ROME (ITALPRESS) – UEFA has approved a new format for the Nations League and the European qualifiers starting from the 2028–2029 season. The decision was made during the Executive Committee meeting in Istanbul.
Beginning with the 2028/29 edition, the Nations League will move from the current four leagues to three leagues, each made up of 18 teams. Each league will consist of three groups of six teams playing six matches against five different opponents: home or away against teams from different pots, and home and away against the team from the same pot.
With 55 participating teams, League C will include one group of seven teams, whose matches will begin one international window earlier. The quarter-finals, Finals Four, and promotion/relegation play-offs will follow the current format.
The European qualifiers will also adopt a tiered structure: League 1, made up of the 36 teams from Nations League Leagues A and B, and League 2, consisting of the remaining 18 (or 19) teams. League 1 will feature three groups of 12 teams drawn from three pots of 12 teams each.
Each team will play six matches, home or away, against six different opponents — two from each pot — in a system similar to the format used in UEFA club competitions. League 2 will follow the same structure as Nations League League C, with three groups of six teams (or one of seven).
Although automatically qualified for the final tournament, host nations will still take part in the European qualifiers, with objectives linked to their ranking in the next Nations League edition. The top-ranked teams in each League 1 group will qualify directly, while the remaining places will be decided through play-offs, ensuring fair qualification opportunities also for League 2 teams.
The project will be refined over the coming months before being submitted for final approval of the detailed format at the next Executive Committee meeting in September.
“The new formats will improve competitive balance, reduce the number of meaningless matches, and offer fans a more exciting and dynamic competition, while ensuring equal qualification opportunities for all teams without adding extra dates to the international calendar,” said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.
The next UEFA Executive Committee meeting is scheduled for September 15, 2026, in Thessaloniki.
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(ITALPRESS).
