Thursday, 27th March, 2014
UEFA has announced plans for a Nations League which will see international teams placed into four divisions to play against each other, in a move which will spell the end of most friendly games.
Europe's governing body plans to split its 54 member associations' teams into four large groups, which will see a winning team crowned every odd numbered year.
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To add further competition to the pot, UEFA will allow four teams to qualify for Euro 2020 through the Nations League.
The Nations League will officially launch in 2018 and initially run until 2022.
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The league will not affect traditional European qualifying, which will remain untouched.
"We accept and respect that all UEFA member associations have agreed to create a new competition", Wolfgang Niersbach, chairman of the National Teams Competition Committee, said via UEFA.
"This is a big step for national teams in Europe and we hope that fans will support the new format."
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