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Summary:
- UEFA might increase the size of the squads for the upcoming European Championship in the summer.
- After talks with coaches, UEFA might increase the size of the qualified teams to 26 players.
- Euro 2024 will take place in Germany.
European football’s governing body, UEFA, is taking into consideration a change in the number of squad members for the qualified teams that will participate in the upcoming Euro 2024 Championship.
The highly-anticipated summer European Championship that will take place in Germany might see teams with 26 players as a result of recent discussions with bosses and coaches held in Dusseldorf at the start of the week.
The Final Decision to Be Made in the Upcoming Weeks
The topic was debated during the workshop aimed at finalists that spread across two days.
UEFA has announced that it has taken all of the “various opinions and points of view shared” into consideration, according to an official statement.
The proposal will next reach UEFA’s national team competitions committee, followed by the executive committee.
At the moment, the number of squad members is capped at 23 players. The switch to 26 players would mean making a comeback to the regulations that were in place before the Euro 2020 championship.
During the respective tournament, three additional players were allowed to mitigate against the impact of potential COVID-19 outbreaks in the team.
The body has announced the final call will be made in the weeks to follow.
Difficulty in Training More Players Discussed
According to UEFA, the “positive discussions highlighted different points of view among coaches”.
While some of the coaches expressed their interest in seeing the size of their squads go up, others explained they would like to stick to the current limit of 23.
The latter argued that it would be more difficult to train the extra players while also emphasizing the group management and the additional financial burdens that national associations would need to tackle.
While England boss Gareth Southgate had previously expressed his preference for the standard 23-man squad size, he recently had a change of heart.
Southgate explained that by adding three additional players, they would better cope with a demanding end to a domestic season especially the English Premier League that is “complicated” by staff making a comeback after suffering long-term injuries.
