[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"football-site-config":3,"world-cup-status-en":27,"news-detail-uefa-nations-league-to-adopt-champions-format-in-2028":61,"news-related-uefa-nations-league-to-adopt-champions-format-in-2028-en":101,"news-related-match-uefa-nations-league-to-adopt-champions-format-in-2028-en":26},{"adSlots":4,"affiliateMode":5,"brandName":6,"contentStrategy":7,"currency":8,"friendLinks":9,"homepageLayoutKey":10,"leagueFocus":11,"locale":12,"planVisibility":13,"seoDescription":14,"seoTitleTemplate":15,"siteCode":10,"siteName":6,"siteType":10,"subscriptionMode":5,"timezone":16,"id":17,"tenantID":18,"primaryDomain":19,"countryCode":20,"logoUrl":21,"faviconUrl":21,"theme":22,"seoKeywords":24,"status":25,"ads":4,"focusLeagues":26,"affiliatePolicies":26},[],"shared","Football Prediction Platform","scores_predictions","USD",[],"main",[],"en-US",[],"Football fixtures, results, free predictions, subscriptions, and clearly labeled partner links.","{page} | Football Prediction Platform","America\u002FNew_York",323900000000000000,1,"football.easytestdev.online","US","",{"primaryColor":23},"#1677ff","football predictions, football fixtures, football results","active",null,{"active":28,"leagueId":29,"leagueName":30,"leagueImagePath":31,"seasonId":32,"seasonName":33,"startingAt":34,"endingAt":35,"daysToStart":36,"daysToEnd":37,"phase":38,"includeQualifying":39,"hostCities":40},true,"326135624916537344","World Cup","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.api-sports.io\u002Ffootball\u002Fleagues\u002F1.png","326255613308833792","2026\u002F2027","2026-06-11","2026-06-28",-37,-20,"finished_recent",false,[41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60],"Atlanta","Boston","Dallas","East Rutherford","Guadalajara","Houston","Kansas City","Los Angeles","Mexico City","Miami","Monterrey","New-York","New York New Jersey","Philadelphia","San-Francisco","San Francisco Bay Area","Seattle","Toronto","Vancouver","Zapopan",{"article":62},{"awayTeamId":-1,"awayTeamName":-1,"body":63,"category":64,"excerpt":65,"homeTeamId":-1,"homeTeamName":-1,"id":66,"leagueId":67,"leagueName":68,"matchId":69,"matchName":21,"publishedAt":70,"slug":71,"sourceName":72,"sourceURL":73,"teamId":74,"teamName":75,"teamIds":76,"teamNames":88,"title":100},"UEFA has greenlit a sweeping reform of its men’s national team competitions, set to take effect after the 2028 European Championship. Meeting in Istanbul on May 20, 2026, the Executive Committee approved a new structure that borrows heavily from the group-stage logic of the Champions League, swapping decades of double round-robin fixtures for a more streamlined, single-match-per-opponent schedule. The update, confirmed via an official release, will reshape both the UEFA Nations League and the European Qualifiers, promising to cut meaningless games while keeping the international calendar footprint unchanged.\n\nStarting with the 2028\u002F29 season, the Nations League will condense from its current four-tier system into three leagues of 18 nations each. Within each league, teams will be drawn into three groups of six, facing each of their five group rivals just once—either home or away depending on seeding. The mathematical twist ensures balance: sides meet opponents from different pots on an alternating home\u002Faway basis and clash with their same-pot counterpart under the same rule. In League C, the lowest tier, one group will contain seven sides to accommodate all 55 member associations, with an extra match window to manage the additional fixture. The competition’s knockout phase remains intact, including quarterfinals, a final four, and promotion\u002Frelegation playoffs, preserving the drama that made the Nations League a success since its 2018 inception.\n\nThe European Qualifiers will undergo an equally profound transformation. Instead of the current single-pool draw, the 55 UEFA members will be divided into two overarching leagues based on their Nations League standing. League 1 will comprise the 36 teams from leagues A and B of the UNL, sorted into three groups of 12. In a departure from the old format, each nation will play only six qualifiers instead of ten, facing six different opponents drawn from three seeding pots—two per pot. The home-or-away rhythm will mimic the club model, curtailing travel and fixture congestion. League 2, with the remaining 18 or 19 sides, will follow the same six-team group structure as Nations League C, also playing a compact six-game schedule. Host nations of future finals will be absorbed seamlessly: they join the qualifiers for competitive purpose even though their finals berth is secure, with results influencing their UNL coefficient for the next cycle.