PARIS: UEFA believes the 24-team format introduced for the first time at Euro 2016 is a success and will boost football in some of the continent’s smaller nations, tournament director Martin Kallen said on Tuesday.

Europe’s governing body opted eight years ago to expand the competition from 16 to 24 teams. The additional eight places allowed Albania, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia and Wales to qualify for the first time.

Some of the newcomers have been particularly successful, including Northern Ireland, who reached the last 16, and quarter-finalists Iceland. Wales have reached the semi-finals where they take on Portugal on Wednesday in Lyon.

“People were anxious the format might not work but it has worked,” Kallen told reporters.

“We have seen two teams [Iceland and Wales] going further than anybody believed they would and that’s positive.”

The 24-team format will continue at the 2020 finals and Kallen suggested UEFA might stick to it after that.

“We don’t know yet but at the moment it’s the format we’re looking at because it’s been very positive,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2016