UEFA will implement new World Cup qualifying and Nations League formats after Euro 2028. World Cup qualifying for 2030 will be split into League 1 and League 2. League 1 will include the top 36 countries based on 2028 Nations League results, drawn into three groups of 12. Each League 1 team will play six home-or-away matches against six different opponents from three pots. Group top-ranked teams will qualify directly, with play-offs deciding remaining places. League 2 will include the remaining 18 countries in three groups of six, still with qualification opportunities. The Nations League will be restructured from 2028 into three divisions of 18 teams, each with three groups of six and six matches per team, with promotion and relegation and semi-finals and finals retained.
"UEFA qualifying for the 2030 World Cup will be split into two separate leagues. League 1 will feature the top 36 countries, determined by the results of the 2028 Nations League, drawn into three groups of 12. The remaining 18 countries will feature in League 2. Each League 1 country will play six home-or-away games against six different opponents, drawn from each of the three pots, marking a departure from the previous format in which teams would be placed into a group and face each of their opponents home and away."
"The top-ranked teams in each League 1 group will qualify for the World Cup, with play-offs deciding the remaining places. The automatic qualifying slots have not been confirmed. League 2 countries, who will be drawn into three groups of six, will still have chances to qualify. Meanwhile, the Nations League will be restructured from 2028, going from three leagues of 16 and one of six to three divisions of 18 teams."
"Each league will have three groups of six, with countries playing six matches against five different opponents. Teams will be drawn into three pots of six and will face one opponent home and away and four others in home-or-away games. Promotion and relegation between the divisions will remain, as will semi-finals and finals. UEFA president Alexander Ceferin said: "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.""
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