Expanded squad limit of 26 players at Euro 2020 is confirmed with UEFA also allowing teams to replace players who get injured or contract Covid-19 right up until their first match at the tournament
- UEFA has confirmed countries playing at Euro 2020 can have a squad of 26
- This increase from the usual 23 comes amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
- It eases pressure on squads if one or more player tests positive for the virus
- Teams can also replace anyone who gets injured or ill before their first match
- The deadline for submitting the 26-man squads for each nation is on June 1
Each country playing at Euro 2020 this summer will be allowed a squad of 26 and will be able to replace players who test positive for Covid-19 up until their first match.
UEFA has confirmed the increase in squad numbers from the usual 23 players to 26 in light of the tournament being played in extraordinary circumstances amid the pandemic.
The expanded squads will ease the situation if one or more players within the camp test positive for coronavirus and have to self-isolate during the finals, which begin on June 11.
Each team playing at this summer’s European Championship will be permitted a squad of 26
The expanded squad size helps national team managers such as England’s Gareth Southgate
UEFA confirmed, however, that only 23 players can be selected for each individual match, with the other three not included on the teamsheet.
That is because the laws of the game state that a maximum of 12 substitutes are permitted for top level international matches.
But in a further easing of the rules, UEFA will permit national team managers to make unlimited replacements of players within the 26-man squad right up until their first fixture.
That means if a player is injured or falls ill after the squads are submitted on June 1, there is a window within which they can be replaced by someone else.
England and the other 23 nations competing at the Euros must submit their squad by June 1
Crowds in Saint Petersburg, Russia watch drones form the Euro 2020 logo last weekend
The new rules also allow goalkeepers in the squad to be replaced throughout the tournament if they test positive for Covid-19.
But once a player has been taken out of a squad, they cannot then be readmitted.
Teams will be able to make five substitutions during matches at the tournament.
The 24-team tournament gets underway when Italy play Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on June 11. The final takes place at Wembley Stadium in London on July 11.
Skillzy, the official Euro 2020 mascot, poses with the match ball at Saint Petersburg Stadium
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the relocation of some matches from their original venues because UEFA wanted stadiums to be at least a quarter full of spectators.
That led to Dublin being removed as one of the 12 host cities, with matches scheduled for there going to Saint Petersburg and Wembley.
The games that were to take place at Bilbao in Spain have been switched to Sevilla.
