Rafael Louzán Participates in the UEFA Executive Committee Meeting in Istanbul
The President of the RFEF attended the Europa League final following the meeting of UEFA’s executive body, which approved modifications to the UEFA Nations League competition system and the European Qualifiers format.
The UEFA Executive Committee, meeting in Istanbul on 20 May on the occasion of the UEFA Europa League final, adopted a series of decisions that will be gradually implemented across European football. The meeting was attended by Rafael Louzán, President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and member of the Committee, accompanied by General Secretary Álvaro de Miguel and Eduard Dervishaj, Director of International Relations.
The new UEFA Nations League competition format, to be introduced from the 2028/2029 edition onwards, will move from the current four leagues to a three-league system comprising 18 teams each. Every league will consist of three groups of six teams, with each side playing six matches against five different opponents: home or away against teams from different pots, and home-and-away fixtures against the team drawn from the same pot.
With the participation of 55 national teams, League C will include one group of seven teams, whose schedule will begin one international window earlier. The quarter-finals, Final Four, and promotion/relegation play-offs will remain unchanged.
The European Qualifiers will also adopt a tiered structure: League 1, composed of the 36 teams from Nations League Leagues A and B, and League 2, consisting of the remaining 18 (or 19) teams. League 1 will feature three groups of 12 teams drawn from three seeding pots of 12 teams each. Every national team will play six matches, home or away, against six different opponents — two from each pot — in a format similar to UEFA club competitions.
League 2 will follow the same structure as Nations League League C, with three groups of six teams (or one group of seven). Although host nations will qualify automatically for the final tournament, they will still participate in the European Qualifiers, with implications for their placement in the following UEFA Nations League edition. The highest-ranked teams in each League 1 group will secure direct qualification, while the remaining places will be determined through a play-off system designed to ensure fair qualification opportunities for League 2 teams as well.
The concept will continue to be refined over the coming months before the detailed format is submitted for final approval at the next UEFA Executive Committee meeting, scheduled for 15 September 2026 in Thessaloniki, Greece.
