January 26, (THEWILL) – UEFA has announced changes to both the format of the Nations League and the qualifiers for the European Championships and World Cup.
The changes to the Nations League will include an additional knock-out stage, with the League A group winners and runners-up participating in two-legged quarter-finals. Teams that finish third in League A and League B will face off against the runners-up of League B and League C in two-legged promotion/relegation play-offs.
Changes to qualifying for European Championships and World Cups will see 12 groups of either four or five teams drawn, with group winners qualifying and runners-up either also qualifying or entering play-offs. The amendments to qualifying will come into effect after Euro 2024.
Aleksander Ceferin, the UEFA President said of the format changes: “The introduction of the UEFA Nations League was a success story, replacing friendly games with more competitive matches.
“And now, by introducing the new knock-out phase, teams will be given even more opportunities to progress while keeping the same number of games within the international match calendar.”
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