\n\nUEFA president Aleksander Čeferin endorsed the changes as a milestone for national team football. \"The new formats will improve competitive balance, reduce the number of meaningless matches, and offer a more attractive and dynamic product for fans, all while guaranteeing fair qualification opportunities for every national team and without adding any extra dates to the already crowded international calendar,\" he stated. He added that, together, the reforms will \"increase the value of UEFA men’s national team football,\" and that he looks forward to their rollout.\n\nFor supporters and broadcasters, the shift echoes the highly successful revamp of UEFA’s club competitions. Just as the Champions League’s league phase replaced stale group stages with a broader menu of fixtures, the national team calendar will now feature fewer but more consequential contests. A qualifier window where a team faces only half of its group rivals—chosen with seeding in mind—creates a system where every point carries heightened stakes, akin to the tension of a single-legged cup tie. This is designed to boost viewer engagement and commercial appeal at a time when the global sports rights market is increasingly competitive.\n\nSmaller nations stand to benefit significantly from the reform. Under the previous model, lower-ranked sides often faced a gruelling ten-match schedule littered with lopsided losses, driving down fan interest and morale. Now, they will compete in tighter groups of six within League 2, where matches are more evenly matched on paper. Additionally, the new playoff system ensures that even teams from the second tier of qualifiers have a clear pathway to the final tournament—a stark contrast to the old system where group winners hogged the direct slots. The potential for surprise packages and fairy-tale runs is thus amplified.\n\nHowever, the reduction in total fixtures for elite nations means fewer marquee matchups during qualifying windows. Top-tier teams in League 1 will only play six qualifiers instead of ten, which could prompt debates about whether more friendlies against non-European opposition might fill the void. UEFA has assured that the new structure does not add extra matchdays, preserving the delicate balance with club calendars. The fact that the revised calendar lands in 2028—after a likely expansion of the FIFA World Cup and the ongoing evolution of the women’s game—suggests UEFA is future-proofing its flagship national team properties.\n\nThe decision follows an extensive review and consultation with all member associations, as the governing body sought to modernise formats without endangering traditional rivalries. The move towards single-match group encounters mirrors a broader trend in sports governance: prioritising scarcity to increase value. Whether this will translate into higher ticket sales, TV ratings, and digital consumption remains to be seen, but the early signal is one of ambition. The 2028 European Championship in Great Britain and Ireland will be the last tournament under the old format, serving as a bridge to this new era.\n\nDetails are still being refined ahead of the next Executive Committee meeting in September, where the final, fully detailed format will be presented and approved. A press conference will then offer a comprehensive breakdown, accompanied by simulations and fixture models. Clubs and leagues are expected to weigh in, but the initial reaction from federations has been broadly positive, according to UEFA. As the football world inches closer to this reset, all eyes will be on how the new structures hold up under real-world test conditions—starting in the autumn of 2028, when the first Nations League whistle under the three-division system blows.