England could be forced to qualify for a tournament they are co-hosting, a situation that stands in sharp contrast to Argentina’s guaranteed place at the 2030 World Cup.
Euro 2028 will be staged across England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, yet the Three Lions and their neighbours have not been handed the automatic spots that are usually reserved for host nations.
That will frustrate England fans further given Argentina, who dumped them out of this summer’s World Cup, have already booked their place in the 2030 edition of the tournament, despite drawing widespread criticism during their North American campaign, with millions signing a petition calling for their exclusion from future tournaments.
Argentina Already Guaranteed Spot for the 2030 World Cup
Argentina’s route in is guaranteed thanks to FIFA’s unprecedented approach to the 2030 World Cup, which marks the competition’s centenary edition. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the majority of matches, while Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay have been given the honour of staging their opening games at home, as part of the celebrations.
As a result, all six countries have been rewarded with automatic qualification, a scale of guaranteed places without precedent at a World Cup.
It means Argentina, who were so heavily criticised for their conduct during this summer’s tournament, will already be safe in the knowledge that they are heading to the next one regardless of form, results, or Lionel Messi’s possible retirement between now and then.
Why England Won’t be Guaranteed a Place at Euro 2028
UEFA has taken a different approach for Euro 2028, allowing only two of the four co-hosts automatic entry. England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland will instead be placed into the standard qualifying draw, split across separate groups from one another.
All 12 group winners qualify automatically, along with the eight best runners-up, accounting for 20 of the 24 places. The remaining two spots are held as a safety net for hosts who fail to qualify conventionally, meaning England would only be guaranteed entry if two of the other three co-hosts also miss out. Should more than two hosts fail to qualify, the reserved places go by qualifying ranking instead.
Given England reached the semi-finals at the 2026 World Cup and were beaten finalists at both Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, they will be strongly fancied to win their group regardless of who they draw.
Euro 2028 will feature 24 teams playing 51 matches, with Wembley hosting the semi-finals and final.
