Despite being one of the 4 co-hosts of EURO 2028, the England team has not yet been guaranteed a place to participate in the final round. Unlike the practice for the host country in many major tournaments, UEFA decided not to award tickets directly to England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
According to the format approved by UEFA, EURO 2028 will have 24 participating teams. In the qualifying round, the teams are divided into 12 groups. The first team in each group and 8 second-placed teams with the best results will qualify for the final round, thereby determining the first 20 slots.
That means all 4 co-host countries, including the England team, still have to participate in the qualifiers like any other team. If they top the group or be in the group of 8 second-placed teams with the best results, they will win tickets in the usual way.
However, UEFA also built a reserve mechanism to ensure the rights of the host countries. Specifically, this organization reserves two slots in the finals for the 2 host countries with the best results in the qualifiers but cannot win direct tickets.
Thanks to this mechanism, the possibility of England missing EURO 2028 is very low. Only in the event that the "Three Lions" do not top the group, are not in the top 8 best second-placed teams, and have performances worse than at least two of the other three co-host teams, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, will they lose the right to enjoy a reserve spot.
In other words, although not automatically awarded tickets from the beginning, England is almost certain to participate in EURO 2028 if they do not go through a too bad qualifying campaign.
UEFA's decision creates a clear difference compared to FIFA in allocating slots to the host countries of the 2030 World Cup.
The 2030 tournament will mainly take place in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, but the opening 3 matches will be held in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup.
Although each South American country only hosts one match, FIFA still decided to automatically grant slots to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. Along with the 3 main host countries, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, there will be a total of 6 teams specially qualified to participate in the 2030 World Cup.
While FIFA prioritizes awarding tickets directly to all host countries, UEFA chooses a more cautious approach. EURO 2028 host countries still have to prove their ability through qualifiers, but are also protected by a reserve mechanism to avoid the risk of the tournament taking place without the home teams.
