. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Tirana to host first UEFA Europa Conference League Final". UEFA. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  14. ^ UEFA.com (3 December 2020). "Nations League finals host confirmed: Milan and Turin to stage 2021 games". UEFA.com. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  15. ^ a b c "Milan and Turin candidates to host UEFA Nations League finals". Italian Football Federation. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  16. ^ "Nederland kandidaat voor organisatie Nations League Finals 2021" [The Netherlands candidate for organiser of the 2021 Nations League Finals]. Royal Dutch Football Association (in Dutch). 24 September 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Polska walczy z rywalami z grupy o organizację final four Ligi Narodów" [Poland is fighting with rivals from the group to organise the final four of the Nations League]. TVN24 (in Polish). 24 September 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Nations League finals host confirmed: Milan and Turin to stage 2021 games". UEFA. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  19. ^ "UEFA Nations League finals draw". UEFA. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  20. ^ "UEFA Nations League finals draw". UEFA. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  21. ^ "2021 UEFA Nations League Finals Press Kit" (PDF). UEFA. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  22. ^ "Nations League finals draw: Italy vs Spain, Belgium vs France". UEFA. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  23. ^ "UEFA Nations League 2020/21: Finals draw procedure" (PDF). UEFA. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  24. ^ "Full Time Report – Semi-finals – Italy v Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  25. ^ a b c "Tactical Line-ups – Semi-finals – Italy v Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  26. ^ "Italy 1–2 Spain: Ferran Torres double ends Azzurri run". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  27. ^ "Full Time Report – Semi-finals – Belgium v France" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  28. ^ a b c "Tactical Line-ups – Semi-finals – Belgium v France" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  29. ^ "Belgium 2–3 France: Theo Hernández completes stunning comeback". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  30. ^ "Full Time Report – Third-place match – Italy v Belgium" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  31. ^ a b c "Tactical Line-ups – Third-place match – Italy v Belgium" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  32. ^ "Italy 2–1 Belgium: Azzurri secure third place at Nations League finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  33. ^ "Full Time Report – Final – Spain v France" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  34. ^ a b "Tactical Line-ups – Final – Spain v France" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  35. ^ "Spain 1–2 France: Les Bleus seal trophy with another comeback". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  36. ^ "English ref Anthony Taylor and his team to take charge of Spain v France in Milan". The Football Association. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  37. ^ "Sergio Busquets named 2021 UEFA Nations League Player of the Finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  38. ^ "Alipay Top Scorer trophy unveiled for UEFA Nations League". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  39. ^ "UEFA Nations League finals top scorer: Kylian Mbappé". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  40. ^ "Alipay Top Scorer". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  41. ^ "Goal of the Tournament". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  42. ^ "Top Goals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  43. ^ "UEFA Nations League 2021: Booking List before Third-place match and Final" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.

External links[edit]

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