UEFA Nations League
{'<entity_0>': 'UEFA Nations League', '<entity_1>': '2018', '<entity_2>': 'September', '<entity_3>': 'association football', '<entity_4>': 'Union of European Football Associations'}
[['UEFA Nations League', 'inception', '2018'], ['UEFA Nations League', 'organizer', 'Union of European Football Associations'], ['UEFA Nations League', 'season starts', 'September'], ['UEFA Nations League', 'sport', 'association football'], ['UEFA Nations League', 'start time', '2018']]
The <entity_0> is a biennial international <entity_3> competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of <entity_4>, the sport's European governing body. The concept of the <entity_0> would see all 55 of <entity_4>'s member associations' national teams divided into a series of groups based upon a ranking formulated using their recent results, where they would be promoted and relegated to other groups according to their results within the group. The <entity_0> was unanimously adopted by the 54 <entity_4> member associations (Kosovo was not a member at this time) at the XXXVIII Ordinary <entity_4> Congress in Astana on 27 March 2014. The new league structure comprised 16 teams in Leagues A, B and C and seven teams in League D. The transition to the newer 2020–21 format occurred by making various one-time changes after the <entity_1>–19 season, namely the suspension of relegations (of the bottom-placed teams) in both League A and League B, promoting the two best teams per group in both League C and League D (instead of only one team per group), and promoting the best third-placed team from League D. This change to the format followed a collective consultation process, whereby all <entity_4> national associations reiterated their intent to further reduce the number of friendly matches. The two teams that score more goals on aggregate over the two legs remain in League C, while the losing teams are relegated to League D. The <entity_0> is linked with the <entity_4> European Championship qualifying, providing teams another chance to qualify for the <entity_4> European Championship. <entity_4> devised the tournament as a means to eliminate international friendlies – an aim that has been shared by many <entity_3> clubs and supporters with the regular <entity_3> season being interrupted with non-competitive international matches as part of the FIFA International Match Calendar. Each season of the <entity_0> is typically played from <entity_2> to November of an even-numbered year (league phase), and June of the following odd-numbered year (Nations League Finals of League A), meaning a <entity_0> champion is crowned every two years.
['sports league']