Do England need to qualify for Euro 2028 despite being co-hosts?
England return to action for the first time since the World Cup with four games scheduled for the combined September and October international break.
But while these matches will be part of the Nations League group stage, attention won’t be too far away from the upcoming qualification campaign for Euro 2028.
And despite the fact the tournament is taking place across the UK and Ireland in two years time, England, along with Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, will not automatically qualify as hosts.
UEFA has instead ruled that the four nations must take a full part in the qualification process for the competition.
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The qualification format will consist of 12 groups of either four or five teams, with the 12 group winners and eight best runner-ups qualifying for Euro 2028.
However, two spots have been reserved by UEFA for the hosts. This means that should up to two of England, Wales, Scotland or the Republic of Ireland fail to qualify from their groups, they will be granted automatic qualification for the tournament as a fail-safe method.
If more than two of the hosts fail to qualify through their groups, then the two reserved spots will go to the two highest-ranked sides in qualifying.
As such, the four countries are guaranteed to be playing at Euro 2028 as long as no more than two of them fail to make it through their group.
How will the play-offs work?
If all four hosts qualify automatically, four places will be up for grabs through the play-offs.
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However, if one of the hosts requires a reserved spot in the tournament, then the number of places available via the play-offs will reduce to three.
Should two hosts need a protective spot, the number of sides qualifying through the play-offs will reduce further to just two.
Each play-off pathway will consist of a single-legged semi-final and a final.
When does the qualifying campaign start?
Qualifying for Euro 2028 will begin in March 2027 and will conclude with the play-offs in March 2028.
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A total of 55 nations will be involved, excluding Russia, who remain suspended by UEFA.
The qualification draw will take place on December 6 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
This is the last tournament in which a traditional group format will be used in qualifying, with a league system modelled on the Champions League to be used for the 2030 World Cup onwards.
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Article source: https://metro.co.uk/2026/09/21/england-need-qualify-euro-2028-despite-co-hosts-29630631/