UEFA Announces Euro 2028 Qualifying Format

Euro 2028 qualifying, where hosts England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales will compete for spots in the tournament. Learn about the new format and how the co-hosts can secure their places.

The UEFA Executive Committee has confirmed that co-hosts England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales will participate in the qualifying rounds for Euro 2028, rather than receiving automatic qualification. This decision was made during a meeting in Bilbao ahead of the Europa League final.

Qualifying Format:

• Group Stage: The four host nations will be drawn into separate groups, competing against other teams in a bid to qualify.
• Direct Qualification: 12 group winners and 8 best runners-up will advance directly to the Euro 2028 final tournament, securing 20 spots.
• Safety Net: Two spots will be reserved for the two best-ranked host nations that fail to qualify as group winners or best runners-up.
• Play-offs: Remaining spots will be assigned via play-offs between qualifying group runners-up and top Nations League non-qualified group winners.

The number of play-off spots available will depend on whether host nations qualify directly or via reserved qualifying slots, varying between two and four spots. Euro 2028 will feature 24 participating teams across nine venues in the UK and Ireland.

The UEFA Executive Committee has announced that co-hosts England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales will participate in the qualifying rounds for Euro 2028, rather than receiving automatic qualification. This decision breaks from recent tradition, where hosts typically earned a direct spot 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 said in a statement. The four co-hosts will be drawn into separate groups, competing in the qualifying stage alongside other teams. The top 20 teams, consisting of 12 group winners and 8 best runners-up, will advance directly to the final tournament.

The remaining Euro 2028 spots will be assigned through playoffs, featuring the top runners-up from the qualifying groups and the best-ranked non-qualified teams from the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League. The playoff format will vary depending on the number of reserved qualifying slots used by the co-hosts.

If both reserved slots are utilized, eight teams will compete in two paths, with single-leg semi-finals and finals determining the two additional qualifiers. However, if only one slot is used, 12 teams will participate in three paths, following a similar format to the Euro 2024 qualifying playoffs.

UEFA have confirmed that there'll be two spots reserved at Euro 2028 for the two best-ranked co-hosts who don't qualify through the qualification process

If two of England, Scotland & Wales qualify via the usual qualifying and Ireland don’t, Ireland WILL QUALIFY for Euro 2028 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/Njk4Gm3gBZ

— IrishPropaganda🇮🇪⚽️ (@IrishPropaganda) May 21, 2025

The Euro 2028 qualifying format features a unique setup for the four co-hosts – England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales – who will compete in separate groups. If all four co-hosts qualify directly, eight teams will participate in four home-and-away playoff ties to secure the remaining spots.

The tournament will be hosted across nine venues in the UK and Ireland. The participating nations have varying levels of recent success, with England finishing as runners-up at Euro 2024 and Scotland being eliminated in the group stage. Meanwhile, Wales and Ireland failed to qualify for the 2024 tournament.