UEFA is planning a reform of the Nations League and Euro qualifying that will completely overhaul the current system.
“The new formats will improve the sporting balance, reduce the number of meaningless games, and offer fans a more attractive and dynamic competition,” promised UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin after the Executive Committee meeting in Istanbul regarding the proposed reforms to the Nations League and European Championship qualifiers.
But what exactly will change? The Executive Committee meeting decided to adjust the division of the leagues as well as the schedule. The most striking feature is likely the abolition of League D. Currently, the 55 teams play in four leagues; from now on, there will be only three leagues—namely A, B, and C.
Leagues A and B will consist of 18 teams, while the lowest tier, League C, will comprise 19 teams.
Instead of placing four teams in a group, the leagues will generally be divided into three groups of six. Only in League C will there be a group with seven teams. Each league will therefore consist of three groups of six teams each, which will play six matches against five different opponents. Four matches will be played against four different nations from other pots, plus one home and one away match against an opponent from their own pot.
Euro Qualifiers to Become More Attractive
But it’s not just the Nations League that’s changing; the European Championship qualifiers must also adapt to new rules. UEFA wants to make the competition more attractive again and has also devised a new format for this purpose. While it is also modeled after the Nations League, it bears significant similarities to the European Cup competitions.
The 36 teams from Leagues A and B of the Nations League form League 1 in the qualifiers and are initially divided into three draw pots. A draw will then be held to place the teams into three groups—each group will thus consist of twelve countries. The teams will not play each other in a round-robin format; rather, the format will mirror the group stage of European club competitions: Each team must play a total of six matches against six different opponents—two from each pot.
The three group winners from League 1 will qualify directly for the European Championship, while the remaining spots will be determined through playoffs. The teams from League 2—composed of teams from League C of the Nations League—will also participate in the playoffs, with the schedule structured similarly to League 1.
UEFA is still working on fine-tuning the details
UEFA is, however, sticking to the concept of promotion and relegation playoffs as well as the format for the quarterfinals. However, the new format is set to be refined in the coming months before, according to UEFA’s plan, it is submitted for final approval at the next Executive Committee meeting in September. Its adoption is considered a formality.
Ceferin was keen to emphasize that not everything is set in stone yet. “Perhaps the qualifying matches could look different,” said the Slovenian, promising: “There won’t be any additional matches, but a more interesting format. We’re currently thinking about that.” They are also likely mulling over the expansion of the final tournament from the current 24 to 32 teams. In any case, Ceferin did not want to rule this out: “The number of participating teams and the number of matches are provisional and may therefore change.”
When will the new regulations take effect after approval? The changes are set to take effect after the 2028 Men’s European Championship in Great Britain and Ireland. However, this final tournament will definitely be held with only 24 teams.
