Euro 2020: UEFA increases Number of players in squads

The European football governing body, UEFA has confirmed that countries that will participate in the forthcoming European Championship, popularly known as Euro 2020, are allowed to increase the number of players in their squads.

This means that the 24 countries that will participate in the postponed edition of the European Championship are permitted to invite 26 players each instead of the regular 23 players.

UEFA had to increase the number of players each squad can invite for the tournament due to the fear of the coronavirus pandemic that forced the competition to be postponed from 2020 to 2021.

The increased number will help teams to manage their squads effectively in case some of the players contract the dreaded coronavirus during the competition.

Also, UEFA has confirmed that teams are permitted to invite one extra goalkeeper if any of the goalkeepers in the squad contract the virus during the competition.

The new rule is “to guarantee the smooth running and continuity of the competition in light of the Covid-19 pandemic”, according to UEFA executive committee who approved the new rule on Tuesday, May 4, 2021.

Though squads are allowed to increase the number of players in the squad ahead of the tournament, teams are allowed to select only 23 players for every matchday during the competition which is not a new practice in the tournament.

More so, the UEFA executive committee did not change the decision to allow teams to make at most five substitutions per game in the competition which will kick-off on Friday, June 11, 2021, and end on Sunday, July 11, 2021.

While announcing the new rule, UEFA confirmed that all the squads that will participate in the tournament are expected to name their squads on or before June 1, 2021.

However, the participatory countries are allowed to change players that are already been named if such players fall sick, sustain a serious injury, or in close contact with someone that has contracted coronavirus.

Below are the list of countries that have qualified for Euro 2020 and their groups in the tournament

Group A:

1. Turkey
2. Italy,
3. Wales
4. Switzerland

Group B:

1. Denmark
2. Finland
3. Belgium
4. Russia

Group C:

1. Netherlands
2. Ukraine
3. Austria
4. North Macedonia

Group D:

1. England
2. Croatia
3. Scotland,
4. Czech Republic

Group E:

1. Spain
2. Sweden
3. Poland
4. Slovakia

Group F:

1. Hungary
2. Portugal
3. France
4. Germany