UEFA will announce new World Cup and European Championship qualification plans within six months

Plans for a shake-up to the European qualifying process for the World Cup and European Championship will be unveiled within six months, but UEFA was adamant on Friday it will not follow a Champions League-style format.

The renewed Champions League was a success last year, because a competition with 36 teams in the singles classification was more unpredictable than the traditional group stage. The eventual title holder Paris Saint-Germain and the 2023 winner Manchester City risked elimination in the last of eight rounds.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin was asked during a Football Business Forum in Milan if that could also be the way forward for the national team’s qualification, which often sees mismatches and heavy losses for the smallest countries.

«No,» he said firmly.

When pressed when the new plans would be unveiled, Ceferin added: “I would say we should know in about six months.”

A month ago, UEFA speculated that UEFA would prefer a Champions League-style format for the next European Championship, followed by Ceferin’s hints at a similar conference in Lisbon.

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European football’s governing body is examining how teams qualify for major tournaments, amid fears of waning interest among fans and broadcasters.

The 2026 World Cup qualifying process – which ends this month – will see European countries play in round-robin groups of four or five teams, with each opponent played twice.

But there has been a lack of standout matches this year and the most lopsided result was Austria beating San Marino 10-0 last month.

France defeated Gibraltar 14-0 two years ago in qualifying for the 2024 European Championship.

“It’s too early to say anything concrete and I don’t even know, because we have two options, we’re not sure what to do yet,” Ceferin said. «But from one perspective, does it make sense that you have a 10-0 scoreline? From the other perspective, does it make sense that such small and medium-sized teams, because they have to play with the big ones, never qualify to play against Europe?»

«If you could combine that somehow, it’s good… if you ask (a small team): do you want to play against Italy, France, England or Germany in the qualifiers, or do you want to have many more chances to play them in the European Championship? It’s the second option. But we are still discussing it.»

UEFA has used its third-tier Nations League competition to ensure one low-placed team qualifies for the Men’s European Championship.

It was North Macedonia at the 2020 Euros and then Georgia at the 2024 Euros, and both exceeded expectations. Georgia were one of the most exciting teams in the group stages before losing to eventual champions Spain in the round of 16.

Published on November 7, 2025