• New league phase format features three groups of six teams in each division
• Nations will face five different opponents across six matches (three home, three away)
• Structural changes take effect following the EURO 2028 tournament
• Host nations must compete in qualifiers, with results affecting Nations League standings
• Expanded play-off system guarantees qualification routes for lower-tier teams

UEFA has revealed major changes to the Nations League and European Championship qualifying systems. The governing body will adopt a format similar to the Champions League league phase.

The new structure begins after EURO 2028. Officials are currently finalising details following consultation with member associations.

Each division will contain three groups. Every group will consist of six national teams. Sides will play six matches against five different rivals. Three fixtures will take place at home, and three away. This approach prevents teams from facing the same opponent twice in an identical manner.

The quarter-finals, Final Four tournaments, and promotion or relegation play-offs will retain their current formats.

The European Qualifiers will also transform. They will use a tiered structure where teams play six matches against six different opponents. These fixtures can be home or away.

Host countries for the final tournaments must still compete in these qualifiers. Their results will count towards their Nations League positions for the following cycle.

The highest-ranked teams from each group in League One will secure automatic qualification for the European Championship. Remaining places will be decided through play-offs. This system ensures teams from League Two receive fair opportunities to reach the finals.

Italy and Turkey will co-host EURO 2032.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin defended the reforms. He stated they will create better competitive balance between nations. He promised fewer meaningless matches and a more exciting competition for supporters. He also confirmed the international calendar will not gain extra dates.

“These changes will increase the value of men’s national team football in Europe,” Ceferin said.

• Daniel Siebert will take charge of the Champions League final on May 30
• The German official will oversee the clash between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain
• This marks Siebert’s first appointment for a major UEFA final
• UEFA has selected a predominantly German officiating team for the Budapest match

UEFA has appointed Bundesliga referee Daniel Siebert to officiate the upcoming Champions League final. The German official will manage the high-profile clash between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.

The match takes place on May 30 in Budapest, Hungary. This appointment represents the biggest game of Siebert’s professional career to date.

The Berlin native brings extensive experience from German football. He has refereed 201 matches in the Bundesliga. He has also overseen 98 games in the second division and 55 in the third tier.

Siebert has worked at major international tournaments. These include European Championship fixtures and World Cup matches. However, this final marks his first role in a major UEFA showpiece event.

UEFA has selected a predominantly German officiating team for this match. Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn will serve as assistant referees. Both officials regularly work in the Bundesliga.

Switzerland’s Sandro Schärer will act as the fourth official. The video assistant referee duties fall to Bastian Dankert and Robert Schröder. Both VAR officials also come from the German top flight.

• Barcelona’s legal team is reviewing options to respond to accusations made by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez
• Perez announced Real Madrid will send a 500-page file to UEFA regarding payments Barcelona made to former referees official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira
• The Catalan club denies wrongdoing and maintains the €7-8 million payments were for referee consultancy services
• Perez described the case as the biggest corruption scandal in football history during a press conference calling for club elections
• Real Madrid claim they have lost titles due to alleged referee bias and want UEFA to intervene in the matter

FC Barcelona have confirmed their lawyers are examining possible legal steps against Real Madrid. This follows strong comments made by Los Blancos president Florentino Perez during a recent press briefing at the Bernabeu.

Perez revealed that his club plans to deliver a detailed 500-page report to European football’s governing body, UEFA. The document concerns the Negreira affair, where Barcelona allegedly paid millions of euros to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira over a 17-year period.

The payments, totaling around seven to eight million euros, went to Negreira whilst he served as vice-president of Spain’s referees committee. Barcelona insist these funds were for legitimate consultancy work and technical reports about match officials.

During his address, Perez did not hold back his criticism. He labelled the situation the most serious corruption case in football history. He also accused La Liga of being a constant opponent to his club’s interests.

The Real Madrid chief claimed his team has been robbed of domestic league titles. He suggested they could have won 14 championships instead of seven during his time at the helm. He also announced he would stand for re-election at the club.

Perez stated he has already spoken with UEFA officials about the matter. He believes European authorities must act because Spanish authorities have not resolved the issue. The case remains in pre-trial stages within the Spanish legal system.

Barcelona responded swiftly with an official statement. They confirmed their legal department is studying Perez’s remarks and considering appropriate action. Throughout the investigation, the Camp Nou outfit has consistently denied any corruption or sporting fraud.

The rivalry between Spain’s two biggest clubs has intensified following these latest developments. UEFA now faces pressure to investigate allegations that could shake the foundations of Spanish football.

• Atletico Madrid lose to Arsenal in Champions League semi-final second leg
• Spanish club furious after officials reject three penalty appeals
• Madrid Mayor accuses UEFA of using “machinery” to block Atletico’s final place
• Diego Simeone calls Griezmann incident “clear” but refuses to blame defeat on officials
• Appointment of German VAR official Bastian Dankert raises questions

Atletico Madrid’s Champions League campaign ended in frustration on Tuesday night. The Spanish side lost to Arsenal in the semi-final second leg. However, the players and officials are focusing their anger on the match officials rather than the result.

