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Do Euro 2028 Hosts Qualify Automatically? New Qualification Rules Explained

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The road to UEFA Euro 2028 will look very different from previous editions, with the tournament’s four co-hosts no longer guaranteed a place in the finals.

Instead of receiving automatic qualification, England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland will have to earn their spot through the qualifying campaign, although UEFA have introduced a safety net to ensure no more than two nations will miss out on the opportunity to play at a home tournament.

The shift away from the traditional qualification methods has left plenty of supporters wondering exactly how qualification will work. With reserved host places, a revamped qualifying format and a revised playoff system all coming into effect, the path to the tournament is more complex than ever before.

So what is the new qualifying format, how do the four co-hosts fit into it, and how will the remaining places be decided?

Do Euro 2028 Hosts Qualify Automatically?

Anthony Gordon, Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham (England) Paul Childs via Reuters

After seeing their joint bid voted through unanimously in October 2023, the 2028 UEFA European Championships will be co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

The tournament will be played across nine stadiums with quarter-final games at Cardiff’s National Stadium of Wales, Ireland’s Dublin Arena and the iconic Hampden Park in Glasgow. Wembley Stadium, the home of England’s national team, will also host a quarter-final, before providing the setting for both semi-finals, as well as the final on 9th July.

A full list of dates and venues for Euro 2028 can be found here.

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Traditionally, the host nation(s) would receive automatic qualification to the Euros tournament, as was the case for the USA, Canada and Mexico at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, in a move away from the norm, the four host countries will not receive automatic entry to the tournament, and will instead have to go through qualifying, but with a twist.

As a way of a safety net, UEFA announced that two spots in the final tournament will be reserved for the two best-ranked home nations that did not qualify on merit.

For example, if two home nations qualify by finishing top of their groups, or as one of the eight best runners-up, then the other two sides will fill the reserved spots. Therefore, it would mean that the only way in which a host misses out, is if only one, or none, of the other nations make it through the qualification stage.

How Will Euro 2028 Qualification Work?

Cole Palmer with his Euro 2024 medal
Cole Palmer with his Euro 2024 medal

The repaved road to the 2028 European Championships will see 12 qualifying groups, each consisting of four or five teams. The group winners from each mini-league, as well as the eight best-performing second-placed teams will receive their official invite to the tournament.

The remaining runners-up will then enter a playoff with the best-ranked 2026/27 UEFA Nations League nonqualified group winners, to decide which nations will be assigned to one of the two-to-four final slots, which itself is determined by the performances of the four host nations.

If both of the reserved home nation slots are used, in the case that one or none qualify on merit, then eight teams will compete across two paths for the last spots, with single-leg semi-finals and finals.

Should only one reserved allocation be used, 12 teams will face-off across three different paths, again with single-leg semi-finals and finals, for the three final tournament places.

Euro 2028 Qualification Summary

Qualification Method

Number of Teams

Group Winners

12

Best Group Runners-up

8

Host Nations Who Fail to Qualify

0-2

Play-Off Winners

2-4

TOTAL

24

In the case that all four home nations finish at the top of their group, or are one of the eight best second-placed teams, then eight teams will be drawn to contest a single opponent, both home-and-away, with the winners advancing.

Irrespective of whether the playoffs contain eight or 12 teams, the remaining runners-up will first be ranked according to their positions in the overall European Qualifiers rankings, before the teams that qualified via the Nations League are ranked based on their positions in the interim, overall 2026/27 UEFA Nations League rankings.

These teams are then divided into four pots, with each playoff route composed of two semi-final pairings of a seeded team and an unseeded team, meaning pot 1 plays pot 4, with the teams in pot 2 facing off against those in pot 3.

A total of 24 teams will compete at Euro 2028, with 54 UEFA nations scheduled to compete in the qualification phase.

This comes as a change from the qualification procedures used ahead of Euro 2024 in Germany, where 53 UEFA member nations were divided into ten groups, with seven groups of five, and three containing six. Similarly to the new rules, all ten table-toppers qualified automatically, but unlike Euro 2028, so did all of the runners-up.

Another difference, which can also be seen from the new qualification route, is that, ahead of the 2024 tournament, the teams selected to play for the remaining three slots were decided exclusively based off of their performance in the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League, as opposed to those who had just fallen short in the previous stage.

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Romano Shares New Update On Tottenham Signing Savinho

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Savinho is desperate to make the move to Tottenham Hotspur, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Spurs were once again linked with the Manchester City man early in the summer transfer window but with Roberto De Zerbi and club chiefs making a splurge on defenders and midfielders, talk of a move for the 22-year-old went quiet.

