Winning odds for League of Nations finalists

UEFA created Nations League a few years ago to provide more competition between the national teams. Before, the teams played friendly matches too often, so UEFA decided to organize a competition that will the team take more seriously. Of course, Nations League will never be on the World Cup or EURO level, but it still can provide a valuable prize in money and additional slots for the major tournaments. 

So far, the only teams that won the Nations League title were Portugal and France. 

In 2022 the teams competed for a place in the final tournament. Netherlands, Croatia, Spain, and Italy, won their respective groups and got the opportunity to compete for the title. Neither of the teams ever won the Nations League, so every one of them will get the chance to raise a trophy for the first time. 

The final tournament will be held from 14 to 18 June 2023 in Rotterdam and Enschede. The Nations League, as in previous editions, will consist of two semifinals, a third-place playoff, and a final to determine the champions. Of course, the final will be played at the famous De Kuip,  Feyenoord's stadium, which has seen some famous games in history. 

• After a draw on 25 January, it was clear that Netherlands would face Croatia at De Kuip in Rotterdam on 14 June
• While Spain and Italy will compete in the other semifinal at De Grolsch Veste one day later. 

The Nations League final tournament should be a special occasion for every football fan in Europe as we will see football superstars like Cody Gakpo, Luka Modric, Gavi, Nicolo Barella, and others at the same place competing for their first title in the competition. The tournament in Netherlands in June could be the last for 37-year-old Modric in the Croatian national team, so winning the title would be a perfect way to finish his international career. 

A title is not the only benefit of the 2022/23 Nations League. The competition winner will get 10.5 million euros, while the finalist will receive nine million. The third and four-placed teams will get eight and seven million, respectively. 

Also, one additional benefit is that the winner of this year's Nations League will have one team fewer in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers. That means the winner will have a group of five teams instead of the usual six. 

According to most bookies:

• Netherlands will have the best chance of winning the title. The outright odds for their win are about 3.25.
• Behind them are Spain (odds around 3.50), and Italy (4.50)
• While the smallest chances bookies are giving to Croatia, with an average of 6.50 odds.

These odds are valid for April 15