England have requested to enter qualification for Euro 2028 even if they’re confirmed as tournament hosts.
The Three Lions are set to be rubber-stamped as joint hosts by UEFA on Tuesday as part of a five-nation group including Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
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England have requested to enter qualification for Euro 2024Credit: Getty
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That’s despite being all-but set to host the tournament with a joint bid
The five-nation bid will make its presentation to UEFA’s executive committee on Tuesday morning in the hope of being confirmed as hosts.
But given that the bid to host the tournament in five years’ time is unopposed, it means that confirmation is a case of when rather than if.
This comes after Turkey withdrew their candidacy last week in order to focus on a joint bid for the 2032 finals with Italy.
UEFA has reserved two ‘safety net’ host-nation berths should any of the five UK and Ireland bidders not qualify on merit, however, the Football Association is understood to have told UEFA that England are keen to go through qualifying.
This is due to the FA being keen to keep the team competitive in the run up to the finals, particularly after seeing Germany struggle in friendly action in the build up to Euro 2024.
There would also be concerns over the level of opponent available for friendly fixtures given the qualification schedules of world football’s other leading nations.
If more than two of the five hosts do not make it, only the two with the best record will secure host places.
As a result, there are no guarantees all five will be involved in the finals, even if they do hold host nation status.
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The UK and Ireland will host Euro 2028 with a decision to be confirmed this week
As part of the UK-Ireland bid, ten stadia were included in the submission back in April, six of which are located in England.
Wembley, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Etihad Stadium, St James’ Park, Villa Park and Everton’s new home at Bramley-Moore Dock all feature on the mid.
Meanwhile a redeveloped Casement Park in Belfast, the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Hampden Park in Glasgow and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff are the other stadia included.
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