Euro 2028 Qualification

The qualifying campaign for Euro 2028 has been decided, and even although Scotland are joint hosts with England, Wales and Republic of Ireland, every team has to go through a qualifying campaign. There will be 12 groups with 4 or 5 teams, and the 12 group winners, along with the 8 best runners up will qualify. If the four host nations are not in the 20 that have qualified, 2 places have been put aside for host nations to qualify. Who gets these places will be decided by rankings. This means that if at least 2 of the hosts are in the 20 that qualify, every host nation will take part in the finals.

With England more than likely to qualify through the groups, that means that if Wales or Ireland also qualify through the groups, Scotland will also qualify for the finals. If neither Wales or Ireland qualify through the groups (but England do), as long as Scotland are ranked above one of them, Scotland will qualify, if they don't qualify themselves.

As for the playoffs, their format will depend on how many of the host qualification places are used.

• If both are used up, this will leave 2 available places. 8 teams will take place in two paths, with single-legged semi-finals and finals.
• If 1 is used up, this will leave 3 available places. 12 teams will take place in 3 paths, with single legged semi-finals and finals.
• If none of them are used, this will leave 4 available places. 8 teams will play double-legged playoffs, with the 4 winners qualifying.