\n\nBased on reporting from Marca.","news","UEFA announces 2028 overhaul: Nations League cuts to 3 leagues of 18 teams, European Qualifiers split into 2 tiers, with Champions-style single fixtures.","332568807849594881","326135639156199424","UEFA Nations League","0","2026-05-20T15:00:37Z","uefa-nations-league-to-adopt-champions-format-in-2028","Marca","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.marca.com\u002Ffutbol\u002F2026\u002F05\u002F20\u002Fuefa-revoluciona-formato-futbol-selecciones.html","326257544051822592","Internacional",[74,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87],"326257539769438208","326257539962376192","326222712143876096","326222712592666624","326255039809064960","326255041188990976","326255042430504960","326257686389723136","326257745512632320","326257695210344448","326222707169431552",[75,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99],"Inter","Como","Portugal","Congo DR","Dynamo Kyiv","FK Sarajevo","Servette FC","Together","Members","Signal","Anderlecht","UEFA Nations League to adopt Champions format in 2028",[102,136,162,179],{"awayTeamId":-1,"awayTeamName":-1,"body":-1,"category":64,"excerpt":103,"homeTeamId":-1,"homeTeamName":-1,"id":104,"leagueId":67,"leagueName":68,"matchId":69,"matchName":21,"publishedAt":105,"slug":106,"sourceName":107,"sourceURL":108,"teamId":109,"teamName":110,"teamIds":111,"teamNames":123,"title":135},"Spain faces Iraq in a friendly on Thursday as part of their build-up to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, with La Roja looking to fine-tune tactics.","337868318608199681","2026-06-04T05:55:00Z","spain-vs-iraq-3-things-to-watch-in-world-cup-friendly","L'Equipe","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lequipe.fr\u002FFootball\u002FActualites\u002FA-quelle-heure-et-sur-quelle-chaine-voir-le-match-amical-entre-l-espagne-et-l-irak\u002F1681348#at_medium=RSS_feeds","326222711653142528","Spain",[109,112,79,113,114,115,116,117,118,119,120,121,122,87],"326222712819159040","326222707404312576","326222712936599552","326222767416414208","326222767449968640","326255039846813696","326255041625198592","326257536296554496","326222711908995072","326222713142120448","326257576805142528",[110,124,91,125,126,127,128,129,130,131,132,133,134,99],"Iraq","Charleroi","Paraguay","Lesotho","Chad","FK Partizan","Partizani","Auxerre","Mexico","Canada","Tune","Spain vs Iraq: 3 Things to Watch in World Cup Friendly",{"awayTeamId":-1,"awayTeamName":-1,"body":-1,"category":64,"excerpt":137,"homeTeamId":-1,"homeTeamName":-1,"id":138,"leagueId":67,"leagueName":68,"matchId":69,"matchName":21,"publishedAt":139,"slug":140,"sourceName":141,"sourceURL":142,"teamId":143,"teamName":144,"teamIds":145,"teamNames":153,"title":161},"Seamus Coleman insists decisions on Ireland's Nations League games against Israel must rest with officials, as players face tough questions amid boycott calls.","335395724491493377","2026-05-28T10:21:44Z","coleman-ireland-israel-decision-should-be-above-players","BBC Sport","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.com\u002Fsport\u002Ffootball\u002Farticles\u002Fc4gvyq7l41do?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss","326257665107824640","Israel",[143,146,147,87,148,149,150,151,152,85,121],"326222712898850816","326257789426995200","326222707249123328","326257532714618880","326257546392244224","326257547663118336","326257546052505600",[144,154,155,99,156,157,158,159,160,97,133],"Qatar","Palestine","Zulte Waregem","Al Sadd","Nottingham Forest","Al-Faisaly FC","Everton","Coleman: Ireland-Israel Decision Should Be Above Players",{"awayTeamId":-1,"awayTeamName":-1,"body":-1,"category":64,"excerpt":163,"homeTeamId":-1,"homeTeamName":-1,"id":164,"leagueId":67,"leagueName":68,"matchId":69,"matchName":21,"publishedAt":165,"slug":166,"sourceName":107,"sourceURL":167,"teamId":114,"teamName":126,"teamIds":168,"teamNames":173,"title":178},"UEFA's 2028 Nations League overhaul introduces three leagues of 18 teams, six group games per team, and revamped Euro\u002FWorld Cup qualifying via League A\u002FB.","332606580035948545","2026-05-20T17:17:02Z","new-nations-league-format-what-it-means-for-euro-world-cup","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lequipe.fr\u002FFootball\u002FActualites\u002FDes-airs-de-ligue-des-champions-le-nouveau-format-de-la-ligue-des-nations-mais-aussi-des-qualifications-pour-l-euro-et-la-coupe-du-monde\u002F1677430#at_medium=RSS_feeds",[114,115,117,169,118,170,171,119,172,87,121],"326255040677285888","326255043030290432","326257534648193024","326257796423094272",[126,127,129,174,130,175,176,131,177,99,133],"Universitatea Craiova","Universitatea Cluj","Union Berlin","Russia","New Nations League Format: What it Means for Euro, World Cup",{"awayTeamId":-1,"awayTeamName":-1,"body":-1,"category":64,"excerpt":65,"homeTeamId":-1,"homeTeamName":-1,"id":66,"leagueId":67,"leagueName":68,"matchId":69,"matchName":21,"publishedAt":70,"slug":71,"sourceName":72,"sourceURL":73,"teamId":74,"teamName":75,"teamIds":180,"teamNames":181,"title":100},[74,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87],[75,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99]]