BERLIN (GERMANY) (ITALPRESS) – “L’Equipe” already reported on the issue last week, and now “Sport Bild” is also reiterating the same sentiment: the format of the European Championship and World Cup qualifiers could change.
UEFA is currently discussing ways to make a phase that has struggled to gain audiences more attractive, especially given the centralization of TV rights starting in 2028. The idea is to adopt the format that’s already proving successful in European competitions, with a league phase before the knockout stages.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin himself, at a recent event in Portugal, made it clear that the 24-team European Championship format would remain unchanged, but that “the qualifiers could look different. There will be no more matches, but a more interesting format. We’re considering it.”
The same goes for the European World Cup qualifiers. In Nyon, the UEFA National Team Competitions Committee has reportedly already established a working group tasked with presenting reform proposals to the Executive Committee on December 3.
These proposals will, however, ensure that the qualification opportunity for national teams from smaller associations will always be guaranteed. Last week, “L’Equipe” suggested the Nations League as a qualifying route, or, similar to the Champions League, a single championship of 54 teams or two groups of 27.
-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).
