The UEFA Executive Committee, which includes Andriy Pavelko, president of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF), today in Nyon, Switzerland ratified several important decisions, including changes to the formats of men's national team competitions.

After a lengthy consultation process with national associations, it was decided to slightly modify the current UEFA Nations League and European qualification formats to ensure more significant and engaging matches in existing dates, as well as to strengthen resources for national associations and ensure stable recovery after pandemic consequences.

UEFA Nations League

The Nations League will be expanded with a new round of playoffs that will take place in March, thus creating a sequence between the group stage, which concludes in November, and the final, which will take place in June.

Winners of Groups A and teams finishing second will participate in quarter-finals home and away matches, with winners qualifying for the four-team final.

Teams finishing third in Groups A and third in Group B will play promotion/relegation playoffs against teams finishing second in Groups B and second in C respectively.

European Qualification

The new format of European qualification for the Euros or World Cup will be more consolidated, with teams divided into 12 groups of four to five teams, thus intensifying competition and making it less predictable and more dynamic.

Teams in groups of five start their qualifying tournament in March or June if they are still participating in the Nations League quarter-finals or promotion/relegation matches. Teams in groups of four start their campaigns in September.

Winners of European qualification groups will receive direct passage to the Euros or World Cup, while teams finishing second will go through a direct qualification process or participate in playoff matches (along with Nations League teams for Euro qualification).

No changes have been proposed for the final tournament of the European Championship, which will still feature 24 teams.

Photo uefa.com

Commenting on the revised competitions, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said:

“The introduction of the UEFA Nations League has been a success story, as friendly games have been replaced by more competitive matches. And now, with the introduction of a new playoff phase, teams will have even more opportunities for progress while maintaining the same number of international match calendar fixtures.

The predictability of European qualification tournaments has also been addressed and resolved thanks to a new format that offers all teams equal chances to qualify for major tournaments.”

UEFA Super Cup

The UEFA Executive Committee decided to move the 2023 UEFA Super Cup match from Kazan to Athens. The game will take place at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Greece's capital on Wednesday, August 16.

UEFA Euro-2025 (U-21)

The Slovak Football Association has been appointed as the organizer of the under-21 European Championship featuring sixteen teams. Matches will take place on eight arenas in eight different cities across the country during summer 2025.

UEFA Protocol Regarding Return to Football

In light of the development of the situation around the COVID-19 pandemic and the current state in Europe, including cancellations of previous measures used in most national-level competitions, the UEFA Executive Committee decided to cease applying the UEFA protocol regarding return to football.

With the cessation of the protocol's application, it was decided not to apply its respective appendices concerning special rules on COVID-19 included in the UEFA competition regulations as these were directly linked to the protocol.

However, UEFA will continue closely monitoring the pandemic dynamics and may propose appropriate measures for ensuring safety of all participants and smooth conduct of matches if significant changes occur. Special rule requirements and hygiene measures may be reintroduced if necessary.

Tournament Regulations

The UEFA Executive Committee ratified the regulations for the 2025 Euro (U-21) and the women's European Championship in the 2023–2025 cycle.

The next meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee will take place on April 4, 2023, in Lisbon one day before the 47th Ordinary UEFA Congress.

Photo from UAF press service

Andriy Pavelko: «I had the opportunity to thank all members of the UEFA Executive Committee and personally the organization's president, Aleksander Čeferin, for their support during these difficult times»

“In video format, I participated in the first 2023 meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee,— Andriy Pavelko, president of the UAF, noted. — One of the key issues for us that was resolved at the conclusion of the work is depriving Kazan, Russia, of the right to host the UEFA Super Cup match scheduled for August.

At the UEFA Executive Committee meeting, I reported on the work of the UEFA Players' Status, Transfers, Agents and Match Agents Committee that I chair, as well as summarized the meetings of the UEFA Legal Committee that I led in an acting capacity. We also reviewed reports from other committees, discussed other agenda items including cooperation with CONMEBOL and preparation for the 47th UEFA Congress to be held in Lisbon.  

I am grateful to my European colleagues for their principled position regarding the aggressor country! I also had the opportunity to thank all members of the UEFA Executive Committee, and personally the organization's president Aleksander Čeferin, for their support during these difficult times. And special thanks go out for supporting our joint bid with Spain and Portugal for hosting the 2030 World Cup finals, work on which continues.”