The club believes the referee ignored three clear penalty claims. The first incident involved Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori. Atletico’s Giuliano Simeone claims Calafiori pushed him with both hands inside the penalty area. Simeone later shared a photo of the incident on social media without adding a comment.

Giuliano also complained about another moment. He stated that Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes stopped him from shooting properly during a big chance. “When I tried to shoot, he pushed me and I lost my balance,” Simeone told Movistar+. “The referee did not even check VAR for this or for Antoine’s situation.”

The third appeal involved French star Antoine Griezmann. Atletico wanted a penalty after Calafiori tackled Griezmann. This happened just after the referee gave a foul against Atletico’s Marc Pubill.

Team captain Koke Resurreccion tried to stay calm. He told reporters the referee “did his best” and refused to criticise the decisions. Manager Diego Simeone found it harder to stay quiet. He admitted the Griezmann incident looked like a “clear” penalty. However, he said he did not want to sound like he was making excuses for the defeat.

The anger goes beyond the pitch. Club sources told Diario AS that the dressing room feels furious. They believe the officiating hurt them throughout the match. They also complained about the short amount of added time. The referee announced five minutes but blew the whistle after only five minutes and 33 seconds. This period included several stoppages for yellow cards and balls leaving the pitch.

Atletico also questioned why UEFA chose German VAR official Bastian Dankert. Dankert was the same person who disallowed Julian Alvarez’s penalty against Real Madrid last season.

The strongest words came from Madrid’s Mayor, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida. The Mayor is a well-known Atletico supporter. He claimed UEFA never wanted Atletico in the final. “We did not play against Arsenal. We played against UEFA,” he said at a press conference. “UEFA started their machinery to stop us. You can beat Arsenal over 180 minutes, but you cannot beat UEFA.”

He also criticised the appointment of a German referee. Spain and Germany are currently competing for an extra Champions League place next season. “It makes no sense to use a German official when our leagues are fighting for the fifth spot,” he added.

Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta changed his opinion about the referees. After the first leg, he attacked the officiating. He called a overturned penalty decision “a turning point”. After winning the second leg, he praised the officials. “I thought the refereeing was very good this time,” he told reporters.

Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak admitted the team played badly. “We showed Arsenal too much respect. We played with fear,” he said. Simeone added that desire alone was not enough to win.

• Disney+ will show live men’s Champions League matches for the first time starting from the 2027-28 season.
• The streaming service won bidding rights across 19 markets including Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
• UEFA expects to earn more than €5 billion per year from television rights alone.

Disney+ has won the rights to show live men’s Champions League football for the first time. The American streaming service was the winning bidder in several European nations during a recent auction.

The deal covers the 2027-2031 season cycle. It includes 19 television markets across Europe and the Americas. These include Sweden, Poland, Norway, Denmark and Finland. The rights also cover Brazil, Canada, Mexico and parts of Central and South America.

This marks a big change in sports broadcasting. It shows that streaming platforms now compete directly with traditional TV channels for major football rights. Disney has never held rights for the men’s Champions League before.

UC3 organised the auction. This company is a joint venture between UEFA and the European Football Clubs. Last year, UC3 hired Relevent Football Partners to manage the sales. This ended a 30-year relationship with the Swiss agency Team.

Rights values have grown significantly. The five biggest European markets saw price increases of 20 to 30 per cent in last year’s auction. Other streaming companies have also bought rights recently. Paramount+ won the UK and Germany rights in November last year.

The results show strong global demand for football content. UEFA believes total TV rights value will exceed €5 billion (£4.3 billion) each year. The governing body also expects over €1 billion yearly from commercial deals and sponsorships.

Disney already shows other UEFA competitions. The company holds pan-European rights for the women’s Champions League until 2030. It also broadcasts the Europa League and Conference League in Sweden and Denmark.

Officials from UEFA, UC3 and Relevent declined to comment on the specific details of the agreement.

• Uefa wants a new qualifying system for the men’s European Championship after Euro 2028.
• A Nations League-style plan, like the one used in women’s World Cup qualifying, is the leading idea.
• Top countries back the change, but smaller nations fear fewer glamour games.

European football bosses are ready to scrap the traditional Euro qualifying groups and replace them with a league system similar to the UEFA Nations League.

Officials told national team chiefs about the plan in Switzerland on Tuesday. Each country will now debate the idea in small meetings before the Uefa executive committee votes in Istanbul ahead of next month’s Europa League final.

People inside the talks say the present qualifying campaign feels dull. Big teams such as England rarely lose, so broadcasters and fans lose interest. A working group led by FA chief executive Mark Bullingham has spent months looking at fresh models.

The favourite option copies the women’s World Cup path. Teams would be split into three leagues using recent Nations League rankings. Each league would then hold groups of four, so sides of similar strength play one another. League A winners would book an automatic place at Euro 2028, while a larger playoff pool would decide the rest of the 24 finalists.

Other ideas, including the “Swiss system” seen in the Champions League, are still on the table but have less TV support. Smaller nations worry the new set-up could freeze them out of high-profile matches, so talks may be tense.

No extra games will be added, yet insiders say the switch cannot be finished before Euro 2028 qualifying starts next March. If approved, the change would begin with the race to Euro 2032.