UEFA chose to revert to 23-man squads ahead of this summer’s European Championships in Germany, but managers including Gareth Southgate seemingly don’t agree with the decision
UEFA will consider reintroducing increased squad sizes at Euro 2024 after comments made by high-profile managers including England boss Gareth Southgate.
Squads were expanded from 23 players to 26 ahead of the European Championships in 2021 due to fears over teams potentially not having enough players to fill a matchday squad because of coronavirus protocol. Then, for the mid-season World Cup in Qatar in 2022, global football governing body FIFA also allowed teams to select 26 players due to fears surrounding player welfare.
Previously, UEFA had made the decision to revert to 23-man squads for this summer’s tournament in Germany, but comments from Southgate and fellow managers prompted the following statement on Thursday: “We have taken note of comments expressed by some national team coaches on squad size for Euro 2024.”
UEFA also confirmed that on Monday, April 8, there’ll be a workshop in which European football chiefs will “listen to the views of the coaches.” Within this, increasing squad limits from 23 to 26 “will be considered and assessed.”
Having suffered injuries to a number of key players during England’s recent friendlies, Southgate was asked whether or not he’d support the push for 26-man squads. “Well, given where we are now!” the Three Lions boss replied, smiling.
Southgate added: “We’ve got to make the best decisions [regarding selection] with what we know and some of those currently are going to be medical decisions. We’ve been able to get those right in the previous [two] tournaments. We’ve been able to give people time [to recover from injuries, having named them in the squad]. But with 23 that’s definitely more difficult.”
England must submit their final squad by 11pm on June 7, just over an hour after after their final warm-up friendly against Iceland at Wembley. Southgate has confirmed that he’ll name a provisional squad on May 21, two days after the end of the Premier League season. Having 26 spots available would come as a boost to England hopefuls such as Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish.
Your turn! How big should squads be at Euro 2024? Let us know your number in the comments section.
Earlier this week, Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman claimed that it’d be “absurd” for UEFA to stick with 23-man squads, indicating that Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann agreed with him. “Footballers are put under so much strain,” Koeman is also quoted as saying by Voetbal Primeur.
“Then you get a lot of injuries. We started with 26 players a week and a half ago and in nine days four players dropped out. And that also happens in other countries.”
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
