Euro 2028 hosts to participate in qualifying for tournament with safety net

 

Euro 2028 hosts to participate in qualifying for tournament with safety net UEFA has announced that Euro 2028 co-hosts England, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales will not receive automatic qualification and must compete in the tournament’s qualifying phase. This decision, made on May 21, 2025, by UEFA’s executive committee, marks a shift from traditional host privileges, ensuring competitive fairness. The qualification process, running from March to November 2027, will involve 12 groups of four or five teams. The 12 group winners and the eight best runners-up will secure direct qualification for the 24 team final tournament, filling 20 spots. To balance the hosts’ participation, UEFA introduced a safety net. Two reserved spots in the finals are allocated for the two highest ranked host nations (based on UEFA rankings) that fail to qualify through the standard process. This ensures at least two of the four co-hosts will feature in the tournament, hosted across the United Kingdom and Ireland. If all four hosts qualify directly, the two reserved spots will be filled through play off matches in March 2028, involving eight non qualified teams, likely determined via the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League. Notably, Northern Ireland, initially part of the hosting bid, will not host matches due to the unavailability of Casement Park in Belfast. As a result, Northern Ireland is excluded from both the safety net and any automatic qualification considerations, aligning them with non hosting nations in the qualification process. This decision underscores UEFA’s commitment to competitive integrity while providing a fallback for the hosting nations, ensuring their participation in the prestigious tournament. The move has sparked discussions among fans, with many praising the emphasis on earning qualification, while others debate the fairness of the safety net for hosts.

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