World Cup, Euro and League of Nations… UEFA validates some changes

UEFA has adopted some format changes for the Nations League as well as for the European Championship and World Cup qualifiers.

The changes will take effect after Euro 2024. The body has at the same time confirmed that the Euro will remain in a 24-team format.

It has also moved the 2023 European Super Cup which opposes the winner of the Champions League to that of the Europa League from Kazan to Athens, due to the war in Ukraine.

In detail, it gives this.

Euro and Mondial, only the first of the group will be directly qualified

For the qualifying phases for the Euros and the World Cup, there will no longer be groups of six.

From September 2024, nations will be split into twelve groups of up to four or five teams.

For the Euro, there will no longer be two automatic qualifiers per group.

The first remain directly qualified and some second will have to go through play-offs with drafts from the League of Nations.

For the World Cup, which increases to 48 countries for the final phase (including 16 European teams), the first also remain directly qualified and the second will have to go through the play-offs for the last tickets.

The format of the League of Nations is also changing.

We cling.

UEFA decides to insert two matches between the group stage and the Final Four.

The first and second of the League A groups will thus have to play in the quarter-finals to have access to the last four of the final phase.

For the third group of League A, a barrage of promotion / relegation back and forth with the second of League B is emerging.

Ditto for the third in League B with the finalists in League C. The matches will be played in March, instead of the usual spring friendlies.