When is the UEFA Nations League draw? Pots, seeding & everything you need to know

The inaugural UEFA Nations League is set to begin in September 2018 and the draw takes place soon.

Fans across Europe are still trying to figure out what it is and how it works, but the administrators at UEFA are ready to roll their new experiment out.

Each of the continent's 55 member associations will take part in the new tournament and there is a lot at stake for those involved.

With the draw not too far away, Goal brings you all you need to know.

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When is the UEFA Nations League draw?

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The draw for the inaugural UEFA Nations League takes place on Wednesday, January 24, 2018.

It will be held at UEFA's headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland and is scheduled to get under way at 12:00 CET (11:00 GMT).

How will the draw work?

Teams have been divided into different leagues and, for the purposes of the draw, they have been organised into seeding pots.

The UEFA Nations League draw will begin by populating the lowest league, League D, with the lowest seeds (those in Pot 4) being drawn first, working up to the highest seeds.

This process will be repeated for Leagues C, B and ultimately the top league, A.

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How can I watch the UEFA Nations League draw?

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The Nations League draw can be streamed live online at UEFA's official website, uefa.com, with updates to be provided on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram too.

In the UK, Sky Sports has the rights to UEFA Nations League matches for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, so the draw is likely to be broadcast on its TV channels.

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UEFA Nations League seeding pots

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The seeding pots for the inaugural Nations League were confirmed in December 2017 and they were decided based on UEFA's coefficient following the conclusion of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in October.

Leagues A and B will be made up of four three-team groups, while Leagues C and D will feature four four-team groups (with the exception of Group 1C, which will not include any team from Pot Four.)

League A:

League B:

League C:

League D:

UEFA Nations League draw exceptions

There are some important exceptions to be observed in the draw, with UEFA's Executive committee deciding that Russia and Ukraine are not permitted to be drawn together in League B, while in League D, the same principle applies to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In League C, due to winter venue restrictions, a single group can only contain a maximum of two of the following teams: Norway, Finland, Estonia and Lithuania.

In League D, due to excessive travel restrictions, no group can contain more than one of the following pairs: Andorra and Kazakhstan, Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan, Gibraltar and Kazakhstan, Gibraltar and Azerbaijan.

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What is the UEFA Nations League?

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The UEFA Nations League is a brand new venture for European football that, essentially, aims to make meaningless international friendlies a thing of the past by giving teams more to play for.

It is not a replacement of the current European Championship and World Cup qualifiers. Rather, it is intended to complement those games, but with a competitive twist.

Indeed, there is an added incentive for teams playing in the competition, with four countries progressing to the European Championship (starting with Euro 2020) through the Nations League.

Click here to read Goal's comprehensive breakdown of the Nations League.