27th March, 2014
European countries on Thursday voted to launch a Nations League tournament in 2018 to run parallel to the World Cup and European Championship.
The 54 UEFA countries will be divided into divisions with promotion and relegation and offer an extra chance to qualify for the European Championship.
UEFA’s Congress in Astana voted unanimously to start the league. “This is a big step for national teams in Europe and we hope that fans will support the new format,” said Wolfgang Niersbach, chairman of the UEFA competition committee.
Though the final details have yet to be agreed, the current plan is for four divisions, which will be sub-divided into four pools of three of four teams.
Each country would play four to six matches in the first tournament between September and November 2018.