Malta were handed a tough draw in the Euro Nations League as the national team were drawn in Group 3 alongside Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands and Kosovo.

The newly-created UEFA competition will see the participation of the 55 member associations with teams split according to their strength.

The national team are playing in League D which features the lower-ranked teams on the continent.

League D will be made up of four groups of four teams each with games being played on a home and away basis on six matchdays, all double-headers, between September and November 2018.

Malta face a tall order to gain some positive results in the competition as they will be up against sides who are all positioned higher than our national team.

Azerbaijan are coming from a strong World Cup qualifying campaign as although they finished second from bottom in Group C they still amassed ten points following victories over San Marino and Norway.

The Faroe Islands also shone in the recent World Cup qualifiers after picking up nine points in Group B following a win over Latvia and also held Hungary to a goalless draw.

Kosovo, on the other hand, are the new boys in the FIFA family and despite collecting just one point in their qualifying campaign they beat Latvia 4-3 in a friendly and are far superior to lower-rung teams such as Andora, San Marino and Gibraltar.

The winners of the four groups in League D will advance to the play-offs which will take place in March 2020, and the overall winner will be rewarded with a berth in Euro 2020.

Malta FA president Norman Darmanin Demajo, General Secretary Dr Angelo Chetcuti, national coach Tom Saintfiet and Ivan Vella, the team manager of the national team, were present for the draw.