European football’s governing body Uefa announced the new competition will begin in Autumn 2023 in the lead up to the 2025 Women’s European Championship.
The men’s Nations League was introduced in 2018 to replace international friendlies with more competitive games.
“Off the back of a historic Women’s Euros, it’s now time to further develop women’s national team football,” said Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin.
“We have built an open, competitive, and continuous system in which every match will matter, a true reflection of the European sports model.
“I am convinced that this format will help all European national associations and keep the dream of qualifying for a major international tournament alive.”
The Women’s Nations League will see countries placed into leagues of three or four teams based on ranking, with promotion and relegation between three tiers and the winners of the four top-tier groups contesting the Nations League finals.
The competition will link into qualification for both the 2025 European Championship and the 2027 World Cup, with a country’s Nations League rank determining a team’s starting league position in the qualifiers.
The European qualifiers, which begin in Spring 2024, will determine qualification for the European Championships and a team’s starting league position in the following Nations League campaign.
Every four years, the Nations League finals will also determine which three European sides qualify for the Olympics.
For 2024, Olympic hosts France will be joined by the two Nations League finalists – or third-placed team if France reach the final.
