Ireland Football

England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland will have to qualify for Euro 2028 despite hosting the tournament. But they will be given a second chance if they fail to reach the finals by finishing as winners or runners-up in their qualification groups. Two spots will be reserved for the two-best ranked hosts who have not made it through their groups. UEFA on Wednesday announced that all four nations will compete in the qualifying phase, with 12 groups of four or five teams battling it out for 24 places. The 12 group winners and the eight best runners up will automatically qualify. Host nations usually qualify automatically but UEFA has had to alter the protocol because there are four. While the fortunes of the host nations will determine how many of the remaining four places are up for grabs in a play-off phase involving the remaining runners-up and the best-ranked 2026-27 Nations League non-qualified group winners....read