However, after completing six new signings in the goalkeeper, defence and midfield departments, Spurs are now focusing their attention on their forward line and Savinho remains a “top priority” for the club in the final month-and-a-half of the transfer window, with a £65million deal set to be concluded.

Spurs’ interest in Savinho goes back a whole year

Savinho celebrates a goal for Man City via Reuters

Tottenham tried to sign Savinho in the last summer transfer window, but could not get a deal over the line. The winger had wanted to make the move to north London then, with limited game time at the Etihad Stadium under Pep Guardiola.

He actually made 36 appearances in all competitions in 2025/26, but only 14 of those were starts and he will likely get more regular chances in the Spurs side, despite there being no European football next season.

Spurs have remained in contact with City since last summer and are keen to get a deal over the line in the coming days and weeks to bolster De Zerbi’s attacking line.

However, City will need to find a replacement first, something that stopped Tottenham completing a deal last summer.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said: “On Tottenham I stand by my news, I maintain my information. Tottenham want Savinho, Tottenham will go for Savinho, there are negotiations ongoing club-to-club, Savinho is very keen on a move to Tottenham.

“He was already prepared to go to Tottenham one year ago. Now Savinho wants to go to Tottenham and Tottenham are negotiating for Savinho with Man City.

Fees correct prior to summer 2026

All 10 found — excellent!

“In order to get the green light for the move, Man City would need a replacement for Savinho, that’s the point, but Tottenham are working on the deal. This remains the priority.”

Spurs have been linked with a number of other signings, with AC Milan star Rafael Leao offered to the north Londoners. Eli Kroupi Juniro is another who has been linked with a move to N17 as Tottenham look to finish what has already been strong transfer business.

Pep Guardiola is a big fan of Savinho

Pep Guardiola Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

But Savinho looks to be the chosen one as De Zerbi eyes strength in depth on the left-hand side of his front line with injuries to Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons.

And the City forward could be the perfect signing for De Zerbi, with former boss Pep Guardiola saying of the Brazilian: “Savinho has everything to win and prove. He has a lot to improve, he is not aggressive enough without the ball, but right now he has something special to help the team.

“At that age, in the one-against-one, he is unstoppable. When we finish the final product, he will be a top, top class player.”

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Arsenal Ready To Sanction Eight More Transfers

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Arsenal may need to sanction several sales this summer in order to raise funds for new signings, as Mikel Arteta looks to freshen up his squad ahead of his team’s attempt to retain their status as Premier League champions next season.

The Gunners secured their first league title in 22 years last season, battling Manchester City for the crown and ultimately finishing seven points ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side.

While this was a major success for Arteta’s project, the North London club’s hierarchy aren’t prepared to rest on their laurels. They’re eager to build on this triumph and create a dynasty over the coming years, with many of their closest rivals going through a period of transition.

Bradley Barcola and Morgan Rogers are being heavily linked with a move to Arsenal for astronomical fees, while another striker, a central midfielder and a right-back are also understood to be on sporting director Andrea Berta’s wishlist.

However, to fund this prospective shopping spree, revenue will need to be generated via sales. Here’s how much Arsenal could potentially raise by sanctioning player departures.

Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri could raise significant funds for Arsenal

martinelli arsenal

After enduring an injury-ridden campaign in 2024/25, Arsenal loaded up their squad with numerous depth pieces. A symptom of this approach is that Arteta now has a somewhat bloated roster, which he’ll need to trim significantly this summer.

While this can be framed negatively, it’s arguably positive for the Gunners as it gives them ample opportunity to cash in on some valuable assets. The majority of the players up for sale will go for somewhat minimal sums, although there are two players at Arteta’s disposal who could command substantial fees.

Arsenal are reportedly demanding just short of £40million for Gabriel Martinelli, who is the subject of interest from Bayern Munich. Martinelli was left on the periphery of the North Londoners’ squad last season, and given he has just a year left on his current contract, is likely to leave this summer.

The Brazilian is one of Arsenal’s top earners, but fulfills a squad role at the Emirates, and Berta therefore can’t justify offering the winger an extension. Thus, it’s either sell now or lose a player initially bought for £6million from regional Brazilian football for free next summer.

The other player in Arsenal’s squad who ought to be sold for a big fee this summer is Ethan Nwaneri. While Nwaneri has displayed a handful of outstanding attributes, he’s been left in a position where he’s somewhat surplus to requirements in N5.

Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze and arguably even Max Dowman are ahead of him in the pecking order, meaning minutes would be few and far between for the 19-year-old if he were to remain at Arsenal. If he can’t develop in North London, then there is no reason for the Gunners to keep hold of Nwaneri when they can garner a real fee for him.

