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The format of the Nations League is changing, how will it work?

2026-05-20 18:54:00, Sport CNA

The UEFA Executive Committee held its next meeting this Wednesday in Istanbul, Turkey, where several important decisions were made regarding the development of European football in the coming years.

One of the main decisions was the approval in principle of the new format for European national team competitions to be implemented after UEFA Euro 2028. The 2028/2029 UEFA Nations League will move from four to three leagues with 18 teams each. Each league will consist of three groups of six teams, playing six matches against five different opponents. With 55 teams participating, League C will have one group of seven teams.

The European qualifiers will also have a tiered structure: League 1, made up of the 36 teams from Leagues A and B of the Nations League, and League 2, made up of the remaining 18 (or 19) teams.

In League 1, there will be three groups of 12 teams, divided into three pots of 12 teams each. Each national team will play six matches, home or away, against six different opponents, two for each pot, in a format similar to UEFA club competitions.

League 2 will be organized similarly to League C of the Nations League, with three groups of six teams (or one group of seven).

The host teams of the final tournament will also participate in the European qualifiers, with objectives linked to their positioning in the next edition of the Nations League.

The top-ranked teams in each League 1 group will qualify directly for the final tournament, while the remaining places will be determined through a play-off system, which will guarantee fair qualification opportunities for League 2 teams as well.

The concept will be further detailed over the coming months before final approval at the next Executive Committee meeting in September.

The Executive Committee also approved the expansion of the Standing Stand Observation Program for the 2026/27 season.

Associations that have already participated in the programme will be able to use standing stands in all UEFA competitions, including the club qualifying rounds. Until now, the programme was limited to men's club competitions.

Associations that have not been part of the program, but have used standing stands in their elite championship for at least the last three years, can apply for their use in all UEFA competitions starting from 1 September 2026.

The format of the Nations League is changing, how will it work?

Any other association wishing to introduce standing tribunes can start preparations before the new UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations come into force for the 2027/28 season. The regulations will include mandatory minimum standards, which will be approved after further consultations with associations, clubs, leagues and fan organisations during the coming season.

The meeting also approved several new UEFA regulations for the period 2026–2028, including the regulations for the 2026–2028 European Championship, the club licensing and financial sustainability regulations (2026), the 2026 UEFA Super Cup, the 2026–2027 European U-19 Futsal Championship, amendments to the regulations for the implementation of the UEFA Statutes, the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (2026 edition), the UEFA Organisational Regulations (2026 edition), the UEFA Equipment Regulations (2026 edition), and the Club Licensing Regulations for European women's football competitions (2026 edition).

The UEFA Executive Committee will hold its next meeting on September 15 in Thessaloniki, Greece.