UEFA to discuss increasing Euro 2024 squad size next month

Gareth Southgate is keen to take the same size squad allowed at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and Euro 2020

UEFA will consider increasing the size of squads for Euro 2024 at a meeting next month.

Managers, such as England boss Gareth Southgate, have called on UEFA to allow countries to take 26 players instead of 23.

National teams have been able to take 26 players at the most recent World Cup in Qatar and Euro 2020 due to the congested calendar caused by the COVID pandemic.

UEFA have taken on board pleas from managers to increase the squad size for this summer’s Euros in Germany and it will discussed at a meeting on April 8.

“We have taken note of comments expressed by some national team coaches on the squad size for EURO 2024,” a UEFA statement on Friday read.

“A workshop with the participating teams will be held on 8 April and on that occasion UEFA will listen to the views of the coaches. Any idea in this respect will then be considered and assessed.”

Southgate named 26 players for the most recent international break, where England played friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.

Speaking after those games he said: “There is one more UEFA meeting where there’s been a little bit of talk amongst some of the coaches about possibly increasing that [squad size].

“We’ve got to make the best decisions with what we know and some of those currently are going to be medical decisions. And we’ve been able to get those right in the previous tournaments.

“We’ve been able to give people time, but with 23 that’s definitely more difficult.”