Inaugural Nations' League draw due on 24th January

As we'd already reported earlier, the Hungarian men's national team will be drawn as the team placed in the first position of 'C League'. The first of the four groups of seeds will be drawn first and the groups contained within 'D League' will be drawn first, followed by those of 'C League' which will include Hungary.

Firstly, three teams from pot 4 will be drawn. The first of these will enter group C2, the second group C3 and the third group C4. The same thing will happen to four teams from pot 4 with the difference that the first team pulled out will enter group C1. Hungary will be in pot 1 so their draw in 'C League' will only become apparent at the end.

When fixture times are being set it is important to know that Finland and Norway are not able to play home matches in November due to the lack of natural light. The winter weather can also affect the staging of home matches for Estonia and Lithuania. Following the draw at 16:000 on 24th January, representatives from each nation will convene to agree on the fixture list, specifically which team will play which, where and when. Naturally, ticket sales will only begin at sometime after those agreements have been reconfirmed.

The fixtures are due to be held on the following designated match dates:

1st matchday: 6-8th September
2nd matchday: 9-11th Sepember
3rd matchday: 11-13th October
4th matchday: 14-16th October
5th matchday: 15-17th November
6th matchday: 18-20th November

The standard match kick-off time will be 20:45 CET on weekdays and at 18:00 on Saturdays or Sundays, although kick-off times of 20:45 or even 15:00 at weekends are also theoretically possible.

If Hungary are drawn in group C1, a three-team group, it is necessary to play friendly matches on the two free matchdays. There will only be three-team groups contained within the A League and B League sections so potential European opponents could be found from those sections or agreement between the Hungarian Football Federation and non-European football associations could also be sought. The latest date to officially announce these friendly matches and the exact kick-off times is 2nd March 2018.