2022–23 UEFA Nations League C

The 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C was the third division of the 2022–23 edition of the UEFA Nations League, the third season of the international football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA.

2022–23 UEFA Nations League C
Tournament details
DatesLeague phase:
2 June – 27 September 2022
Relegation play-outs:
21–26 March 2024
Teams16
Promoted Georgia
 Greece
 Kazakhstan
 Turkey
Relegated Gibraltar
Tournament statistics
Matches played50
Goals scored129 (2.58 per match)
Attendance502,787 (10,056 per match)
Top scorer(s)Georgia (country) Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Kosovo Vedat Muriqi
(5 goals each)

Format

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League C consisted of 16 UEFA members ranked from 33–48 in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League access list, split into four groups of four. Each team played six matches within their group, using the home-and-away round-robin format in June (quadruple matchdays) and September 2022 (double matchdays).[1] The winners of each group were promoted to the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B, and the two worst-ranked fourth-placed teams of each group advanced to the relegation play-outs.[2][3]

As League C had four groups while League D had only two, the League C team that was to be relegated to the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League D was determined by play-outs in March 2024.

Originally, all four of the fourth-placed teams would have participated in the play-outs. Based on the Nations League overall ranking, the best-ranked team would have faced the fourth-ranked team, and the second-ranked team would have faced the third-ranked team. The two losing teams would have been relegated to League D, while the winners would have remained in League C.[2]

However, due to the ongoing suspension of Russia from all UEFA competitions and to ensure that League C would still consist of 16 teams,[4] the league allocation for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League was changed so that only one team would be relegated to League D. Based on the Nations League overall ranking, the two lowest-ranked teams participated in the play-outs, while the other two fourth-placed teams remained in League C.[3][5]

The play-out tie was played over two legs, with the higher-ranked team hosting the second leg. The team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs remained in League C while the loser was relegated to League D. If the aggregate score was level, extra time was played without applying the away goals rule. If still tied after extra time, a penalty shoot-out was used to decide the winner.[2]

Teams

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Team changes

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The following were the team changes in League C from the 2020–21 season:

Incoming
Relegated from
Nations League B
Promoted from
Nations League D
Outgoing
Promoted to
Nations League B
Relegated to
Nations League D

Seeding

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In the 2022–23 access list, UEFA ranked teams based on the 2020–21 Nations League overall ranking.[6] The seeding pots for the league phase were confirmed on 22 September 2021,[7] and were based on the access list ranking.[2]

Pot 1
Team Rank
  Turkey 33
  Slovakia 34
  Bulgaria 35
  Northern Ireland 36
Pot 2
Team Rank
  Greece 37
  Belarus 38
  Luxembourg 39
  North Macedonia 40
Pot 3
Team Rank
  Lithuania 41
  Georgia 42
  Azerbaijan 43
  Kosovo 44
Pot 4
Team Rank
  Kazakhstan[a] 45
  Cyprus[a] 46
  Gibraltar 47
  Faroe Islands 48
  1. ^ a b The identity of the play-out winners was not known at the time of the draw.

The draw for the league phase took place at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on 16 December 2021, 18:00 CET.[8][9] Each group contained one team from each pot. Due to restrictions of excessive travel, each group could contain a maximum of one of the following pairs: Northern Ireland and the winner of the Moldova v Kazakhstan play-out tie, Gibraltar and Azerbaijan.

Groups

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The fixture list was confirmed by UEFA on 17 December 2021, the day following the draw.[10][11]

Times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

Group 1

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or qualification        
1   Turkey (P) 6 4 1 1 18 5 +13 13 Promotion to League B 3–3 4–0 2–0
2   Luxembourg 6 3 2 1 9 7 +2 11 0–2 2–2 1–0
3   Faroe Islands 6 2 2 2 7 10 −3 8 2–1 0–1 2–1
4   Lithuania (O) 6 0 1 5 2 14 −12 1 Qualification for relegation play-outs 0–6 0–2 1–1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted
Lithuania  0–2  Luxembourg
Report
  • Sinani   44', 78'
Attendance: 3,009[12]
Referee: David Fuxman (Israel)
Turkey  4–0  Faroe Islands
Report

