UEFA has confirmed that the hosts of Euro 2028, England, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, will still take part in the qualification process for the tournament.
This was announced on Wednesday following an executive committee meeting in Bilbao, held ahead of the UEFA Europa League final.
Despite being host nations, the four countries won’t receive automatic qualification.
Instead, they will be placed in separate groups during the qualifiers. However, UEFA has set aside two slots in the 24-team tournament for host nations who fail to qualify through the standard route.
“(The) hosts… will also participate in qualifying, drawn into separate groups,” read a statement from UEFA.
According to the qualification format, 20 teams, comprised of the 12 group winners and the eight best runners-up, will progress directly to the 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,” UEFA further explained.
The remaining slots will be determined through play-offs involving the rest of the group runners-up and the highest-ranked Nations League group winners from the 2026–27 campaign who did not qualify directly.
The total number of play-off positions will ultimately depend on how many of the host nations secure direct qualification through their respective groups or through the reserved host nation berths.
In contrast, Germany, who hosted Euro 2024, automatically qualified and went on to stage a tournament that concluded with Spain defeating England in the final in Berlin.