GENEVA (AP) — UEFA is proposing to revamp qualifying for the 2030 World Cup and 2032 European Championship, which would eliminate mismatches between the strongest and weakest teams. champions league.
UEFA President Alexander Ceferin revealed last year The reform was designed to revive interest from fans and broadcasters, as many of the traditional men’s qualifying groups have become predictable.
Recent biased results that have raised concerns include: France defeats Gibraltar 14-0 Euro 2024 qualifying matches, and Austria beat San Marino 10-0 Last year was the 2026 World Cup qualifier.
On Wednesday, UEFA proposed creating a top tier of 36 teams to play in three groups of 12 teams, in a format similar to the Champions League.
Teams in these groups will each play six matches against six different opponents and will be ranked in a 12-team league table. Teams are drawn from three different seed pots and played in a weighted schedule with two teams from each pot.
Such a format could fit into the existing September-November schedule set by FIFA and would not add extra matches to the players’ workload.
The top 36 teams will not play teams ranked 37th to 55th by UEFA, which allows them to play games in different tiers, with a play-off route to qualify for major tournaments.
decisions regarding proposed renovations UEFA announced after a meeting of its executive committee on the sidelines of the Europa League final in Istanbul, Turkey, that the tournament will be held in September.
UEFA said: “The concept will be fine-tuned over the coming months, with final approval of the detailed format expected at the next Executive Committee meeting.”
UEFA has not revealed how many direct places will be awarded from each group of 12 teams.
The 2030 World Cup is expected to be co-hosted primarily by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with the opening three matches to be played in South America, and is expected to feature 48 teams. Europe needs to earn 16 spots.
FIFA has been asked by South American soccer organization CONMEBOL to consider expanding to 64 teams.
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