ISTANBUL
UEFA announced Wednesday that the Nations League tournament will be expanded with a new knockout round after 2024.
“League A group winners and runners-up will participate in home-and-away quarter-finals, with the winners of these ties qualifying for the Final Four,” UEFA said in a statement. “The 3rd-ranked of League A and the runners-up of League B, as well as the 3rd-ranked of League B and the runners-up of League C will play a home-and-away promotion/relegation play-off.”
UEFA added that the knockout round will be held in March and “create continuity” between the group phase ending in November and the finals in June.
The governing body of European football said European qualifiers for the UEFA EUROs and the FIFA World Cup would be more consolidated, with nations drawn into 12 groups of four and five teams.
“With the traditional home-and-away matches and ‘all play all; principles retained, this simple format will offer more competitive groups at all levels,” it said.
Group winners of the qualifiers will advance to the UEFA EURO or the FIFA World Cup, whereas second-placed countries will qualify directly or participate in playoff games, it said. “Teams drawn in groups of five will kick off the qualifiers in March, or in June if they are still competing in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals or are involved in promotion/relegation matches. Teams drawn in groups of four will start their campaigns in September.”
In addition, the UEFA Executive Committee decided to relocate the 2023 UEFA Super Cup from Kazan in Russia to Athens.
The match will be played Aug. 16 at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.
