The face of football will change and for the better, those meaningless friendlies will be done away with and a special KPI (Key Performance Index) will be drawn up first for Europe and most probably later for the world. UEFA and its associations wanted more sporting meaning in national team football, with associations, coaches, players and supporters increasingly of the opinion that friendly matches are not providing adequate competition for national teams.
Extensive consultation and discussions started as far back as the 2011 UEFA Strategy Meeting in Cyprus and continued at a series of Top Executive Programme (TEP) meetings over the following three years. The UEFA Nations League was unanimously adopted at the XXXVIII Ordinary UEFA Congress in Astana on 27 March 2014.
The idea of UEFA Nations League has already been structured and is ready to roll next year, it will mean that there will be a more competitive aspect to international European nations football, this will mean meaningless friendlies reduced tremondously and a club style division of relegation and promotion replacing it. It also means less abstract FIFA 'coefficient" standings, the irony of it is that the divisions for this inaugural Nations league were drawn from the very coefficient system of FIFA.
For the fans this will also bring more excitement to a club style environment and matches that will always be in the hot cauldron of packed stadiums with hostile fans, can you imagine a Turkey v Wales match, as they are lumped together in Group C (See below).
However the mouthwatering prospect of seeing England, Germany, France Italy, Spain or Netherlands clashing each other is what makes this interesting, unlike the Euro Championship where you see the teams seeded, this will mean these teams will play each other in a competition instead of being seeded until later, this is the exciting part of the UEFA Nations League, so the dynamics will not cause a Marketing cannibalism so to speak between the the two tournaments of European Championship and UEFA Nations League, instead it is a marketeer's feast, I am already salivating like a Pavlov dog.
On the downside those fans who are neutral will not get the same excitement as you go down lower in the ranks of the Nations League starting from Group B, as the teams are lower and lower down the pecking order. This does however change the picture for the respective fans of each country as they will be viewing these matches with great interest compared to friendlies before.
Good news is this does not replace the European Championship and it will act as a feeder and back door to get into the Euros...and if your question is will I get to see Portugal thrash Faroe Islands 6-0 like in the last World Cup qualifiers, with mismatch groupings the answer is a resounding yes, but what this league of nations eventually will achieve is a lessening of the gap between "rich" nations and poverty starved inequality of the lesser soccer nations, refer to the World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman.
The idea has already been talked by FIFA to go on a global level, this in a way a leaf out of field hockey with the World League and Champions Trophy that compliments with the World Cup and the respective continental championships. If the rest of the world does not follow UEFA's lead, the rest of the football nations will be left in the backwaters of football. As we can see the UEFA nations are getting stronger and stronger with their performances at the international senior and youth levels e.g Germany, England, Croatia, Spain and France in the last few years.
"FIFA has been always involved from the beginning in the process. Thanks to the cooperative atmosphere, FIFA will continue to have constructive discussions about the next steps together with UEFA and the other confederations. UEFA can confirm that it has initiated discussions regarding the evolution of the UEFA Nations League. These constructive discussions involve our national associations, European football stakeholders, all confederations and of course FIFA, with whom we have a very good relationship." the global governing body said in a statement.
However with this UEFA Nations League it will mean less friendlies and lesser of the type of friendlies between Brazil V Germany or Argentina V Spain or other type of lucrative cross-confederation friendlies, this might upset the equilibrium of world tours like what Brazil did in the last few years. It will also be interesting to see how CONMEBOL (South American Football Federation) will follow this lead, right now their World Cup qualifiers are the toughest in the world with everyone in the federation playing each other twice and the winner topping a 10 team table in the process devaluing the Copa America, it might still be the premier tournament of the continent, but it still looks like a paper cup compared to the World Cup qualifiers. In an ideal or purist of a football world the World Cup qualifiers can be doubled up as a Copa America, but we know that will never happen because of the money and TV rights involved and who says football administrators rules the game?
It is all commerce or marketing now, sad to say football will be nothing of the beast it is now without it, we could do without some of the bad elements, but take away the mega finance and we will see a dumbed down version of football. CONMEBOL among all the federations will have it hard, to see how they can go along the lines of a nations league when they theoretically have one which is the best in their World Cup qualifying format.
