Archive · 7 Nov 2025
UEFA to Reveal New World Cup and Euro Qualifying Plans Within Six Months
Imagine teams in Europe playing games to see who gets to go to the big soccer tournaments like the World Cup and the European Championship.
Right now, sometimes really good teams play much smaller teams, and the score can be like 10-0, which isn't very exciting for everyone.
The people in charge of soccer in Europe, called UEFA, know this is a problem and are thinking about changing how these games are picked.
They will share their new ideas in about six months.
They won't be copying the format of the Champions League, which is a club competition.
They want to make the games more interesting for fans and TV, but they are also trying to figure out how to give the smaller teams a better chance to play in the big tournaments without always losing by a lot.
It's a tricky balance they are trying to find.
UEFA plans to reveal new qualifying formats for the World Cup and European Championship within six months.
UEFA has ruled out adopting a Champions League-style format for national team qualifiers.
The review is prompted by concerns over declining fan and broadcaster interest and lopsided results in current qualifying matches.
Current European qualifying involves round-robin groups where teams play each other twice.
UEFA is considering balancing competitive matches with providing smaller nations more opportunities to qualify for major tournaments.
- Who
- UEFA, including President Aleksander Ceferin
- What
- Developing and will reveal new plans for World Cup and European Championship qualifying processes in Europe.
- When
- Plans to be revealed within approximately six months. The 2026 World Cup qualification process is ending this month.
- Where
- Europe
- Why
- To address fears of declining fan and broadcaster interest, and to mitigate lopsided results in qualifying matches.
Arguments for a New Format
Arguments for Maintaining Status Quo/Concerns
Declining Interest and Mismatches
Arguments for a New Format
UEFA is reviewing qualifying formats due to fears of declining fan and broadcaster interest, citing lopsided results like Austria beating San Marino 10-0 and France beating Gibraltar 14-0.
Arguments for Maintaining Status Quo/Concerns
UEFA is discussing how to combine ensuring competitive matches with giving smaller nations more chances to qualify for major tournaments, acknowledging that some smaller teams prefer more opportunities to play larger nations even if it means less chance of qualifying.
Champions League Model Applicability
Arguments for a New Format
The success of the new 36-team Champions League league format suggests a potential model for national team qualifiers.
Arguments for Maintaining Status Quo/Concerns
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has firmly stated that UEFA will NOT follow a Champions League-style format for national team qualifying.
- Organization
- UEFA
- Topic
- National team qualifying formats for World Cup and European Championship
- Timeline for Announcement
- Within six months
- Current Qualifying Format (Europe)
- Round-robin groups of four or five teams, playing each opponent twice.
- Recent Lopsided Results Mentioned
- Austria 10-0 San Marino, France 14-0 Gibraltar