Soccer-Euro 2028 hosts to go through qualifying
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Euro 2028 & Euro 2032 Hosts Announcement - Nyon, Switzerland - October 10, 2023 The UEFA Euro trophy is pictured during the announcement REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
(Reuters) -Hosts England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will participate in qualifying for the 2028 European Championship, with only two spots reserved if they do not make it to the tournament, Europe's soccer governing body UEFA said on Wednesday.
The decision was taken by the UEFA Executive Committee which met in Bilbao ahead of Wednesday's Europa League Final.
The four hosts will be drawn into separate groups, with 12 group winners and eight best runners-up (20 teams) advancing directly to the final 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.
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."
Euro 2028 will be held across nine venues in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
34 minutes ago
- The Star
Tennis-It's a privilege to make history with you, Alcaraz tells Sinner
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 8, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses with the trophy after winning the men's singles final alongside runner up Italy's Jannik Sinner REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes PARIS (Reuters) -French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz praised his rival Jannik Sinner after their burgeoning rivalry offered the Roland Garros crowd a vintage final clash at Roland Garros on Sunday. Spain's Alcaraz retained his title after saving three match points to beat world number one Sinner 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(10-2) in the longest French Open final since tennis turned professional in 1968 - a battle lasting five hours 29 minutes. "I am pretty sure you are going to be champion not once, but many, many times. It is a privilege to share the court with you in every tournament," Alcaraz said on court after ending Sinner's 20-match winning streak at Grand Slams. "I am just really, really happy to be able to make history with you in this tournament, in other tournaments; you are a huge inspiration to young kids and to me." Alcaraz has now won his five Grand Slam finals and handed Sinner his first defeat in a major final after the Italian claimed his first three at the Australian Open (2024 and 2025) and U.S. Open (2024). Alcaraz thanked the court Philippe Chatrier crowd for their support, which he said helped him throughout the tournament. "Then Paris, guys, I mean, you have been a really important support to me since the first practice, since the first round," he said. "You were unbelievable. You were insane for me. I mean, I just can't, can't thank enough, you know, to you for the great support during the whole week, for today's match. "For today's match, you were really, really important. You are in my heart and you'll always be in my heart. So thank you. Thank you very much, Paris. And see you next year." (Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Factbox-Tennis-French Open men's singles champion Alcaraz
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 8, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his final match against Italy's Jannik Sinner REUTERS/Denis Balibouse PARIS (Reuters) -Factbox on Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Italian world number one Jannik Sinner 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(10-2) in the French Open final on Sunday to win his fifth Grand Slam title. Age: 22 Country: Spain ATP ranking: 2 Seeding: 2 Grand Slam titles: 5 (French Open 2024, 2025; Wimbledon 2023, 2024; U.S. Open 2022) EARLY LIFE * Born in El Palmar, Alcaraz started playing tennis aged four at the Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia, where his father was the academy director. CAREER TO DATE * Made his ATP main-draw debut aged 16 at the 2020 Rio Open. * Became the first teenager to beat compatriot Rafa Nadal and Serbian Novak Djokovic in the same tournament — and on consecutive days — to win his second ATP Masters 1000 title at the 2022 Madrid Open. * Outclassed Norwegian Casper Ruud to clinch his first major title at the 2022 U.S. Open, becoming the youngest champion at Flushing Meadows since American Pete Sampras (19) in 1990. * That year, at 19 years, four months and six days, he became the youngest world number one in ATP rankings history. * Went on to win nine titles as a teenager, behind only Bjorn Borg, Nadal, Mats Wilander, Boris Becker and Andre Agassi. * Defeated Djokovic to win Wimbledon in 2023, becoming the first man outside the 'Big Four' of Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to claim the title at the All England Club since 2002. * Beat German Alexander Zverev in the 2024 French Open final to become the youngest man, at 21, to win Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces — hard, grass and clay. * Beat Djokovic in the 2024 Wimbledon showpiece, taking his Grand Slam final win-loss record to 4-0, becoming the sixth man in the professional era to win the French Open-Wimbledon double in the same year after Rod Laver, Borg, Nadal, Federer and Djokovic. * Won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics after losing to Djokovic in the final. * Became the third man to retain the French Open title this century, after Nadal and Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten, when he beat three-times major winner Sinner in the 2025 final. (Compiled by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; editing by Ken Ferris)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Cricket-Wood makes mark on England comeback
Cricket - Second Twenty20 International - England v West Indies - Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol, Britain - June 8, 2025 England's Luke Wood in action Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs BRISTOL, England (Reuters) -England bowler Luke Wood said he was just trying to make his mark after being named player of the match in a T20 victory over West Indies in Bristol on Sunday, nearly two years after his last international appearance. In a match dominated by some formidable hitting, Wood was England's stand-out bowler, with two wickets, including one with the very first ball of the contest. Wood, who finished with figures of 2-25, struck Evin Lewis on the pads to get England off to a perfect start in his first appearance since September 2023. "It's my first game in an England shirt for a year and half. I'm just trying to make my mark when you get a chance to do so, it was nice to get a run out and nice to win a game," he said after England clinched a four-wicket victory to seal the three-match series. "First game back, a wicket always settles you down a bit. A bit of nerves, but I enjoyed it. They didn't announce the team until we got here today, anticipation is more nerve-wracking, when you get on the field it's OK." Wood was the latest England bowler to shine on their return to the team after Liam Dawson took four wickets on his international comeback after nearly three years out in the first T20. Dawson had a less profitable outing in Bristol, taking 0-43 in a match dominated by both sides' big hitters. The tourists hit 15 sixes on their way to an imposing total of 196-6 and England followed that 10 of their own as they claimed victory with nine balls to spare. "We had a lot of fun out there," said England captain Harry Brook, who continued his excellent start in the role with a second straight series win over the West Indies after a 3-0 whitewash in the one-dayers. "We chased the score beautifully. It was a very good performance. "We have a lot of depth. Small boundaries here, we always felt they were under par by 30 runs." (Reporting by Toby Davis, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
