Excitement is already building for three of the four Home Nations and the Republic of Ireland as they prepare to host Euro 2028.
UEFA confirmed in October 2023 that the joint-bid consisting of Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland had been approved, and preparations for the tournament are well underway.
International tournament hosts have traditionally received automatic qualification, as was the case at the 2026 World Cup with the United States, Canada and Mexico all being assured of a berth.
However, for Euro 2028, none of Ireland, England, Wales or Scotland have been granted a guaranteed spot for a tournament in which they're co-hosts.
The decision by UEFA coincides with FIFA's decision to award Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay automatic qualification for the 2030 World Cup, despite the three South American nations hosting just one match each.
Why do England, Scotland, Wales and Republic of Ireland have to qualify for Euro 2028?
In accordance with UEFA's new qualifying rules, host countries no longer have an automatic passage to the tournament and the Home Nations and the Republic of Ireland must negotiate a qualification campaign.
However, all four of the co-hosts will be drawn into separate groups. England and Wales will feature in Pot 1 or Pot 2, while Scotland and the Republic of Ireland will be placed in either Pot 2 or Pot 3.
In qualification, the 12 group winners and the eight best runners-up will qualify automatically, filling 20 of the 24 places available at Euro 2028.
There is a fallback option for any of the co-hosts; UEFA have reserved two spots for the two best-ranked host nations that fail to qualify as group winners or among the eight best runners-up.
If there's a situation where three or more host nations fail to qualify, only the two highest-ranked of those teams would receive the host berths, leaving the others to miss out altogether.
The remaining spots (between two and four, depending on host nation qualification) will be determined through play-offs in March 2028.
