Ireland not guaranteed Euro 2028 spot as co-hosts if they fail to qualify automatically
Ireland will not be guaranteed a place at the 2028 European Championships if they fail to qualify automatically, with Uefa holding only two spots for the four co-host countries.
The decision was taken by the UEFA Executive Committee which met in Bilbao ahead of Wednesday's Europa League Final.
Ireland, along with co-hosts England, Scotland and Wales will be drawn into separate groups, with 12 group winners and eight best runners-up (20 teams) advancing directly to the final tournament. A total of 24 teams will take part in the 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.
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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.'
Ireland are presently the lowest ranked of the four host countries at 60th in the Fifa list, with England fourth, Wales 29th and Scotland 44th.
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