Women's UEFA Nations League the path for Paris 2024 Olympic Games

UEFA announced the start of a new competition for women. UEFA Nations League will serve as a qualifier for the Olympic Games and EURO or World Cup, starting from the upcoming edition.

The Nations League starts in autumn 2023 with the format similar to the men's version of the competition. The teams will be divided into three leagues - Leagues A and B consist of 16 teams each while the League C will feature the remaining teams, depending on the number of entries. In each league there will be groups of four (or groups of three in group C, if the team number won't be divisible by four). The matches will be played with a typical league system - one home and one away match with all the other teams in the group.

The Uefa Nations League finals will feature the winners of the League A groups. They will be played with a single knock-out format - the semi-finals, the final and the 3rd-place match. The finalists will get the quota for the Olympic Games. For Paris 2024, if France gets to the final, the third-placed team will fill the remaining UEFA place in the Olympic tournament.

The next phase of the competition will be the European Qualifiers. The winners and runners-up of Leagu A will stay there, joined by the winners of League B. The fourth-placed teams will be relegated to the League B. Also the winners of League C will be promoted to the League B, replacing the lowest-ranked teams from that League (including the lowest-ranked third-placed teams, shall there be more than four groups in League C). The remaining teams play in the promotion/relegation matches - the third-placed teams from league A will play the League B runners-up, with the winners playing the League A and the losers in the League B. The League B third-placed teams will play with the best-ranked second-placed teams from League C with the same rule of promotion/relegation.

For the UEFA Women's EURO Qualifier the 8 top teams of League A will have a direct qualification. The remaining slots will be filled by the two-round play-offs. The 8 low-ranked teams of League A will play the top 8 of League C in the first round, while the teams placed 1-3 in the League B will play each other in the six matches (winners and top 2 second-placed teams are seeded). The fourteen winners will advance to the second round of play-offs, with another home-and-away game deciding the final spots.

Photo: Wojciech Nowakowski/Totallympics News