Byline: AG Jnr, October 2025
UEFA don dey plan big shake-up wey fit change how we dey watch international football for years to come. Inside one closed-door meeting for Nyon, Switzerland, dem big men for UEFA begin reason say di current format of international breaks and qualification rounds don too dry, e don tire both fans, clubs and even di players wey dey run up and down across Europe every two or three months. Dem say di whole thing don dey look like same old movie wey people no dey rush go cinema watch again.
Na why UEFA don set up one special working group wey go study di matter well-well and come out with solid ideas on how to spice up di international calendar. Di talk no be just grammar – dem really wan balance di wahala between club football and country duty. Because if you check am well, anytime international break enter, many club fans go dey vex. Coaches dey fear say their players fit return with injury, and television numbers dey drop small-small.
One UEFA official yarn say di new idea go fit reduce di number of times players dey leave club to go represent country. E mean say instead of every two months wey people dey scatter for qualifiers, dem fit gather am into fewer but more intense windows. That one go help club football maintain rhythm, and national teams go get more competitive games rather than friendlies wey no dey carry weight.
Dem also wan repackage how di qualifiers dey run. Right now, some groups dey too predictable — same big countries dey always qualify before time while smaller nations just dey use am flex experience.
UEFA wan make every game dey count. One insider even hint say dem fit consider adding play-off mini tournaments or “qualification weeks” wey go be like proper festival of football across Europe. Imagine say one week, all di national teams dey play critical qualifiers with big atmosphere, fans dey everywhere, and points dey mean everything. That kind buzz go bring fans back to their screens.
Another major angle be di television side. Broadcasters don dey complain say viewers interest for some qualifiers don drop. Too many mismatched games, predictable scores, and scattered calendar dey make people no dey follow am again like before. UEFA sabi say money from TV rights na big deal – na di lifeline of modern football. So any new plan go must sweet both fans and investors. Di idea na to create something wey go dey fresh for audience and also give sponsors better value.
As part of di proposed reforms, UEFA dey also reason say dem fit merge some qualification paths to give smaller nations more chance to shine. Dem believe say if countries like Georgia, Luxembourg or Kosovo fit play more meaningful matches, di whole continent go benefit. E no go just be about France, Germany or England every time. Football go spread, and fans go connect emotionally to di competition again.
Clubs too dey inside di discussion because dem be major stakeholders. Over di years, tension don dey rise between clubs and international federations about player workload. Players like Kylian Mbappé, Kevin De Bruyne and Harry Kane don talk before say di calendar don too packed, and di body no be machine. UEFA dey try find di sweet spot – how to give national pride without overkill.
According to reports wey leak from di early meeting, one plan fit be say UEFA go align their own calendar with FIFA’s global window restructuring wey dey proposed too. If e work, both continents go dey move on same wavelength so players no go dey fly up and down every few weeks. Instead, dem go get long rest periods and properly organized blocks of international fixtures.
For example, dem fit compress all qualifiers for one long stretch for March or October instead of breaking am scatter. That kind move go give clubs almost two months of uninterrupted football and give players better recovery. At di same time, UEFA dey look how Nations League fit continue blend with qualification routes. Some teams wey perform well for Nations League fit get advantage for qualifiers, just like di current system but more refined.
But make we no lie, any change go still meet small wahala. Some federations go resist because international games dey bring money for dem. Some small countries dey depend on gate fees, sponsorship and TV revenue from regular qualifiers to sustain their football programs. So UEFA must play politics here – dem go need convince everybody say di new model go benefit all.
Fans reaction so far don dey mixed. Some people dey happy say UEFA dey finally hear di cry of football lovers wey don dey complain for years. Others dey fear say too many changes fit spoil tradition. But na normal thing – football na passion, and passion no dey ever balance. Still, if UEFA fit deliver wetin dem dey plan, football for Europe go sweet like jollof.
For now, dem working group go dey meet regularly from October 2025 till early next year. Di proposal fit drop officially by summer 2026, when UEFA Executive Committee go gather again. By that time, dem go hope say FIFA don also finalize their own side, so di global calendar go get clear shape.
One senior UEFA representative summarize di matter like this: “We no wan destroy tradition, we wan modernize am. Football don change, fans don change, and technology don change. E no make sense say we still dey use same international format wey start since 1980s. Time don reach to make football dey spicy again.”
So as di whole world dey wait, one thing sure — change dey come. Whether e go sweet or bitter, na di next chapter of European football we dey about to enter. Clubs go dey watch, fans go dey talk, and players go dey hope say di new format go bring better balance.
After all, football no just be about di 90 minutes for pitch; e be about di rhythm, di anticipation, and di excitement wey dey keep di game alive all year. If UEFA fit strike di right chord, we go fit enjoy club and international football without wahala. Na di kind innovation wey fit redefine di beauty of di game for di next generation.
– AG Jnr ⚽
