UEFA Ends Heavy Score Matches with Historic Change in Qualifiers

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has approved radical changes to the qualifying system for the World Cup and the European Championship, starting from the 2028-2029 season, with the aim of reducing the unbalanced matches between major teams and smaller teams like San Marino and Andorra.

According to the new plan, the teams will be divided into two main leagues. The first league will consist of 36 teams divided into three groups of 12 teams each, while the second league will include the lower-ranked teams.

Each team will play only six matches, three at home and three away, against opponents from different levels according to the rankings. Direct qualification spots will be determined based on the number of available slots for each tournament, with an additional playoff for some teams that did not qualify directly.

The new changes will also be reflected in the UEFA Nations League, which will be reduced to only three levels instead of four, with the restructuring of the groups to become more competitive. The first and second leagues of the Nations League will include the teams participating in the highest level of World Cup and Euro qualifiers, while the weaker teams will be in the second level of the qualifiers.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin confirmed that the new system "will improve competitive balance, reduce the number of meaningless matches, and make the qualifiers more appealing to fans." However, reports indicated that some smaller associations might oppose the changes due to losing opportunities to face major teams in the qualifiers, which were matches that provided them with significant fan and marketing revenue.