UEFA set to confirm big rule change ahead of Euro 2024 which impacts England, Scotland, France and more

UEFA is set to confirm that nations will be allowed to pick from an extended 26-man squad for this summer’s European Championship in Germany.

A meeting of the European governing body’s national competitions change committee voted in favour of the change, which is set to be ratified by the executive committee later this week, according to reports from BBC Sport.

The news marks a U-Turn from UEFA, who had planned to revert back to the 23-man squads that international fans had become accustomed to prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

UEFA allowed a three-man expansion for the delayed Euro 2020 tournament due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic. While expanded squads were also permitted at the 2022 World Cup due to the unprecedented nature of the tournament which was played mid-season in the winter months.

Several international coaches including Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman had voiced their disagreement at reverting back to the 23-man squads for this summer’s tournament - the ex-Everton boss described the proposal as ‘absurd’ and was adamant that it should stay at 26.

England boss Gareth Southgate was previously a fan of working with a more tight-knit 23-man squad because of the difficulty of managing an extended group, but has since changed his thinking because of the amount of players that sustain injury during a Premier League season.

The changes would also come as a huge benefit to Scotland. Steve Clarke’s men have been affected by a plethora of injuries to a number of key players including Nathan Patterson, Lewis Ferguson and most recently Stuart Armstrong.

England boss Southgate is expected to name his provisional squad on 21 May, two days after the current season, with the final deadline for his squad being Friday 7 June, exactly nine days before his side’s group stage opener against Serbia.