One of the measures adopted by the UEFA Executive Committee on Tuesday hinges on a new classification format for the 16 European teams that will have room for World Cup 2026 held in the United States and Canada.
There is no change in the first 12 that will appear in the usual group stage where teams are divided into 12 groups of four or five teams. They will face a doubleheader between March and November 2025. The top 12 in the group, as usual, qualify directly for World Cup 2026. The novelty depends on the 12 second group that will participate in the ‘play-off’ scheduled for March 2026. UEFA’s proposal is that this ‘play-off’ will consist of 16 teams. In addition to the 12 second-placed groups from the European Qualifiers, the four highest-ranked group winners from the 2024-2025 Nations League who have not finished their European Qualifiers group in first or second place will be selected.
UEFA proposes that these ‘play-off’ matches be played in single-match semi-finals, followed by single-match finals within the same international match window. The 16 teams participating in these playoffs will be divided into four ‘play-off’ routes of four teams each.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
