Uefa and Concacaf hold talks on combined 96-team Nations League, report says
Uefa and Concacaf have opened discussions about forming a combined Nations League involving all 96 member nations, The Guardian reported on 21 August 2026, following a memorandum they signed at Fifa’s congress in Vancouver in April.
The proposal under consideration would create a biennial competition that could launch as early as 2028 after the next European Championship, according to the report, and is said to have emerged as the confederations united over concerns about Gianni Infantino amid the World Cup sell-off controversy. Talks are at an early stage and are described as another direct challenge to Fifa, with the two confederations already cooperating closely on other matters.
Under draft plans the tournament would use a multi-league format similar to the existing Nations Leagues operated separately by Uefa and Concacaf, followed by knockout rounds culminating in a final-four to decide the champion. League A would pair Europe’s top teams, named in the report as Spain, France, England and Germany, with the highest-ranked Concacaf nations such as Mexico, the United States and Canada.
The confederations launched their own Nations League competitions in 2018 and have been staging fixtures in the same international windows, which the report says means the necessary mechanics for a combined tournament are already in place. The draft calendar would play the league phase across the established September, October and November international breaks, with knockout matches in March and finals in June.
The numbers of teams in each league remain to be decided, but the plan envisages involvement from all 96 Uefa and Concacaf members and proposes pooling much of the revenue to increase income for smaller nations. The report highlights the commercial draw of major European sides playing regular competitive matches in North America and Canada and notes potential financial benefits for Mexico amid dissatisfaction within its federation (FMF) about Concacaf’s limitations.
The Guardian wrote that the FMF has held initial talks about joining Conmebol — a move that would require Fifa ratification — but that the prospect of lucrative fixtures against European opposition could alter its thinking. The proposed format would replace existing international fixtures rather than add to them and would group games geographically to limit travel. The Asian Football Confederation has reportedly expressed interest in joining a global Nations League at a later date, although the AFC does not currently operate its own Nations League.
Uefa declined to comment on the proposal, one source with knowledge of the plans confirmed discussions are under way, and Concacaf declined to comment directly while pointing to its longstanding commitment to collaboration and precedent for guest teams in the Gold Cup. Both confederations have, the report says, made clear they view Infantino’s position as untenable over the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal and are working together to field an alternative candidate in the presidential election next March.
Discussions are said to have intensified only in the past few weeks, with many structural and logistical details still unresolved, and any launch timeline remains provisional; the earliest suggested start date in the report is 2028, after the next European Championship.