Aston Villa have been linked with the Hale End graduate, as have Cesc Fabregas’ Como. Arsenal could accept around £30 million for the youngster, whilst potentially negotiating a buy-back clause or a significant sell-on clause into a prospective deal.

Several squad players could follow Leandro Trossard out of Arsenal

leandro trossard

Aside from Martinelli and Nwaneri, Arsenal don’t have many players who will command huge fees this summer and who they’d actually be interested in selling. However, there are a number of players likely to be on their way out who can be sold for modest fees.

Everton are interested in Ben White, who is expected to leave North London this summer as he enters the latter stages of his career. White has been an excellent servant for the Gunners, but turns 29 in October and has grown increasingly injury-prone in recent seasons. Arsenal can surely expect around £20million for the right-back.

Meanwhile, the North London outfit have already cashed in on Jakub Kiwior, whose move to Porto has been made permanent for £19million.

Elsewhere, Besiktas have agreed a £17million deal to sign Leandro Trossard. Similarly to Martinelli, Trossard had a year left on his deal, making this summer the natural time to part ways with Arsenal. His and the Brazil international’s departures would pave the way for a marquee left-winger to be brought in.

The Gunners have supposedly lowered their asking price for Gabriel Jesus to around £20million. However, given the clubs linked to Jesus are primarily based in Italy and Brazil, and given he’s currently earning around £265,000 per week (via Capology), they may ultimately be forced to settle for even less than this. A fee in the region of £15million may be a more realistic valuation for the injury-prone 29-year-old striker.

Fees correct prior to summer 2026

All 10 found — excellent!

After these significant departures, a handful of minor squad sales could take place. Ostracised midfielder Fabio Vieira is working on an exit from Arsenal, and whilst his stock is low, he did enjoy a relatively productive loan spell at Hamburg last season. The Gunners could realistically demand upwards of £5million for the playmaker.

Christian Norgaard is up for sale, although Berta cannot expect a fee of any significance for the Dane, given his age and his status in Arteta’s squad. Somewhere around the £3million mark would represent a respectable sale for the Gunners.

Finally, goalkeeper Karl Hein has completed a £2.6million move to Werder Bremen, where he spent last season on loan.

There is always the possibility of a shock sale materialising later this summer. The likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori have all been loosely mooted as potential candidates for this, although there are yet to be any concrete developments on these fronts, and the assumption would be that Arteta will want to keep all four of these players.

Reiss Nelson may also leave, although it’s likely it’ll be another loan for the forgotten academy graduate.

If deals for the nine transfer-listed players go through at the aforementioned price tags, Arsenal would make £151.6

million in player sales this summer.

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Liverpool Handed ‘Surprise’ Conor Bradley Injury Boost

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Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola will continue an audit of his Reds squad during pre-season and could be handed another defensive option early on in the new Premier League season, without splashing out in the transfer window.

Sunderland and Wrexham await for Liverpool in pre-season friendly action later this month before the league campaign begins in earnest with a trip to Newcastle United next month.

Arne Slot managed to do the double over the Magpies last season, but conceded four goals in the process of claiming those victories, forced to play midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones as makeshift right-backs. Iraola does not want to be left in the same position.

Liverpool handed ‘nice surprise’ in injury boost

jeremy doku conor bradley

Liverpool journalist David Lynch has outlined that the club is ‘absolutely adamant’ that they will not be left short in the right-back position next season.

The Reds had to make do without the services of academy product Conor Bradley from January onwards last term, after the defender picked up a knee injury.

Lynch claims that the 23-year-old has made quick progress on his recovery this summer, in a ‘nice surprise’ for Iraola. He said: “Conor Bradley, as I’m told, is targeting a return shortly after the start of the season, so he’s not a million miles away, which might be a nice surprise for some of you. But they’re not relying on him. They know they’ve got to take it slow. They’ve got to be very, very careful with him.

“They also know that [Jeremie] Frimpong, they don’t want him to play too many games at right-back, they want him to be available to play up and down occasionally as a versatile utility man. They don’t want to say, you’re the back-up right-back. They are going to find solutions, as I understand it.”

Liverpool stance on right-back recruitment

Lynch believes that, while a new addition at right-back is possible, Liverpool may look to think outside the box when it comes to adding strength in depth.

It’s touted that Liverpool could stand firm over the future of Joe Gomez, and officially make the 29-year-old a back-up option in that position. Gomez is entering the final year of his contract at Anfield, and has been linked with Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

If Liverpool are to invest, the priority would be to ensure that any incoming would be comfortable playing both centrally and at right-back. While new boy Jeremy Jacquet is adept at playing either side of centre-back, he does not have experience on the flank.

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