Overview

• A working group under UEFA’s National Teams Committee has been tasked with assessing changes to men’s qualifying for the World Cup and European Championship.
• Delegates were briefed in Malaga that options on the table include expanding the Nations League to serve as a qualification route, a model already used in the women’s game.
• UEFA is also weighing a Swiss-style approach in which all 55 teams would play six to eight single-leg fixtures against seeded opponents with a unified table setting automatic places and play-offs.
• Sources cite declining audiences and broadcast revenues for traditional home-and-away qualifiers contrasted with stronger metrics for Nations League fixtures.
• Stakeholders warn that league-based formats could reduce lucrative matchups for smaller federations against top-tier opponents, and no final decisions have been taken.