by The second UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign is edging toward its initiation, with just fifteen days left for the first set of matches. Malta will be facing familiar foes in Cyprus, Georgia and Andorra, with the small Mediterranean island being the only one to have tasted League B, but facing three teams hungry to claim their own slice of history.
The Second Edition
The second edition of the UEFA Women’s Nations League will be sandwiched between February and June, just before the EURO Finals occur in Switzerland. Teams have already danced this dance before, with the nations well aware of what to expect as the next six matchdays unfold. The League will begin in exactly fifteen days time, on Friday 21st February, with three tiers: League A, B and C.
League A and B feature four groups with four teams apiece. League C features six groups, two of which feature three teams and four of which feature four teams. As always, the winners of the groups in League B and C will earn automatic promotion to the next tier. Those in the bottom place of League A and League B face certain relegation. The two lowest-ranked third-placed teams in League B are also relegated to League C.
Play-offs await for those in between. This means that the four second-placed teams in League B play off over two legs against the third-placed teams in League A. The two best-ranked second-placed teams in League C play off over two legs against the two best third-placed teams of League B.
The group standings also establish the teams’ starting league position in the Women’s European Qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, running through 2026.
Group C2
Malta will be competing for promotion from League C in Group C2, following the relegation from League B during the UEFA Women’s European Qualifier cycle held between April and July of last year.
It faces Georgia, Cyprus and Andorra in the group, all of whom have participated at League C level in both the UEFA Women’s Nations League and the UEFA Women’s European Qualifier cycles. This makes Malta the only team in its group to have been promoted from League C since the Nations League format was adopted in the women’s game.
Malta also lives to its standing in the FIFA Women’s World ranking as the best ranked team in the group, at 86. Georgia follow suit at 119, Cyprus at 133 and Andorra at 183.
Having said this, rankings give some indication but often do not tell the whole story of teams. Cyprus have changed coach since the last UEFA Women’s European Qualification cycle, making them somewhat of a surprise package. Additionally, Malta is certainly hindered by several injuries to players who played big parts in its past two competitive cycles, which will stir the mix.
History Between Sides
There is plenty of history between teams within the group. Malta has a spotless record against Andorra, winning all five encounters played between 2015 and 2023. The two nations last met in the inaugural UEFA Women’s Nations League cycle, with Malta winning by 5 – 0 and 3 – 0 in its path to secure promotion. However, Andorra have changed coach since then, with Albert Panadero Garcia leading the nation during the UEFA Women’s European Qualifiers.
There is also recent history between Georgia and Cyprus, with the two nations pitted in the same group during the UEFA European Qualification cycle. Georgia had the upper hand in both encounters, winning by 2 – 0 and 1 – 0. They finished runners-up to Belarus to whom they succumbed by 3 – 0 and 2 – 0. Cyprus failed to register a single point in the group.
Malta also holds the upper hand against Georgia, with all four encounters won by Malta between 2011 and 2020. The first three affairs ended with tight scores, but Malta had the upper hand in 2020 winning by 4 – 0.
There have been no encounters between Malta and Cyprus since 2019, but before then the two nations were a familiar meet in the Aphrodite Cup. Among the five fixtures played between 2013 and 2019, the two nations were evenly balanced. The first encounter was a friendly which ended in a 1 – 1 draw. Cyprus had the upper hand in the Aphrodite Cup in 2015 and 2016, while Malta levelled things in the following two encounters in 2017 and 2019. All matches were won by a margin of a single goal, making the two nations fairly equal in the past.
Things have changed for both nations in the six years that have expired since, with two different coaches leading the teams in these encounters. Malta’s Manuela Tesse will be the one with the advantage of knowing her team more at this stage. However, all of it makes the first matchday an exciting one to watch as a signal to where the scales have tipped since.
First Matches
There is just one final weekend of domestic fixtures to be played before the national team coaches announce their squads for the first two matchdays.
Group C2 will begin with Georgia welcoming Andorra at 16:00 (CET), before Cyprus welcome Malta in Larnaca, at 18:00 (CET), on Friday 21st February. The second matchday will be played on Tuesday 25th, where Cyprus welcome Georgia at 18:00, before Malta face Andorra at 19:30 at the Centenary Stadium.
Tickets for Malta against Andorra may be purchased online.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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