The UEFA Euro 2028 tournament is just around the corner! With nine spectacular venues stretched across the United Kingdom and Ireland, it promises to be a truly unforgettable experience for all football aficionados in these islands. Though they are co-hosts of the tournament, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales won’t guarantee a spot in the finals. They have to go through a qualifying gauntlet. This process can involve a safety net – something to catch those teams that are unsuccessful in earning or finding a place through the standard methods.
Neither Wales nor Ireland made it to the last Euro competition held in Germany. This has led many to fear that they are under-performing going into their national championship. It’s up to the four co-hosting nations to show their quality during the qualifying rounds. UEFA just dropped some unbelievable news! The ninth and tenth spots will go to the next best-ranked host nations that do not qualify as group winners or the highest ranked second-best finishers.
Qualifying Process and Safety Nets
The qualifying framework for Euro 2028 is balanced to guarantee the best level of competitiveness. Should England, Ireland, Scotland and/or Wales have a rough go in the qualifiers, they’ll have the opportunity to contest for these pre-allocated berths. If just one slot gets plugged, the tournament will be a replay of the Euro 2024 tournament. Under this new model, twelve teams will compete across three separate tracks.
If the second reserved slot is ever invoked, it’s eight teams playing under a different format. The will traverse two branches which culminate in single-leg semi-finals and a final match up, to earn the final beautiful game’s place in the 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.” – UEFA
Co-Host Group Dynamics
Ahead of Euro 2028, the four co-hosts will be put into different qualifying groups. This format enables them to compete as individuals but still reflect their countries on an international stage during the competition. With only 20 teams able to make it directly to a final 24-team tournament, the stakes are incredibly high. That means 12 group winners and then the eight best runners-up from those qualifiers.
With the tournament’s unique host country dynamics, expect a fascinating blend of bitter rivalry and sporting respect among the competing nations. In addition to striving for direct qualification, they will contend with the pressure of performing well enough to secure one of the reserved slots available to them.
Paths to Qualification
If neither of the two reserved slots is chosen, the route to qualification gets a bit trickier. And those eight teams will face off in four home and away playoff ties to secure their spot at Euro 2028. The tournament will determine the final spots through playoffs. These playoffs will include other runners-up from qualifying groups and the top-ranked 2026-27 UEFA Nations League group winners not qualified.
The new qualification rounds will be particularly important for England, who placed second at Euro 2024. At the same time, Scotland’s early exit from the group stage last year is a reminder of how vital a strong showing in the group stage can be.
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