It's done. And well done. Meeting at a Congress in Astana, Kazakhstan, UEFA adopted this Thursday morning the principle of a new continental competition, the Nations League, the first edition of which should be contested in 2018.
One more competition? Yes and no. Certainly, the Nations League will be added to an already busy calendar for European football. But Michel Platini and the other members of UEFA have clearly explained it: this new event intended for national teams must replace friendly matches, the interest of which continues to decline in the eyes of players, broadcasters and even the public. .
Three years of studies and discussions were necessary to bring about this competition. Adopted unanimously by voters for the 2018-22 period, it will be based on the distribution of the 54 European selections into four divisions, with a system of ups and downs. The exact format of this new competition has not yet been decided. This will be the subject of future discussions. We just know that each division will be subdivided into groups of three or four teams. A Final Four will be contested in 2019 with the winners of each group.
Above all, the UEFA version of the Nations League will offer those who missed out on Euro 2020 a new chance to get their ticket. The qualification system for the quadrennial continental tournament remains unchanged, but four places will be up for grabs at the end of the Nations League. A “carrot” likely to boost interest in this competition from its first edition.
“This is a very important decision for the future of the national teams,” commented Michel Platini, president of UEFA. “A big step forward for European national teams,” insisted German Wolfgang Niersbach, president of the UEFA national team competitions committee. “A very interesting concept,” said Alex Horne, general secretary of the English FA. Everybody is happy. Not so common in football.
