UEFA is set to SCRAP plans to turn Euro 2028 into a 32-team tournament.
But the decision will not impact on Nyon chiefs’ push to ensure the England-led British Isles bid is handed hosting rights.
Senior figures from across Europe have been working on a qualification schedule that would have led to a 32-team tournament.
The plan would have seen smaller groups and fewer games for national teams.
There was, though, increasing concern that with only 55 Uefa members, including up to a dozen minnows who realistically have next to no chance of qualifying, it would destroy the financial value of the campaign, leading to an unwanted black hole in European finances.
And that has led to the surprise rethink, backed by Uefa high command.
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It is now expected that Uefa will confirm, as early as next month, that Euro 2028 will remain a 24-team event.
Sticking with the current tournament model means 50 matches rather than an expansion to 61 as envisaged.
That in turn requires fewer stadiums for the Finals, with matches planned for all five British Isles nations and the Final at Wembley.
Sticking with 24 teams eases some of the burden that would have faced the rival bid from Turkey, which is currently determined to stay in the race despite clear signals from Uefa high command about the requirement for a major money-spinning event.
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But Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin is understood to remain firmly in the Five Nation camp, with the final decision taken by the ruling executive committee he runs rather than a vote of the member associations.
The decision, though, could mean just six English grounds being used, two of them – Wembley and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – in the capital.
Villa Park, Old Trafford, the planned new Everton stadium at Bramley Moore Dock and St James’ Park are likely to complete the English list.
Other matches would be staged at the Principal Stadium in Cardiff, Hampden Park, Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and Croke Park and the Casement Stadium in Belfast, which is scheduled for redevelopment and far larger than Windsor Park.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
