Euro 2028 Hosts England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales Must Qualify for Tournament

In a significant shift from recent tradition, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales—the co-hosts of UEFA Euro 2028—will not receive automatic qualification for the tournament and must secure their places through the European Championship qualifying rounds, UEFA confirmed on Wednesday.

The announcement came following a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Bilbao, ahead of the Europa League Final.

UEFA Reserves Two Spots for Co-Hosts if Needed

While the four host nations must take part in qualifying, UEFA has reserved two guaranteed spots in the final tournament for the two highest-ranked co-hosts who fail to qualify automatically as group winners or runners-up.

“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 stated.

This system echoes the Euro 2020 model, where multiple cities hosted matches but no teams were given automatic qualification. It marks a departure from Euro 2024 and previous editions, where the host nation typically qualified automatically.

How Euro 2028 Qualification Will Work

Under UEFA’s plan:

• Each co-host will be drawn into separate qualifying groups.

• 12 group winners and 8 best runners-up (20 teams total) will qualify directly.

• If none of the co-hosts qualify, only two will be allowed in via the reserved host slots.

• The final 4 remaining places will be filled via playoffs, influenced by results from the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League.

Depending on how many reserved co-host spots are used:

• Two used: 8 teams play for 2 spots in two single-leg playoff paths.

• One used: 12 teams play in three playoff paths, similar to Euro 2024.

• None used: 8 teams compete in four home-and-away playoff ties.

Euro 2028 Set to Span Nine Venues in UK and Ireland

The Euro 2028 tournament will be staged across nine stadiums in the United Kingdom and Ireland, with match locations in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland.

In Euro 2024, England finished runners-up, Scotland exited in the group stage, and Wales and Ireland failed to qualify. The new rules give all four nations a competitive path to the next tournament while safeguarding against a complete host absence.