Nations League returns with all eyes on World Cup

MADRID: The third Nations League competition  begins this week with many participants already thinking about the World Cup.

National teams will get a rare opportunity to play several matches in a row — practically serving as a preseason — as the international dates were moved to June because of the World Cup beginning in November.

Some teams will play four matches in June and two more in September to finish the group stage of the biennial Nations League ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.

“This is a competition that is really close to the World Cup, so obviously these matches will be meaningful,” Portugal midfielder William Carvalho said.

The Nations League starts later Wednesday with Wales visiting Poland in the top-tier League A. On Thursday, the highlight will be the match between Spain, last year’s runner-up, and Portugal, the inaugural winner of the competition.

“We are already thinking about Portugal, it’s the start of this Nations League and we want to make it to the Final Four and, above all, prepare for the next World Cup, which will begin in no time and we will have to be ready,” Spain defender Dani Carvajal said.

For some teams, like Wales, the Nations League begins even before it has been able to qualify for the World Cup. They will visit Poland without some of their regular starters as the match comes just four days before they face either Scotland or Ukraine in a World Cup playoff.

Scotland and Ukraine will also face each other in the Nations League as they were drawn in the same second-tier group.

Defending Nations League champions France debut on Friday at home against Denmark, while the Netherlands visits Belgium.

“For us, playing against Holland is a real derby, a footballing derby, a big