The UEFA Nations League will be expanded with a new knockout round after 2024, European soccer’s governing body said on Wednesday following its executive committee’s meeting in Nyon, Switzerland.

The knockout round will be played in March and create continuity between the group phase ending in November and the Finals in June.

League A group winners and runners-up will participate in home-and-away format quarter-finals, with the winners qualifying for the final four.

The third-ranked team in League A and the runners-up in League B, as well as the third-ranked League B side and the League C runners-up will play a home-and-away promotion and relegation playoff.

“By introducing the new knockout phase, teams will be given even more opportunities to progress while keeping the same number of games within the international match calendar,” said UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.

In another change, the European qualifiers for the European Championship and World Cup will be more consolidated, with teams being drawn in 12 groups of four and five teams.

“The predictability of the European qualifiers has also been addressed and tackled, with a fresh new format that will offer all the teams an equal chance to qualify for major tournaments,” Ceferin added.

The new formats for these competitions will come into effect in September, 2024, UEFA said in a statement.

Russia, which sent officials from its football union to Switzerland to meet UEFA a day ahead of the executive committee meeting, was barred from taking part in or hosting UEFA or FIFA competitions following its invasion of Ukraine last year.

UEFA decided that Russia, which hosted the 2018 men’s World Cup, could not participate in qualifying for Euro 2024, which beings in March.

This year’s UEFA Super Cup has been moved from Kazan, Russia to Athens, Greece.

-Reuters

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he may not allow Bruno Fernandes to travel overseas for Portugal’s matches during the international break if the midfielder is required to quarantine on his return to England.

Fernandes could face 10 days in isolation on his return from international duty because Portugal falls under the United Kingdom’s Covid-19 travel “red list”.

World football governing body Fifa has said clubs can refuse to release players if they are required to quarantine for more than five days on their return.

“We have not sat down and made a proper call on that one but it doesn’t make sense if you lose your player for 10 days’ isolation,” Solskjaer said after their Premier League draw at Crystal Palace on Wednesday (March 3).

“We are the ones paying the players… Fifa have given the rule that they don’t have to be released, so it is going to be a hard call to make to let them play in red-list countries.”

Portugal are scheduled to face Azerbaijan, Serbia and Luxembourg on March 24, 27 and 30 respectively in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Fernandes could miss United’s Premier League home game against Brighton & Hove Albion (April 3) and away game at Tottenham Hotspur (April 10) if he has to isolate for 10 days on returning from Portugal.

“I want Bruno ready for Brighton and hopefully we will be through in Europe and against Tottenham after that break,” Solskjaer added.

Earlier, Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp echoed Solskjaer’s thoughts, with the Merseyside club likely to lose Brazilian players Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino and Portugal forward Diogo Jota for the same reason.

“I think all the clubs agree that with the same problems we cannot just let the boys go and then sort the situation when they come back by placing our players in a 10-day quarantine in a hotel, it is just not possible,” Klopp said.

“I understand the needs of the different FAs (football associations) but this is a time where we cannot make everyone happy and we have to admit the players are paid by the clubs so it means we have to be first priority.”

-Reuters