UEFA changes the Nations League format: how the reform will affect Armenia

UEFA’s Executive Committee approved changes to the Nations League promotion and relegation system at its meeting in Thessaloniki on September 15. The changes will apply at the end of the 2026/27 edition and pave the way for the competition’s new format: from the 2028/29 season, there will be three leagues instead of four.

For Armenia, the reform brings two important changes: relegation from League C will no longer be a possibility, and qualifying for the promotion play-offs would mean facing a team that finished bottom of its group in League B.

From 2028: three leagues with 18 teams each

In the 2026/27 edition, Leagues A, B and C each have 16 participants, while League D has six. Under the new structure, Leagues A, B and C will each comprise 18 national teams. League D will be abolished, and all its participants will move into League C.

Under the approved concept, each division will consist of three groups of six teams. Each national team will play six matches: home and away against one opponent from the same seeding pot, and one match against each of the other four opponents. The quarter-finals, Final Four and inter-league play-offs will remain in place.

The new format will therefore change not only the number of participants in each league but also the structure of the group stage: each team will face a greater variety of opponents while still playing across six matchdays.

What this means for Armenia

In the 2026/27 Nations League, Armenia will compete in Group C2 alongside Montenegro, Cyprus and Latvia. The results of this edition will determine which division the team plays in following the reform.

The possible scenarios for Armenia are as follows:

• First place — automatic promotion to League B. The group winners will go up and compete in the second division in the 2028/29 edition.
• Second place — promotion play-offs for a place in League B. The opponents will be one of the four teams that finished bottom of their groups in League B. Victory will secure promotion, while defeat will leave Armenia in League C.
• Third or fourth place — remaining in League C. There will be neither automatic relegation nor play-offs against League D teams.

As a result, even finishing bottom of the group will no longer lead to relegation. However, once League D is abolished, League C will become the competition’s lowest division, so retaining a place there should not be confused with moving up.

The key play-off change: fourth-placed opponents instead of third-placed teams

The original regulations stipulated that League C group runners-up would compete for promotion against third-placed teams from League B. They will now face teams that finish fourth.

For Armenia, this changes the potential route to the second division: a second-place finish would mean facing a team that ended the League B group stage in last place. However, the change itself does not guarantee weaker opposition — the specific pairing will be determined by the draw.

The play-off tie will consist of two matches, home and away. The League C representative will host the first leg and play the return leg away.

Does the expansion of League B give Armenia an advantage?

Armenia sits 40th in the final overall ranking of the 2024/25 Nations League, updated after the conclusion of the play-offs in March 2026. This is the ranking for this particular competition, not the FIFA ranking.

However, that current position does not automatically determine the team’s place in the 2028/29 structure. League allocation will depend on the results of the 2026/27 Nations League: to secure promotion, Armenia must either win its group or finish second and win its play-off tie. There is no provision for additional automatic promotion solely because League B is expanding.

How movement between Leagues A and B will change

All four League B group winners will be promoted automatically to League A. Only the two lowest-ranked fourth-placed teams in League A’s final ranking will move in the opposite direction without play-offs.

The two highest-ranked fourth-placed teams and the two lowest-ranked third-placed teams in League A will face the four League B group runners-up in the play-offs. The winners of those ties will secure places in League A, while the losers will play in League B. The two highest-ranked third-placed teams in League A will retain their places automatically.

All four third-placed teams in League B will remain in their division, while the fourth-placed teams will defend their places against the League C group runners-up.

Armenia will begin its campaign in the new edition at home to Latvia on September 25, before hosting Montenegro on September 28. Both matches will take place at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan and kick off at 20:00 local time.