UEFA Nations League: What's at Stake, 2026 World Cup Qualifying Impact

Not Just a Friendly Tournament

For many years, the international football calendar was filled with friendlies. For fans, these matches were often dull affairs with little at stake, featuring weakened teams and lacking intensity. The UEFA Nations League changed all that. Launched in 2018, the tournament has quickly become a major fixture in the international calendar, offering high-stakes matches and a clear path to silverware.

The UEFA Nations League is a biennial competition that sees UEFA's 55 member nations divided into four divisions based on their UEFA coefficient ranking. The teams play home and away matches in groups of three or four, with the winners of each group promoted to a higher division and the bottom team in each group relegated to a lower division.

2026 World Cup Qualifying Path

The UEFA Nations League is closely linked to World Cup qualifying as well. The four group winners from League A qualify for the World Cup playoffs. If any of these teams have already qualified through the traditional qualifying route, their place in the playoffs goes to the next best-ranked team in League A.

The 2026 World Cup qualifying process will be different from previous tournaments. The number of teams participating in the World Cup will increase from 32 to 48, which means that there will be more places available for UEFA teams. The exact format of the 2026 World Cup qualifying process has not yet been finalized, but the UEFA Nations League is expected to play a key role.

Not Just About Qualification

While World Cup qualification is a major part of the UEFA Nations League, it's not the only thing at stake. The tournament also offers teams a chance to win silverware. The winners of each division are crowned as the UEFA Nations League champions, and there is also a third-place playoff for the teams that finish second in their groups.

In addition to the silverware, the UEFA Nations League also offers teams a chance to improve their FIFA ranking. The matches are played on FIFA matchdays, and the results count towards the FIFA World Ranking. This means that teams can use the UEFA Nations League to improve their seeding for future tournaments, such as the World Cup and the European Championship.