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UEFA have announced an overhaul of international qualifiers which will prevent nations like England from competing against minnows.
The governing body confirmed the new system will be used for the 2030 World Cup, which will take place in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Europe’s top 36 nations will be drawn into three groups of 12 teams in League 1, while the remaining teams will compete in League 2.
The top league will see teams play six qualifiers, with two coming against top seeds, two against middle seeds and two against bottom seeds – mirroring the Champions League format.
The three home and away games will take place against six different opponents.
The best ranked teams will automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the remaining places will be determined through play-offs.
UEFA’s shake-up of qualification would prevent England from facing minnows like Andorra
UEFA has yet to confirm how many automatic qualifying spots will be available, with the system set to be ‘fine-tuned’ over the coming months before final approval in September.
Minnows, such as Andorra and San Marino, would still have the opportunity to reach major tournaments via the play-offs.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the changes to the qualifiers and UEFA Nations League, will help to make matches more attractive and improve competitive balance.
‘The new formats will improve competitive balance, reduce the number of dead matches, offer a more appealing and dynamic competition to fans, while ensuring a fair qualification chance for all teams and without adding any additional dates in the international calendar,’ Ceferin said.
‘Altogether, the changes will grow the value of UEFA men’s national team football and we are very much looking forward to the implementation of the new competition systems.’
UEFA also confirmed format changes to the Nations League from 2028-29, which will move from four leagues to three leagues of 18 teams.
Each league will have three groups of six teams, who will play six matches against five different opponents.
The bottom League C will comprise of seven teams.
UEFA confirmed their quarter-finals and final four of the competition will remain unchanged, along with promotion and relegation play-offs.
The competition changes are both set to come into effect after Euro 2028.
