UEFA has reversed its tournament rulebook and will allow teams to select a 26-man squad for Euro 2024. This decision was made after pressure from national team coaches, who cited the sheer number of injuries sustained by players this season.
The extended squads were first introduced as a response to the Covid pandemic, with national coaches fearful that an outbreak of the virus could leave them short of numbers for matches. UEFA had initially decided to revert to the traditional smaller squads for this summer’s event, but a number of national coaches had urged a rethink.
Gareth Southgate, the England manager, was not leading the call for larger squads but is understood to feel that it was not a problem if he was allowed to select 26 instead of 23. Southgate will want the confirmation that all 15 players not selected in his starting side will be able to sit on the bench, as happened in Qatar.
It is likely that the larger squads will now become the norm for UEFA national competitions, although FIFA may revert to 23 for the 2026 World Cup.
