At the end of 2023, it will be decided which country will take care of the event for the European Championships 2028. And that championship may be played with another eight teams compared to the playoffs this year. According to the news agency AP, Uefa is discussing the possibility of increasing the number of nations from 24 to 32, starting in 2028. The news agency refers to “people with knowledge of the process”.
The current format with 24 teams was introduced as recently as the European Championships 2016. At that time, they went from 16 to 24 teams.
If that is the case, it would mean that Uefa “takes its back” on Fifa, which from the World Cup 2026 has chosen to increase the number of nations. In the case of the World Cup, it is a tournament with 48 teams instead of 32, starting with the 2026 championship.
AP writes that an extension of the European Championships with another eight teams could have major effects on the qualifying game and that the current system would need to be redesigned or scrapped. In the last qualifier, for this summer’s finals, the teams were divided into five or six team groups where 20 teams (first and second in each group) advanced. The last four places were dedicated to the Nations League. And the Nations League in particular may have a bigger role in a future qualifier, reports AP. It is written that it could eventually take over the qualifying game completely.
At the end of 2023, it will be decided which country will take care of the event for the European Championships 2028. And that championship may be played with another eight teams compared to the playoffs this year. According to the news agency AP, Uefa is discussing the possibility of increasing the number of nations from 24 to 32, starting in 2028. The news agency refers to “people with knowledge of the process”.
The current format with 24 teams was introduced as recently as the European Championships 2016. At that time, they went from 16 to 24 teams.
If that is the case, it would mean that Uefa “takes its back” on Fifa, which from the World Cup 2026 has chosen to increase the number of nations. In the case of the World Cup, it is a tournament with 48 teams instead of 32, starting with the 2026 championship.
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