The next big international tournament will be here before you know it: Euro 2028 is less than two years away.
And it will soon be time for the draw for qualifying, the beginning of the road to the finals in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Here’s all you need to know…
When is the Euro 2028 qualifying draw?
The draw for Euro 2028 qualifying is scheduled to take place on 6th December in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland had initially been part of the bid to co-host the tournament but withdrew in late 2024.
Nonetheless, Belfast’s International Convention Centre will stage the draw as teams find out who they’ll take on in their quest to qualify for the finals.
Which countries will be in the Euro 2028 qualifying draw?
It’s expected that 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations will enter the qualifying process for Euro 2028.
The one exception is Russia, banned by UEFA and FIFA since the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Of the 54 nations anticipated to be involved in qualifying, 18 have never previously qualified for the Euros.
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How will the draw for Euro 2028 qualifying work?
The competing countries will be drawn into 12 groups, each containing either four or five teams.
Typically, nations are divided into pots based on their FIFA ranking – though some countries cannot be drawn to play against each other owning to current or historical tensions.
UEFA have banned the following fixtures from taking place: Gibraltar vs Spain, Armenia vs Azerbaijan, Kosovo vs Serbia, and Kosovo vs Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The winners of each group will qualify for Euro 2028, with the runners-up going into the play-offs.
There are also play-off spots available for the best-ranked 2026/27 Nations League group winners who don’t top their Euro 2028 qualifying group.
Do the Euro 2028 host nations qualify automatically?
In a change to the usual process, none of the host nations will qualify automatically for Euro 2028.
The four host nations, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, will all be drawn into separate qualifying groups.
When did the Euro 2028 host nations last qualify for the Euros?
England (2024)
England have reached the final at the last two Euros – and lost in agonising fashion on both occasions.
Last time around, the Three Lions pulled themselves back on level terms with Spain but succumbed to Mikel Oyarzabal’s 86th-minute winner in Berlin.
Scotland (2024)
Scotland have qualified for the last two Euros but have still never gone beyond the group stage of a major tournament.
They lost two and drew one of their three games in 2024, taking a 5-1 hammering from hosts Germany in the tournament opener.
Wales (2020)
Wales’ only two Euros appearances to date came at Euro 2016 – when they famously reached the semi-finals – and Euro 2020.
There was no fairytale run at the latter tournament, though, as they were thrashed 4-0 by Denmark in the last 16.
Ireland (2016)
Ireland have been away from the Euros longer than any of the other 2028 co-hosts.
They reached back-to-back Euros in 2012 and 2016, making history by progressing to the knockout stage of the latter – where they led hosts France early on before bowing out 2-1.
