UEFA had been set to revert to 23-man squads for Euro 2024 but are now expecting to keep it at 26
(Image credit: Getty Images)
UEFA is set to expand the squad size for Euro 2024 from 23 players to 26 after the competing nations voted in favour of the expansion.
The one-year delayed Euro 2020 allowed 26 players to be named in squads as a special mid-covid measure, mindful of the compressed schedule the competitors had endured in the preceding schedule and the greater risk of injury or illness as a result of the covid pandemic.
UEFA had planned to revert to the usual 23-man squad size for this year’s edition of the tournament, but those plans now look like they will be revised.
Gareth Southgate welcomes change to 26-man squads
(Image credit: Lukas Schulze - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Sky Sports News report that the change was mooted at a meeting between the 24 managers in Germany a couple of weeks back, with delegates voting in favour of the suggestion at a UEFA national competitions committee meeting on Monday.
They caution that is not a binding vote since it would also need to be approved by the UEFA executive committee next month (as you will know if you have your Football Governing Body Structural Wallchart up on your living room wall, as we do), but it is likely they will just wave it through.
England head coach Gareth Southgate had spoken out in favour of the change, saying on his selection dilemmas ahead: “We have got to make the best decisions with what we know and some of those currently are going to be medical decisions
“We’ve been able to get those right in the previous [two] tournaments, we’ve been able to give people time [to shake of niggles] – but with 23 that’s definitely more difficult.”
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