On The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) front it is a great game changer, this will be a great boost for countries like Malaysia who always compete for the Suzuki Cup (The soccer trophy for South-East Asian nations) and seem to be stuck in the minors, Malaysia have also joined the World League Forum which only has 30 members, this qualification has made it possible for Malaysia to be part of the league forum, which offers the benefit of not only promoting and organising world class matches among league members but also in the development of footballers' training and all aspect of football development worldwide . Countries like this will also benefit if a Nations League is developed and right now some countries like Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, etc do not have enough friendlies at the national team level and at the club level the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup is a very divided caste system that is hard to bridge, the idea of it was to put it like the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, but the system only makes the strong, stronger and the weak, weaker. Maybe this was the best idea for Asia, but the result still breeds the usual suspects on the country level as a result of a stunted club system and development in the lesser footballing nations of Asia, with repetition of World Cup representation from Asia in countries like Iran, South Korea, Japan etc.
This will also be great for Africa and CONCACAF (The Central, Carribean and North American Federation) however with what was mentioned above on less friendlies between nations from different federations will there be a mutation of B friendlies? B matches were all the rage in the 1980s and England benefited from it with a dearth of talent at that time. Though at that time the under-23, 20 and 17 levels were not that structured compared to now, it could bring out a B friendly mode that involves players not at the major clubs mixed with youth especially for cross-border friendlies. This is not far fetched for in Africa there is even a B tournament called African Nations Championship (not to be mistaken for the fully blown A class African Nations Cup).
The creation of the African Nations Championship was a response to the desire to revive or strengthen national competitions regularly weakened by a mass exodus of top players who leave their home countries to play for foreign teams which will pay more and get them more media coverage. From the 2014 edition onward, all of the matches were recognized by FIFA as first team matches. This tournament does not allow those foreign based African players, it was started in 2009 and the last tournament was won by DR Congo in 2016, the next one will be slated to take place in 2018, but a Nations League for Africa could do the reverse and bring about the abolishment of the African Nations Championship NOT the African Nations Cup, I know I will wait while you take the aspirin.
Getting back to Europe, The changes to UEFA EURO qualifying will make it more streamlined. The equation is now simple: ten groups with the top two teams in each group qualifying automatically, and the other four places being awarded to European Qualifiers play-off winners, in which the 16 group winners of the UEFA Nations League will be in contention.
The UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying draw will be made after the completion of the UEFA Nations League and allow for the four UEFA Nations League Finals participants to be drawn into groups of five teams.
But the key principle of the qualifiers remains: that every team can play every team.
The European Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2020 commence in March 2019. There will be two matchdays in each of March, June, September, October and November 2019. In total, there will be five groups of five teams and five groups of six teams (ten groups in all) playing over ten matchdays (the same number as now). The winner and runner-up in each of the ten groups will qualify automatically for the UEFA EURO 2020 final tournament (June 2020).
The last four EURO places will be won through the European Qualifiers play-offs, which will take place in March 2020 and which will be contested by the 16 UEFA Nations League group winners.
If a group winner has already qualified via the European Qualifiers, then their spot will go to the next best-ranked team in their league. If a league does not have four teams to compete, the remaining slots are allocated to teams from another league, according to the overall UEFA Nations League ranking.
Each league will have a path of its own and each path will feature two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final. The winner of each path will win a ticket to UEFA EURO 2020.
Other questions :
What is the basic format?
League A
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
Teams will be split into four groups of three, with the group winners then contesting the UEFA Nations League Finals (semi-finals, third-place match and final) in June 2019 to become the UEFA Nations League winners. One host country will be appointed in December 2018 from among the finalist teams.
The four sides that finish bottom of their groups will be relegated to League B for the 2020 edition.
The top four-ranked League A teams that do not qualify for UEFA EURO 2020 will enter play-offs in March 2020, with one finals place on offer.
League B
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
Teams will be split into four groups of three. The four group winners are promoted to League A, with the four sides that finish bottom relegated to League C for the next competition, to be played in 2020.
The top four-ranked League B teams that do not qualify for UEFA EURO 2020 will enter play-offs in March 2020, with one finals place on offer.
League C
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
Teams will be split into one group of three and three groups of four. The four group winners are promoted to League B, with the four sides that finish bottom relegated to League D for the 2020 edition.
The top four-ranked League C teams that do not qualify for UEFA EURO 2020 will enter play-offs in March 2020, with one finals place on offer.
League D
Azerbaijan, FYR Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
Teams will be split into four groups of four, with the four group winners promoted to League C for the 2020 edition.
The top four-ranked League D teams that do not qualify for UEFA EURO 2020 will enter play-offs in March 2020, with one finals place on offer.
How the line-ups were determined
The overall UEFA Nations League rankings will determine the composition of the draw pots for the subsequent European Qualifiers.
