AKIPRESS.COM - The 54 UEFA member associations unanimously adopted a four-point resolution entitled 'National men's A-team competitions 2018-2022' at the XXXVIII Ordinary UEFA Congress in Astana which will see the launch of the UEFA Nations League from 2018.

The competition will feature promotion and relegation, will see a winning team every odd year and will replace most international friendlies. The UEFA Nations League and the EURO Qualifiers will be linked, with the new competition allowing an extra chance to qualify for UEFA EURO final tournaments. The competition and proposed amended qualifying formats for the European Qualifiers, starting with UEFA EURO 2020, came after a thorough consultation process with UEFA's member associations which began in 2011.

The exact format of the UEFA Nations League has not been finalised and will be the subject of further discussions between the UEFA member associations but the concept is for the 54 teams to be divided into four large groups according to coefficient rankings. Teams compete to be promoted to a higher group or to become the UEFA Nations League champions and to qualify for EURO play-offs.

Prior to UEFA EURO 2020, each group will be divided into four pools of three or four teams so each team will play four to six matches between September and November 2018, the UEFA official website reported Thursday.

The final four competitions, involving the four pool group winners of group A, will start in 2019, whereas play-offs for the UEFA EURO will then take place in March 2020. National teams will thus either be competing to become UEFA Nations League champions or be fighting for promotion and to avoid relegation in their groups, as well as to qualify for the EURO play-offs.