Italian
The UEFA Executive Committee has decided on the new format for the UEFA Nations League and the European Qualifiers for men’s national teams
ISTANBUL (TURKEY) – Major changes in the qualification methods. In the meeting held in Istanbul, the Executive Committee of the highest European football body has determined that after the 2028 European Championship, the formats of the UEFA Nations League and the European Qualifiers for men’s national teams will change.
Starting from the 2028/29 edition, the UEFA Nations League will transition from the current four leagues to three leagues composed of 18 teams each. Each league will consist of three groups of six teams, which will play six matches against five different opponents. These will be home or away matches against teams from different tiers and home-and-away matches against the opponent from the same tier. With 55 national teams participating, League C will include a group of 7 teams, whose matches will start one window earlier. The quarter-finals, Final Four, and promotion and relegation playoffs will remain unchanged, following the current format.
The European Qualifiers will also have a tiered structure based on the same principle established for club competitions: League 1, consisting of the 36 teams from UEFA Nations League Leagues A and B, and League 2, consisting of the remaining 18 (or 19) teams from the UNL.
In League 1, there will be three groups of 12 teams drawn from three pots of 12 teams each. Each team will play six matches, either home or away, against six different opponents, two from each pot. League 2 will be held exactly like League C of the UNL, with three groups of 6 (or one of 7). In the case of national teams directly qualified for a final phase as host nations, they will participate in the qualifying matches with a goal related to the ranking for the next edition of the UEFA Nations League.
The top-ranked teams from each group of League 1 will qualify directly, while the remaining spots will be allocated through playoffs, thus ensuring equal qualification opportunities for teams from League 2 as well. The project will be finalized in the coming months and then submitted for final approval at the next Executive Committee meeting, scheduled for September 15 in Thessaloniki.
The UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin stated:
“The new formats will improve competitive balance, reduce the number of meaningless matches, and offer fans more dynamic and interesting competitions, while ensuring fair qualification opportunities for all teams, without adding additional dates to the international calendar.”
