Zurich (GNP): UEFA and CONCACAF have opened discussions on establishing a combined Nations League tournament involving all 96 of their member countries across Europe and North and Central America and the Caribbean, marking another direct challenge to FIFA’s authority over the international football calendar.
The talks follow the two confederations joining forces to push for the removal of FIFA president Gianni Infantino amid controversy over a World Cup sell-off proposal, and the new tournament is now understood to be under early discussion, with a possible launch as soon as 2028, following the next European Championship.
The competition would reportedly mirror the multi-league format already used by both confederations in their existing Nations League tournaments, structured with a league phase followed by a knockout stage and a final-four tournament to decide the champion.
Under the concept, the top tier would bring together Europe’s leading teams, including Spain, France, England and Germany, in competitive fixtures against CONCACAF’s highest-ranked nations such as Mexico, the United States and Canada.
Because UEFA and CONCACAF have run their Nations League competitions during the same international windows since 2018, much of the scheduling framework needed for a joint tournament is already in place. Draft plans call for the league phase to be played across the existing September, October and November international windows, with knockout matches in March and the finals held in June.
Since these matches would fall within international windows already agreed upon, it remains unclear whether FIFA approval would even be required, a question that carries less weight given the governing body’s own leadership crisis surrounding Infantino.
Discussions remain in their early stages, and the number of teams per league division has not yet been finalised, though all 96 members of both confederations would be included, with revenue pooled in a way expected to generate meaningful additional income for smaller footballing nations.
The format is also expected to hold strong commercial appeal, particularly around the prospect of major European clubs and national teams playing regular competitive matches in North America, while Mexico’s federation, which has expressed frustration over the financial constraints of competing within CONCACAF, stands to benefit considerably.
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Mexico’s federation has reportedly held preliminary talks about a possible move to the South American confederation, a shift that would require FIFA’s approval, though the appeal of regular matches against European opposition could influence that decision.
The proposed tournament would replace existing international fixtures rather than add to the calendar, with matches grouped geographically to limit travel. The Asian Football Confederation has also signalled interest in eventually joining a broader global Nations League structure, and the format under discussion is understood to be flexible enough to accommodate that possibility in the longer term, even though the AFC does not currently run its own Nations League competition.
UEFA and CONCACAF’s cooperation has been building for some time, formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed at FIFA’s congress in Vancouver in April, and has deepened further since the World Cup sell-off proposal became public last month.
Both confederations have said clearly that they view Infantino’s position as untenable over his role in the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, and are working together to back an alternative candidate ahead of the presidential election next March.
