World Cup heading for a new revolution

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·15 octobre 2025

World Cup heading for a new revolution

In recent years, we’ve already seen several changes in football, and that should continue according to L’Equipe. In fact, UEFA is working on a format change for European qualification for the World Cup. We could see the one used in the Champions League, but it hasn’t been finalized yet. And we’ll have to wait.

Pour sauver les matches de qualifications de l'ennui, l'UEFA est prête à tout changer afin d'offrir des affrontements entre « gros » pays. Un modèle similaire à celui appliqué en Ligue des champions est évoqué. https://t.co/LfiLEje9u9
– mardi 14 octobre 2025

“The 2024–2028 cycle was sold to broadcasters under the current format, making it difficult to conclude before it ends.”

With two main ideas mentioned on Monday in our pages. The first is to use the Nations League as the qualification system for major tournaments, as is already the case in the women’s game. The second is to copy the new Champions League with a league-style format, single matches without home-and-away legs, and an overall table to determine direct qualifiers and playoff teams. Practically speaking, there could be a single group with 54 countries (UEFA has 55 members, but Russia is suspended), or two groups of 27 teams with a fair distribution among large, medium, and small nations. The question is when this change could come into effect. The 2024–2028 cycle was sold to broadcasters under the current format, making it difficult to wrap up before it ends.”

It isn’t settled yet, so nothing is fixed and many things can still change. However, we wouldn’t be surprised to see qualification move toward the Champions League model.

Vidéos OneFootball

That model seems to be a success and might allow for more surprises than the current groups, where the favorite is often very clear and the “small” countries are forced to pull off a feat for any hope of qualifying. There would also be more “big matchups,” which may appeal to players, fans, and broadcasters. The Nations League, however, should not be forgotten. It could also give it a bit more flavor.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.