Faroe Islands  0–1  Luxembourg
Report
Lithuania  0–6  Turkey
Report
Attendance: 2,843[15]

Faroe Islands  2–1  Lithuania
Report
Attendance: 2,278[16]
Referee: Igor Pajac (Croatia)
Luxembourg  0–2  Turkey
Report

Luxembourg  2–2  Faroe Islands
Report
Turkey  2–0  Lithuania
Report

Lithuania  1–1  Faroe Islands
Report
Turkey  3–3  Luxembourg
Report

Faroe Islands  2–1  Turkey
Report
Attendance: 2,056[22]
Luxembourg  1–0  Lithuania
Report

Group 2

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion        
1   Greece (P) 6 5 0 1 10 2 +8 15 Promotion to League B 2–0 3–1 3–0
2   Kosovo 6 3 0 3 11 8 +3 9 0–1 3–2 5–1
3   Northern Ireland 6 1 2 3 7 10 −3 5[a] 0–1 2–1 2–2
4   Cyprus 6 1 2 3 4 12 −8 5[a] 1–0 0–2 0–0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head results. Overall goal difference was used as the tiebreaker.
Cyprus  0–2  Kosovo
Report
Northern Ireland  0–1  Greece
Report
Attendance: 16,977[25]

Cyprus  0–0  Northern Ireland
Report
Kosovo  0–1  Greece
Report

Greece  3–0  Cyprus
Report
Kosovo  3–2  Northern Ireland
Report

Northern Ireland  2–2  Cyprus
Report
Greece  2–0  Kosovo
Report

Northern Ireland  2–1  Kosovo
Report
Attendance: 17,148[32]
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
Cyprus  1–0  Greece
Report

Greece  3–1  Northern Ireland
Report
Kosovo  5–1  Cyprus
Report

Group 3

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion        
1   Kazakhstan (P) 6 4 1 1 8 6 +2 13 Promotion to League B 2–0 2–1 2–1
2   Azerbaijan 6 3 1 2 7 4 +3 10 3–0 0–1 2–0
3   Slovakia 6 2 1 3 5 6 −1 7 0–1 1–2 1–1
4   Belarus 6 0 3 3 3 7 −4 3 1–1 0–0 0–1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted
Kazakhstan  2–0  Azerbaijan
Report
Attendance: 19,823[36]
Referee: István Vad (Hungary)
Belarus  0–1  Slovakia
Report

Belarus  0–0  Azerbaijan
Report
Slovakia  0–1  Kazakhstan
Report

Azerbaijan  0–1  Slovakia
Report
Attendance: 2,967[41]
Belarus  1–1  Kazakhstan
Report

Kazakhstan  2–1  Slovakia
Report
Azerbaijan  2–0  Belarus
Report
Attendance: 2,330[44]

Kazakhstan  2–1  Belarus
Report
Attendance: 29,637[45]
Slovakia  1–2  Azerbaijan
Report

Azerbaijan  3–0  Kazakhstan
Report
Attendance: 2,950[47]
Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Slovakia  1–1  Belarus
Report

Group 4

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or qualification        
1   Georgia (P) 6 5 1 0 16 3 +13 16 Promotion to League B 0–0 2–0 4–0
2   Bulgaria 6 2 3 1 10 8 +2 9 2–5 1–1 5–1
3   North Macedonia 6 2 1 3 7 7 0 7 0–3 0–1 4–0
4   Gibraltar (R) 6 0 1 5 3 18 −15 1 Qualification for relegation play-outs 1–2 1–1 0–2
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Georgia  4–0  Gibraltar
Report
Bulgaria  1–1  North Macedonia
Report

Gibraltar  0–2  North Macedonia
Report
Bulgaria  2–5  Georgia
Report
Attendance: 3,600[52]
Referee: Fabio Maresca (Italy)

