Euro 2028 hosts to go through qualifying

The four hosts will be drawn into separate groups, with 12 group winners and eight best runners-up advancing directly to the final tournament

Hosts England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will participate in qualifying for the 2028 European Championship, with only two spots reserved if they do not make it to the tournament, Europe's soccer governing body UEFA said on Wednesday.

The decision was taken by the UEFA Executive Committee which met in Bilbao ahead of Wednesday's Europa League Final.

The four hosts will be drawn into separate groups, with 12 group winners and eight best runners-up (20 teams) advancing 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 said in a statement.

The remaining spots will be assigned via playoffs between the remaining runners-up in the qualifying groups and the best ranked 2026-27 UEFA Nations League non-qualified group winners, the statement said.

"Depending on the number of spots used by the host nations, the number of final tournament spots decided by playoffs may vary between two and four."

Euro 2028 will be held across nine venues in the United Kingdom and Ireland.