UEFA has proposed a revamp of qualifying for the 2030 World Cup and 2032 European Championship that could end mismatches between the strongest and weakest teams, with a format similar to the Champions League.<\/p>\n
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin revealed last year that reform was planned to revive interest from fans and broadcasters because many traditional men’s qualifying groups had become predictable.<\/p>\n
Lopsided recent results that provoked concern included France beating Gibraltar 14-0 in a Euro 2024 qualifying game, and Austria\u2019s 10-0 win over San Marino last year in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, UEFA proposed creating a top tier of the 36 best-ranked teams playing in three groups of 12 with a format similar to the Champions League.<\/p>\n
Teams in those groups would each play six games against six different opponents and be ranked in a 12-team league table. Teams would be drawn from three different seeding pots, playing a weighted schedule of two teams from each pot.<\/p>\n
Such a format could fit in existing FIFA-mandated schedules from September to November and would not add extra games to player workloads.<\/p>\n
The 36 top teams would not play teams ranked Nos. 37 to 55 by UEFA, which could play games in a separate tier and also have a path through playoffs to qualifying for major tournaments.<\/p>\n
A decision on the proposed revamp is expected in September, UEFA said after an executive committee meeting on the sidelines of the Europa League final in Istanbul, Turkey.<\/p>\n
“The concept will be fine-tuned over the next few months before being submitted for final approval of the detailed format at the next Executive Committee meeting,” UEFA said.<\/p>\n
UEFA did not specify how many direct qualifying places would be earned from each 12-team group.<\/p>\n
The 2030 World Cup being co-hosted mainly by Spain, Portugal and Morocco \u2014 with three opening games in South America \u2014 is expected to be a 48-team tournament. Europe should get 16 qualifying slots.<\/p>\n
FIFA has been asked by South American soccer body CONMEBOL to consider expanding to 64 teams.<\/p>\n
Reporting by The Associated Press.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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