In addition, the UEFA Nations League will provide teams with another chance to qualify for the UEFA EURO final tournament, with four sides qualifying through play-off matches which take place in March 2020 (see below).
When will the UEFA Nations League take place?
The UEFA Nations League will take place as follows:
The UEFA Nations League group games will be held over six matchdays, during the 'double-headers' in September, October and November 2018. The UEFA Nations League Finals competition for the teams that win the four groups within the top division is scheduled for June 2019.
For the UEFA Nations League Finals, the group winners of UEFA Nations League A will play in a knockout format (semi-finals, third-place match and final) in June 2019 to become the UEFA Nations League winners. One host country will be appointed by the UEFA Executive Committee in December 2018 from among the finalist teams.
The play-off matches will be staged in March 2020 (see below).
How are the overall UEFA Nations League rankings calculated?
Within each league (A, B, C and D), the overall ranking will be calculated based on position in the group then points, goal difference, goals scored, away goals scored, wins, away wins, disciplinary points, coefficient ranking.
What are the advantages for national associations and teams?
National associations and coaches, in consultations with UEFA, revealed that they feel that friendly internationals are not providing adequate sporting competition. The UEFA Nations League creates more meaningful and competitive matches for teams and a dedicated calendar and structure for national team football.
Top teams can also aspire to take part in the UEFA Nations League Finals, a new top-level event.
For middle-ranking and smaller nations, the UEFA Nations League will offer an extra way to qualify for UEFA EURO final tournaments. Lower-tier countries – the bottom 16 in the rankings – are now guaranteed one of the 24 qualifying slots for UEFA EURO.
Lower-ranking teams who have struggled against sides ranked considerably higher than them will now get the chance to take part in balanced matches. Teams do not learn and progress by repeatedly losing; now some sides will start winning.
While the UEFA Nations League will replace most friendly internationals, there will still be space in the calendar for friendlies, especially for top teams who may want to face opposition from outside Europe as they will be in groups of three teams.
Associations and teams benefit from clarity of the fixture calendar, and there is now a clear buffer between the end of the UEFA EURO and FIFA World Cup, and vice versa, as well as stability of income.
What are the advantages for supporters?
Supporters more than most realise that most friendlies fail to deliver competitive and meaningful football. Now they will have the opportunity to see their teams play in more competitive matches, take part in a new competition and get a second chance to qualify for the major tournaments.
In every even year there are World Cup or UEFA EURO champions; now in every odd year there will be a UEFA Nations League winners. Football is about competition and now, just like in club football, there will be a national team champion at the close of every season.
Will this mean more demands on players and clubs?
No: the UEFA Nations League and European Qualifiers will adhere to the existing agreed international match calendar. UEFA is always keen to preserve the balance between club and international football. The new competition should, in fact, reduce demands on players and clubs with less travel envisaged for friendly games while national teams will be playing more consistently at their own level. With double-header matchweeks, players will even go back to their clubs earlier than is currently the case.
Is this just about generating more revenue?
No, finances are not a driver for the new competition. However, the competition will have the same centralised media rights as have recently been introduced for all European Qualifiers so associations will have even more stability in their income.
Will there be no more friendly internationals?
There will certainly be fewer friendly internationals and undoubtedly fewer meaningless friendlies. However, there will still be space in the calendar for friendly internationals – particularly warm-up matches for final tournaments. UEFA is also keen that European teams will still have the chance to play opponents from other confederations.The group stage of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying is now complete, meaning the line-ups for the inaugural UEFA Nations League are confirmed.
UEFA Nations League
The 55 participating teams were split according to their position in the UEFA National Team Coefficient Rankings following the end of the European Qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup (as per 11 October 2017; play-off results will not be included).
League A includes the 12 top-ranked teams. The next 12 teams are in League B, the next 15 in League C and the remaining 16 in League D.
UEFA Nations League calendar
Group stage draw*: 24 January 2018 – SwissTech Convention Centre, Lausanne Matchday 1: 6–8 September 2018
Matchday 2: 9–11 September 2018
Matchday 3: 11–13 October 2018
Matchday 4: 14–16 October 2018
Matchday 5: 15–17 November 2018
Matchday 6: 18–20 November 2018
Finals draw: early December 2018
Finals: 5–9 June 2019
UEFA EURO 2020 play-off draw: 22 November 2019
UEFA EURO 2020 play-offs: 26–31 March 2020
Teams in three-sided groups will play on four of the six matchdays.
*Note that Russia and Ukraine will not be drawn into the same group. The same applies to Armenia and Azerbaijan if the current UEFA Executive Committee decisions still apply when the draw is made.
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