England to meet Netherlands in Nations League semi-finals
The draw in Nyon on December 4 put England in a group with the Netherlands, while hosts Portugal faced Switzerland.
The Nations League semi-finals will take place on 5 June 2019 in Portugal. The final will take place five days later. The winners of the Nations League will automatically qualify for Euro 2020 without qualifying.
England and the Netherlands were two phenomena in the Nations League group stage, when they both topped groups with strong teams. The Netherlands won Group A1, a group with France and Germany, while England won Group A4, which had Croatia and Spain.
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Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman and England coach Southgate were satisfied after the Nations League semi-final draw. Photo:AP. |
"It's going to be a very exciting game," said England manager Gareth Southgate. "It's our second semi-final in less than a year. This time we've had more time to prepare."
The other semi-final was between Portugal and Switzerland. Portugal, despite not having Cristiano Ronaldo, finished top of Group A2, which also included Italy and Poland. Switzerland took top spot in Group A3, beating direct rivals Belgium 5-2 in the final match.
In case they do not win the Nations League and do not qualify for Euro 2020, England, the Netherlands, Portugal or Switzerland will still be on the list of players participating in the play-off round to compete for a ticket to the Euro 2020 finals.
The Nations League champions will receive $7.65 million in prize money, while the runners-up will receive $5.73 million. The remaining two teams will receive $4.45 million and $3.18 million, respectively.
