England wants to qualify for Euro 2028 even if it is one of the joint hosts

England's national football team has applied to go through qualifying for Euro 2028 even though it could be one of the joint hosts of the tournament jointly with Ireland, a bid that could be approved by UEFA on Tuesday.
The FA wants to keep the team competitive in the run-up to the finals, as Germany, the hosts of Euro 2024, are currently preparing in warm-up friendlies.
The joint bid means that five countries (England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales) will host the event, with UEFA reserving two "safety net" places for host teams that do not qualify on merit. Turkey dropped its bid last week to focus on a joint bid with Italy for the 2032 finals. Ten stadiums were included in the UK and Ireland's bid presentation in April.
A total of six of these stadiums are in England: Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Etihad Stadium, St James' Park, Villa Park and Everton's new home at Bramley-Moore Dock. Other stadiums included in the presentation are Casement Park in Belfast, the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Hampden Park in Glasgow and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.