Uefa has confirmed major changes to European qualifiers and the Nations League, introducing a Champions League-style format for national team qualification in time for the 2030 World Cup. The announcement was made on Wednesday, 20 May 2026.
New Format for Qualifiers
From 2028, the 36 highest-ranked countries will be split into three groups of 12 in League A. Each team will play six opponents in a 'Swiss system' similar to the league phase of Uefa's club competitions introduced in the 2024-25 season. League B will feature three groups of six, or two of six and one of seven, depending on the number of competing nations.
Full details of qualification are still being finalised, but Uefa confirmed that the three group winners in League A will qualify directly for the finals of the Euro or World Cup. The remaining spots will be allocated via play-offs involving teams from both leagues.
Benefits and Implementation
The new format aims to keep the highest and lowest-ranked teams apart, reducing one-sided qualifiers. Uefa's executive committee is expected to fully approve the new system for Euro and World Cup qualification at a meeting in September.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said: 'The new formats will improve competitive balance, reduce the number of dead matches, offer a more appealing and dynamic competition to fans, while ensuring a fair qualification chance for all teams and without adding any additional dates in the international calendar.'
Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham, who sits on Uefa's national teams competition committee, spoke in November about the importance of overhauling the existing format. He said: 'We need to keep looking at ways to make international football even better and there's genuine appetite to do that.'
Impact on Co-hosts
Under the proposal, 2030 co-hosts Spain and Portugal will qualify automatically for the finals but will still enter the qualifying competition with objectives linked to the Nations League.
Nations League Changes
Uefa also intends to change the Nations League format from the 2028-29 edition. Instead of four leagues, Uefa plans to introduce three leagues of 18 teams each. Every league will consist of three groups of six teams, each playing five opponents. The existing quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final will be played in the March and June international windows as before.
