UEFA set to reshape FIFA World Cup qualifiers with Champions League-style model

European football’s qualification system for major international tournaments is set for a significant overhaul, with UEFA proposing a Champions League-style format for the 2030 FIFA World Cup and future European Championships.

The governing body plans to introduce a structure based on the ‘Swiss system’, which has already been adopted in UEFA club competitions from the 2024-25 season. The new format is aimed at making qualification matches more competitive while reducing heavily one-sided fixtures.

Under the proposal, Europe’s 36 highest-ranked national teams would compete in League A, divided into three groups of 12 sides. Instead of playing every team in a conventional group, each nation would face six different opponents during the qualification phase.

League B is expected to feature either three groups of six teams or a combination of two groups of six and one group of seven, depending on the final number of participating countries.

UEFA has confirmed that the winners of the three League A groups would qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championship finals. The remaining qualification spots would be decided through a playoff system involving teams from multiple leagues.

The proposed changes are intended to separate higher-ranked and lower-ranked nations during qualifiers, with UEFA hoping the format will deliver more balanced contests and improve the overall competitiveness of international football.

Aleksander Ceferin said the revamp would modernise European international football without adding extra international match windows to the calendar.

UEFA’s executive committee is expected to formally approve the qualification changes during its September meeting. Mark Bullingham, a member of UEFA’s national teams competition committee, has also backed reforms to the current qualification process.

The proposal would also allow 2030 FIFA World Cup co-hosts Spain and Portugal to qualify automatically for the finals while still participating in qualifying matches linked to the UEFA Nations League. The tournament will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

UEFA has also outlined plans to reshape the UEFA Nations League from the 2028-29 season. The competition would move away from its current four-tier structure and instead feature three leagues of 18 teams each, divided into groups of six.

The knockout stages, including quarterfinals, semifinals and the final, would continue to be played during the March and June international windows.