Gibraltar  1–1  Bulgaria
Report
North Macedonia  0–3  Georgia
Report

Georgia  0–0  Bulgaria
Report
North Macedonia  4–0  Gibraltar
Report

Georgia  2–0  North Macedonia
Report
Bulgaria  5–1  Gibraltar
Report

Gibraltar  1–2  Georgia
Report
North Macedonia  0–1  Bulgaria
Report

Ranking of fourth-placed teams

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Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 C2   Cyprus 6 1 2 3 4 12 −8 5
2 C3   Belarus 6 0 3 3 3 7 −4 3
3 C1   Lithuania (O) 6 0 1 5 2 14 −12 1 Qualification for relegation play-outs
4 C4   Gibraltar (R) 6 0 1 5 3 18 −15 1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Ranking criteria
(O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated

Relegation play-outs

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The two worst-ranked fourth-placed teams of League C participated in the relegation play-outs to determine the team which would be relegated to League D. The relegation play-outs were scheduled on the same dates as the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs. If at least one of the teams due to participate in the relegation play-outs had also qualified for the Euro qualifying play-offs, the relegation play-outs would have been cancelled, and the worst-ranked team in League C in the Nations League overall ranking would have been automatically relegated.[2] However, this scenario did not occur, and the relegation play-outs progressed as scheduled.

The play-out tie was as follows, with the higher-ranked team hosting the second leg:[2][3]

Times are CET (UTC+1), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

Summary

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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Gibraltar   0–2   Lithuania 0–1 0–1

Matches

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Gibraltar  0–1  Lithuania
Report
Lithuania  1–0  Gibraltar
Report

Lithuania won 2–0 on aggregate and remained in League C, while Gibraltar were relegated to League D.

Goalscorers

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There were 129 goals scored in 50 matches, for an average of 2.58 goals per match.

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Overall ranking

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The 16 League C teams were ranked 33rd to 48th overall in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League according to the following rules:[2][64]

  • The teams finishing first in the groups were ranked 33rd to 36th according to the results of the league phase.
  • The teams finishing second in the groups were ranked 37th to 40th according to the results of the league phase.
  • The teams finishing third in the groups were ranked 41st to 44th according to the results of the league phase.
  • The teams finishing fourth in the groups were ranked 45th to 48th according to the results of the league phase.
Rnk Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
33 C4   Georgia 6 5 1 0 16 3 +13 16
34 C2   Greece 6 5 0 1 10 2 +8 15
35 C1   Turkey 6 4 1 1 18 5 +13 13
36 C3   Kazakhstan 6 4 1 1 8 6 +2 13
37 C1   Luxembourg 6 3 2 1 9 7 +2 11
38 C3   Azerbaijan 6 3 1 2 7 4 +3 10
39 C2   Kosovo 6 3 0 3 11 8 +3 9
40 C4   Bulgaria 6 2 3 1 10 8 +2 9
41 C1   Faroe Islands 6 2 2 2 7 10 −3 8
42 C4   North Macedonia 6 2 1 3 7 7 0 7
43 C3   Slovakia 6 2 1 3 5 6 −1 7
44 C2   Northern Ireland 6 1 2 3 7 10 −3 5
45 C2   Cyprus 6 1 2 3 4 12 −8 5
46 C3   Belarus 6 0 3 3 3 7 −4 3
47 C1   Lithuania 6 0 1 5 2 14 −12 1
48 C4   Gibraltar 6 0 1 5 3 18 −15 1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Ranking criteria

Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs

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The four best teams in League C according to the overall ranking that did not qualify for UEFA Euro 2024 through the qualifying group stage competed in the play-offs, with the winners qualifying for the final tournament.[65]

League C
Rank Team
33 GW   Georgia
34 GW   Greece
35 GW   Turkey
36 GW   Kazakhstan
37   Luxembourg
38   Azerbaijan
39   Kosovo
40   Bulgaria
41   Faroe Islands
42   North Macedonia
43   Slovakia
44   Northern Ireland
45   Cyprus
46   Belarus
47   Lithuania
48   Gibraltar

Key

  • GW Group winner from Nations League C
  •   Team qualified directly to final tournament
  •   Team in bold advanced to play-offs

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Due to the country's involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belarus were required to play their home matches at neutral venues and behind closed doors until further notice.[37]
  2. ^ Due to the country's involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belarus were not allowed to enter Slovakia by local authorities. As a result, the match was played at a neutral venue.
  3. ^ Gibraltar played their home match at Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal, due to the redevelopment of their regular stadium, Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar.[61]

