Yesterday evening, the UEFA Nations League final will take place for the first time in the Old Continent. This tournament replaced friendly national team matches that were held until last year.
Four A division teams fought this week for a spot in the final, where the winning team will be awarded an international trophy.
Who is competing in the final?
In the final starting at 9:45 pm, Portugal will face the Netherlands. Inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal defeated Switzerland in the semifinals, while the Netherlands showed superiority over England in extra time.
Where are the final matches taking place?
Just like the entire final quartet, the main tournament battle will take place in Portugal. The final will be played in the city of Porto at the "Estadio do Dragao" stadium. This stadium was opened in 2003, where a 16-year-old Lionel Messi played his first professional match. The opening match of the 2004 European Championship also took place in this stadium.
Where can you watch the final?
The UEFA Nations League final matches will be broadcast live on the LRT Plus channel starting at 9:30 pm.
How did the teams reach the final?
Both the Netherlands and Portugal won their groups in Division A.
Portugal competed in their group against Italy and Poland. The opponents were defeated and tied an equal number of times. In the semifinals, Portugal defeated Switzerland 3-1, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick.
The Netherlands competed in their group against France and Germany. They celebrated victories twice, played to a draw once, and suffered one loss. In the semifinals, where they beat England 3-1 in extra time, the Dutch scored a late equalizer against the Germans in the last group stage match.
Is extra time possible?
If the result is level after 90 minutes, the teams will go into an additional 30-minute battle. During extra time, they can make a fourth substitution. If the extra half-hour is not enough, the winner of the final will be decided in a penalty shootout.
What will the tournament winner receive?
The victorious team in the final will receive a 71 cm silver trophy. All four teams will also share a prize fund:
- 1st place - €10.5 million - 2nd place - €9 million - 3rd place - €8 million - 4th place - €7 million
The teams that reached the final quartet have already earned €4.5 million each. Before the start of the tournament, all participating football associations contributed €76.25 million to the common budget.
When do the matches for third place start?
For the third position, which would guarantee the national team an additional million, Switzerland will face England at 4 pm Lithuanian time.
