UEFA Confirms Euro 2028 Hosts Must Qualify, Two Places Reserved
In a recent announcement, UEFA revealed that the host nations for Euro 2028—England, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales—will participate in the tournament’s qualifying rounds despite their hosting duties.
Although the host nations will be part of the qualifying process, UEFA has reserved two spots for the best-ranked hosts in case they fail to qualify directly.
The decision on the qualification format was made during an executive committee meeting held in Bilbao ahead of the Europa League final. The upcoming Euro 2028 tournament will feature 24 teams.
According to UEFA’s plan, the 12 group winners and the eight best runners-up from the qualifying groups will secure direct places in the Euro 2028 finals, accounting for a total of 20 teams.
UEFA stated, “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.”
The remaining spots in the tournament will be determined through play-offs involving the other qualifying group runners-up and the highest-ranked non-qualified winners from the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League.
The exact number of playoff spots available will be contingent on the qualification status of the host nations and the reserved slots they may take up.
This qualification approach follows the model of Euro 2024, where host nation Germany qualified automatically, and Spain emerged as the tournament champions by defeating England in the final held in Berlin.
