England have not been granted a guaranteed spot at UEFA Euro 2028 despite being one of the tournament co-hosts.
The move from UEFA is in stark contrast to FIFA's decision regarding the next World Cup, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay all qualifying automatically despite hosting just one game apiece before the tournament moves to Spain, Portugal and Morocco in 2030.
However, thanks to a fail-safe put in place by UEFA, it is all but certain that England will be at the tournament, even if they don't perform well in qualifying.
But why? Let us explain.
How qualification works
There will be 32 Euro 2028 matches played in England, with Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland also on hosting duties, but none of the four nations will qualify automatically for the tournament.
There will be 24 teams competing in Euro 2028, exactly half the number that featured in the USA, Mexico and Canada across the recent World Cup.
In the qualification process for the next Euros, UEFA will place teams into 12 groups. Every group winner plus the eight best runners-up will book their ticket to Euro 2028.
If all four host nations finish in those spots, clearly they will have qualified.
If they don't, though, UEFA has reserved a pair of spots in the tournament for the two highest-ranked host nations in qualifying that don't either win their group or finish as one of the best runners-up. That means that should England have a poor qualifying run that sees them outside the top 20, they are still likely to qualify without having to go to a playoff.
Could England not qualify?
The only scenario that would see Thomas Tuchel's side not qualify at this stage would be if they don't finish as a group winner or best runner-up and two teams out of Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland also fail to reach the top 20 but finish either on more points or with a better goal difference.
Ultimately, despite not being granted a place before qualifying starts, it appears a strong likelihood that England will feature at their own tournament even if they suffer a dip in form during the UEFA qualification process.
Why have Argentina already qualified for 2030?
Spain, Portugal and Morocco are the host nations for the majority of the next World Cup in 2030.
However, in 2023 it was announced that tournament will start with games in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay as FIFA celebrates 100 years since the first World cup.
In that maiden competition, Uruguay hosted Argentina in the final in Montevideo, explaining their involvement in the centenary.
Paraguay have been included due to their status as the historic home of CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football.
Just one match in 2030 will be hosted in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay respectively, but despite the scarcity, FIFA has decided that it wants each host nation involved.
After those three games, the tournament moves to Spain, Portugal and Morocco for the remainder. All of those nations have also qualified, bringing the total number of automatic spots to six.
