UEFA set for major international football calendar overhaul with new Swiss-style format

• UEFA will overhaul the international football calendar from 2028–29.

• A Swiss-style league system will replace traditional qualifiers.

• The change aims to boost competition and reduce repetitive fixtures.

UEFA is preparing to introduce sweeping changes to the international football calendar from the 2028-29 season, with traditional qualification systems set to be replaced by a Swiss-style league format similar to the revamped UEFA Champions League structure.

The proposed changes are aimed at reducing repetitive fixtures, increasing competition between national teams, and creating more high-profile matches across European football.

MUST READ: Black Starlets knocked out of U-17 AFCON but face Uganda in playoffs for World Cup spot

Under the current format, the UEFA Nations League consists of four divisions where teams face each opponent home and away in small groups.

However, UEFA plans to replace this setup with a three-league system featuring 18 teams in each division. The teams will be split into three groups of six, with nations playing six matches against five different opponents instead of the traditional double round-robin format.

Countries will also face teams from different seeding pots either at home or away, while only one fixture will remain as a two-legged encounter against a side from the same pot.

READ ALSO: 22 Black Stars players arrive in camp, train ahead of Mexico clash

The move mirrors the Swiss-style system introduced in the Champions League and is expected to bring greater variety and competitiveness to international football fixtures.

The overhaul will also affect qualification campaigns for major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship.

Traditionally, European qualifiers have involved groups of five or six teams playing each other home and away over eight to 10 matches. Under the new structure, qualifiers will instead be divided into two major leagues.

The top division will include the 36 highest-ranked nations, while a second tier will feature the remaining 18 or 19 countries.

The elite division will contain three groups of 12 teams, with each nation playing six matches against six different opponents drawn from various seeding pots.

READ MORE: Arteta awakened the fans, Arsenal rewrote history, and the football gods finally answered their call

UEFA believes the changes will reduce fixture fatigue while creating more balanced and exciting qualification pathways for national teams.

Despite the major structural changes, UEFA intends to keep the promotion and relegation playoff system that has become a key feature of recent Nations League campaigns.

READ MORE: Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 to win Europa League after 44 years

The lower-tier league will feature multiple groups to ensure all member associations remain active and competitive throughout the qualification cycle.

Importantly, the highest-ranked teams in the top division will qualify automatically for major tournaments, while remaining qualification spots will be decided through playoffs.

The new system is also designed to give lower-ranked nations a realistic pathway to qualify for international tournaments, maintaining competitiveness across all levels of European football.