The new formats for the competitions of the males’s nationwide staff, which will likely be applied in September 2024, had been authorised this Wednesday, UEFA introduced, after the assembly of the Executive Committee of the group, in Nyon, Switzerland. The goal of the adjustments in the League of Nations and {qualifications} for the European and world championships is “to supply extra engaging and thrilling competitions inside the present dates, in addition to to strengthen the sources of nationwide federations and guarantee a powerful restoration from the influence of the pandemic”, reads the UEFA web site.
The League of Nations will likely be expanded with a new knockout stage to be performed in March, thus creating continuity between the group stage, which ends in November, and the remaining stage to be performed in June.
The winners and runners-up of the Liga A teams will take part in the quarter-finals, with dwelling and away video games, and the winners of these qualifiers will qualify for the ‘Final Four’ (Final Phase) .
Third in League A and second in League B, in addition to third in League B and second in League C, will play a home-and-away promotion/relegation playoff.
According to UEFA, the growth of this competitors in the March worldwide calendar window will solely cowl a sure quantity of groups and the relaxation will likely be accessible to begin European qualification.
The new European qualification format for the European Championships or the FIFA World Cup is extra compact, with the groups being drawn into 12 teams of 4 and 5 groups, “due to this fact invigorating the competitors and making it much less predictable and extra dynamic”, stated UEFA.
With the conventional home-and-away video games in place and the ‘all people performs all people’ precept maintained, this straightforward format will “supply extra aggressive groups in any respect ranges”, he added.
Teams drawn in teams of 5 will start qualifying matches in March or June, if they’re competing in the Nations League quarter-finals or promotion/relegation matches in the similar competitors.
The groups drawn in 4 teams will begin their respective campaigns in September.
“The winners of the European Qualifiers group qualify immediately for the EURO or the FIFA World Cup, whereas the runners-up qualify immediately or take part in the ‘play-off’ (with groups from the League of Nations for qualification for the European Championship)”, he stated.
No adjustments are proposed for the European finals, which have 24 groups.
According to the entity led by Aleksander Ceferin, these adjustments, which will likely be applied after Euro2024, will lead to “extra engaging video games with out growing the whole quantity of video games”.
“The introduction of the UEFA Nations League was a hit, changing pals with extra competitors. Now, with the introduction of the new knockout section, groups have extra alternatives to progress, saving in the similar quantity of video games inside the International Calendar of Games”, careworn the president of UEFA.
According to the official, “the predictability of the European qualification can also be addressed and handled, with a new format that may supply all groups an equal likelihood of qualifying for the major tournaments. soccer in Europe, which continues to develop extra and extra”.
In at this time’s assembly, the Executive Committee additionally determined to appoint the Football Association of Slovakia (SFZ) to host the remaining spherical of the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with 16 groups. The video games will likely be performed in eight venues, in eight totally different cities throughout the nation, in the summer time of 2025.
At the similar time, following the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and the present common growth all through Europe, together with the removing of earlier measures in place in most home competitions, the Executive Committee of UEFA determined to cease the software of UEFA’ Return Protocol. ‘play’.
“In accordance with the repeal of the Protocol, it was additional determined to not proceed with the introduction of the related Annexes associated to the particular guidelines relevant attributable to covid-19, included in the competitors rules of UEFA, as a result of these guidelines are linked to the software of the protocol”, defined UEFA.
However, the group ensures that it’ll proceed to “intently monitor the evolution of the pandemic and, if there’s a vital change in situations, it’ll suggest the applicable measures to make sure the security of all these celebration and the clean working of its competitions, together with, if crucial, re-implement any related obligations and sanitary measures”.
The rules for the 2023-25UEFA European Under-21 Championship and the rules for the 2023-25UEFA European Women’s Championship have additionally been authorised.
The subsequent assembly of the UEFA Executive Committee is scheduled for April 4, 2023, the day earlier than the forty seventh Ordinary UEFA Congress in Lisbon.
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