References

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  1. ^ "2022/23 UEFA Nations League: All you need to know". UEFA.com. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Regulations of the UEFA Nations League, 2022/23" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "UEFA Nations League 2024/25 – Draw Procedure" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 2 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  4. ^ "UEFA decisions for upcoming competitions relating to the ongoing suspension of Russian national teams and clubs". UEFA. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Gibraltar's Men face change of opponents in UEFA Nations League Playoff". Gibraltar Football Association. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Overall ranking of the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  7. ^ "2022/23 UEFA Nations League – league phase draw procedure" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. September 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  8. ^ "2022/23 UEFA Nations League: League phase draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  9. ^ "2022/23 UEFA Nations League: League phase draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  10. ^ "2022/23 Nations League: all the fixtures". UEFA.com. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  11. ^ "UEFA Nations League 2022–23: Fixture list per league" (PDF). UEFA. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Lithuania vs. Luxembourg" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Turkey vs. Faroe Islands" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Faroe Islands vs. Luxembourg" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  15. ^ "Lithuania vs. Turkey" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Faroe Islands vs. Lithuania" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Luxembourg vs. Turkey" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Luxembourg vs. Faroe Islands" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Turkey vs. Lithuania" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Lithuania vs. Faroe Islands" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  21. ^ "Turkey vs. Luxembourg" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  22. ^ "Faroe Islands vs. Turkey" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  23. ^ "Luxembourg vs. Lithuania" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  24. ^ "Cyprus vs. Kosovo" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  25. ^ "Northern Ireland vs. Greece" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  26. ^ "Cyprus vs. Northern Ireland" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  27. ^ "Kosovo vs. Greece" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  28. ^ "Greece vs. Cyprus" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  29. ^ "Kosovo vs. Northern Ireland" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  30. ^ "Northern Ireland vs. Cyprus" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  31. ^ "Greece vs. Kosovo" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  32. ^ "Northern Ireland vs. Kosovo" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  33. ^ "Cyprus vs. Greece" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  34. ^ "Greece vs. Northern Ireland" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  35. ^ "Kosovo vs. Cyprus" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  36. ^ "Kazakhstan vs. Azerbaijan" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  37. ^ "Belarus teams to play on neutral ground in UEFA competitions". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  38. ^ "Belarus vs. Slovakia" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  39. ^ "Belarus vs. Azerbaijan" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  40. ^ "Slovakia vs. Kazakhstan" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  41. ^ "Azerbaijan vs. Slovakia" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  42. ^ "Belarus vs. Kazakhstan" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  43. ^ "Kazakhstan vs. Slovakia" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  44. ^ "Azerbaijan vs. Belarus" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  45. ^ "Kazakhstan vs. Belarus" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  46. ^ "Slovakia vs. Azerbaijan" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  47. ^ "Azerbaijan vs. Kazakhstan" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  48. ^ "Slovakia vs. Belarus" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  49. ^ "Georgia vs. Gibraltar" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  50. ^ "Bulgaria vs. North Macedonia" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  51. ^ "Gibraltar vs. North Macedonia" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  52. ^ "Bulgaria vs. Georgia" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  53. ^ "Gibraltar vs. Bulgaria" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  54. ^ "North Macedonia vs. Georgia" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  55. ^ "Georgia vs. Bulgaria" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  56. ^ "North Macedonia vs. Gibraltar" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  57. ^ "Georgia vs. North Macedonia" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  58. ^ "Bulgaria vs. Gibraltar" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  59. ^ "Gibraltar vs. Georgia" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  60. ^ "North Macedonia vs. Bulgaria" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  61. ^ "Gibraltar's Home international matches to be played in Faro, Portugal as from March 2023". Gibraltar Football Association. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  62. ^ "Gibraltar vs. Lithuania" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  63. ^ "Lithuania vs. Gibraltar" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  64. ^ "Overall ranking of the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  65. ^ "Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship, 2022–24". Union of European Football Associations. 10 May 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
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