How does UEFA Nations League affect qualifying for World Cup 2026?

UEFA Nations League explained

The UEFA Nations League is an international association football competition contested by the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. Participating teams are divided into four divisions based on their UEFA rankings, with promotion and relegation between divisions. The competition was created to replace international friendly matches and to provide more competitive matches for teams of all levels.

Format for UEFA Nations League

The UEFA Nations League is played in a round-robin format, with each team playing two matches against each of the other teams in their division. The winners of each group in League A qualify for the Nations League Finals, which is a knockout tournament played in the following June. The four worst-performing teams in League D are relegated to League C for the next edition of the competition, while the four best-performing teams in League C are promoted to League B. The same promotion and relegation process applies to Leagues B and A.

World Cup 2026 qualifying changes

The UEFA Nations League has changed the format of World Cup qualifying for European teams. In previous editions of the World Cup, European teams would be divided into groups and would play each other home and away. The winners of each group would qualify for the World Cup, while the runners-up would go into a play-off to determine the remaining qualifiers. This format has been changed for the 2026 World Cup, with the UEFA Nations League now playing a role in determining which teams qualify.

Three teams qualify via UEFA Nations League

For the 2026 World Cup, the top three teams in each of the four UEFA Nations League divisions will qualify for the World Cup. These teams will join the 16 teams that qualify through the traditional group stage format. This means that the UEFA Nations League provides an additional path to the World Cup for teams from the lower divisions.

Conclusion

The UEFA Nations League has had a significant impact on World Cup qualifying for European teams. The competition has provided an additional path to the World Cup for teams from the lower divisions, and it has also given teams the opportunity to play more competitive matches against teams of a similar level.

The UEFA Nations League is a new and innovative competition that has the potential to change the face of international football. It will be interesting to see how the competition develops in the coming years and how it affects the qualifying process for the World Cup.