UEFA changes format of Nations League and European Championship qualifiers

(Patria) - The European football governing body (UEFA) today adopted a series of important changes that will significantly impact the future look of the Nations League and European Championship qualifiers.

At the meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee in Istanbul, new competition formats for men's national teams were confirmed, which will be applied from 2028.

According to the new system, the UEFA Nations League from the 2028/29 season will no longer have four leagues, but three levels of competition with 18 national teams each. Each league will be divided into three groups of six teams.

National teams will play a total of six matches against five different opponents – they will play one match against teams from other groups, while they will play one home and one away match against one rival from their own group.

Since UEFA has 55 members, League C will, in certain cases, have one group with seven national teams, which is why its schedule will start earlier than others.

The final stage of the competition, including the quarter-finals, Final Four, and promotion/relegation play-offs, remains unchanged.

Major changes also await the European Championship qualifiers, which is particularly interesting for the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The new qualifying system will be divided into two leagues. League 1 will bring together 36 national teams from Leagues A and B of the UEFA Nations League, while League 2 will comprise the remaining 18 or 19 teams.

League 1 will contain three groups of 12 teams each, drawn from three different pots.

Each national team will play six matches against six different opponents, following the model of the new format of UEFA club competitions.

On the other hand, League 2 will function according to the model of the current League C in the UEFA Nations League, with three groups of six teams each, or one group of seven national teams – if necessary.

Although the hosts of the European Championship will have secured participation in the final tournament, they will still play qualifiers to achieve the best possible ranking for the next edition of the UEFA Nations League.

Group winners in League 1 will directly qualify for the European Championship, while the remaining spots will be filled through play-offs, allowing teams from League 2 to retain the possibility of qualifying for the final tournament.

The new format comes into effect only from 2028, so these changes will not apply to the 2028 European Championship, which will be held in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.