UEFA Euro 2028 Preview

A Home Tournament for the Home Nations

UEFA Euro 2028 represents one of the most significant moments in British and Irish football history. For the first time, the four Home Nations — England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland — will co-host a major tournament alongside the Republic of Ireland. The successful 2024 bid beat out rival proposals from Turkey and a joint Eastern European consortium, and the decision was influenced heavily by the infrastructure, fan culture, and global commercial appeal of the UK and Ireland's major cities. Wembley will be the centrepiece, hosting the Final and the two semi-finals, but the magic of the tournament will spread across five nations and a dozen cities.

England, as the nation with the largest stadiums and the most commercially powerful league in the world, is expected to host the majority of the knockout stage matches. Old Trafford's planned renovation, Tottenham's world-class facility, and the redeveloped Everton stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock all offer UEFA with compelling knockout round venues. Villa Park's history as a venue for major international fixtures — including Euro 96 group games — gives it a place in the host city lineup alongside newer facilities.

Tournament Format and Qualification

UEFA Euro 2028 will follow the same 24-team format as the 2016, 2020/21, and 2024 editions. Six groups of four teams play in the group stage, with the top two from each group and the four best third-placed finishers advancing to the round of 16. The format has been widely praised for expanding the tournament while maintaining competitive integrity, giving traditionally smaller European nations genuine opportunities to progress deep into the competition. European qualifiers will take place throughout 2027 and early 2028, with the host nations qualifying automatically as is standard practice for major international tournaments.

Teams to Watch

England will enter Euro 2028 having gone through the World Cup 2026 cycle — either galvanised by a deep run or reconstituted following disappointment. France, Spain, and Germany will remain the continental heavyweights, though the next two years will reshape each nation's squad as a new generation of talent emerges. Portugal's post-Ronaldo era will be in full swing by 2028, and the question of whether the nation can replicate the tactical unity that underpinned their 2016 triumph with a squad built around younger stars will be one of the tournament's defining narratives. Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, as co-hosts, will both be looking to use home advantage to progress beyond the group stage for the first time in decades.