England denied guaranteed place at Euro 2028 despite being co-hosts
England won’t have an automatic spot in Euro 2028 despite being co-hosts.
Euro 2028 will be hosted across England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
Unlike the World Cup 2030, where three main co-hosts, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, as well as Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay have already qualified, UEFA has different rules for the Euro competition.
For Euro 2028, the co-hosts will take part in the qualifying stage, during which 12 groups of four or five teams will battle it out to make it to the final 24.
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England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland will be kept apart from each other during the qualifying.
And, although there’s no guaranteed spots for any of the host teams, they do have a bit of a safety net.
Under the rules, which were announced last year, group winners and the best eight runners-up will go straight through, and there are then two spots reserved for the best-ranked hosts who have not made it into that group.
So, to put it simply, if two of the co-host nations get through based on their performance then the other two will be able to take the two reserved spots.
It could only spell trouble if three or four of the co-hosts failed to qualify through the groups as then the two spots would only go to the two teams that ranked the highest.
Given England’s performance in the World Cup it seems unlikely the side won’t get through the group stages on its own merit.
In a statement explaining the new rules last May, UEFA said: "The UEFA executive committee has confirmed the qualification format for Euro 2028, to be held across nine venues in the UK and Ireland with 24 participating teams.
"As in the current 2024-26 European Qualifiers, 12 qualifying groups will be formed of four or five teams. Hosts England, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales will also participate in qualifying, drawn into separate groups.
"The 12 group winners and 8 best runners-up (20 teams) will advance directly to the Euro 2028 final tournament.
"Two spots in the final tournament will be reserved for the two best-ranked host nations who are not qualified as group winners or best runners-up after the completion of the qualifying group stage."
Interestingly, England and the other co-host nations had previously told UEFA that they did not want to be given automatic spots.
Irish FA chief executive Patrick Nelson was quoted as saying: “It’s a sensible approach and it keeps everyone sharp.”
When does Euro 2028 start?
The next European championship kicks off on 9 June 2028 and will run for a month until 9 July 2028.
Matches will be staged across nine venues in eight cities and include the iconic Wembley Stadium, St James’ Park, the Etihad, and Everton’s new Hill Dickinson ground on the waterfront.
The opening match will take place at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
The draw for the qualifying groups will be held this December.
Thomas Tuchel will stay on as England’s head coach for the competition.
The England boss has the backing of the FA and says he is ‘100 percent’ committed to leading the side.
Topics: Football
Claire Reid