UEFA to create two-tier qualifying system for 2030 World Cup

[p]The top league will comprise 36 countries - determined by the restructured 2028/29 UEFA Nations League - and be divided into three groups of 12 teams.[/p][p]Every team will play six home-or-away matches against six different opponents - two from each pot, mirroring the current format used in UEFA club competitions.[/p][p]The best-ranked nations from the three League 1 groups will qualify for the World Cup, with the remaining places decided via play-offs.[/p][p]The other 18, lower-ranked countries will compete in League 2 and would also have a chance to qualify.[/p][embed guid="e24a805f-fc0e-4c6b-a731-b82115005094" url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DWk638ejVQW/" social-type="instagram" /][p][b]"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,"[/b] said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.[/p][p][b]"The changes will grow the value of UEFA men's national team football."[/b][/p][p]UEFA also announced the Nations League would shift from four leagues to three divisions of 18 teams. Each league will be composed of three groups of six teams.[/p][p]They will play six matches against five different opponents - home or away against teams from different pots, with home-and-away fixtures against the opponent of their same pot.[/p][p]The latter stages will remain the same with quarter-finals and the Final Four, as well as promotion/relegation play-offs.[/p]