Play has halted in the Europe's top leagues, which means only one thing: the international break is back! While not every fans enjoys international friendlies, the UEFA Nations League is a new tournament that kicks off on September 6 and looks to entertain football lovers.
This new European competition brings competitiveness to international breaks, with the 55 national teams being split into four leagues based on their coefficient so that they are evenly matched. Each league consists of four groups with promotion being offered to the group winners in league B, C, and D and relegation being handed to the bottom-placed sides in A, B, and C.
The race for the UEFA Nations League title is right around the corner. Here are the key talking points and standout fixtures from the opening games.
Can the World Cup's top performers show it wasn't merely a fluke?
World champion France begins their campaign away to Germany. Didier Deschamps silenced the critics who were upset over their Euro 2016 failure by winning the World Cup, but they'll have to prove that it wasn't merely a fluke in the UEFA Nations Leauge.
And Les Blues aren't the only ones. The same goes for Croatia, the dark-horse in Russia that went all the way to the final and will kick-off their UEFA Nations League campaign against Spain. Belgium faces a similar case, as Roberto Martinez's talented side eliminated Brazil and finished third in the World Cup.
Russia 2018's disappointments aiming to bounce back
Some of Europe's biggest teams left a lot to be desired in Russia. Germany, who will face France in their opening game, failed to make it out of their group while Spain, Croatia's first opponent, crashed out in the round of 16.
Then there were the heavyweights that failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup: Italy and Netherlands. They will face Poland and France in their respective opening ties. Only time will tell whether these aforementioned nations will make amends for disappointing their fans.
The top 10 UEFA Nations League opening games to watch
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