On May 16, Didier Deschamps will announce to the TF1 20 Hours news his list of players selected for the next Euro 2024. A priori, he will list 23 names. A priori, indeed, because UEFA declared on Thursday that it would listen to the coaches of the national teams if they wanted larger squads of 26 players instead of 23 for the tournament in Germany (June 14 – July 14 ).
“Any idea in this direction will then be studied and evaluated,” specifies the body. We will therefore see more clearly on April 8 and 9 in Düsseldorf during a workshop bringing together the staff of the 24 countries qualified for the Euro. UEFA will then examine a possible extension. According to our information, she could give a favorable response to this request.
“It is very strange not to be able to choose 26 players. It’s absurd to go back to 23,” explained the Netherlands coach, Ronald Koeman, opponent of the Blues in the first round of the Euro, following his team’s defeat against Germany (2- 1). He also suggested that Julian Nagelsmann, his German counterpart, agreed with him.
The jurisprudence of Euro 2021 and the 2022 World Cup
“Only 23 players left on the lists? It seems so. There was a bit of discussion among some of the coaches about the possibility of increasing this, confided, for his part, Gareth Southgate, the England coach, on the sidelines of the draw against Belgium this Tuesday (2-2). Given where we are now… We have to make the best decisions with what we know and some of them will certainly be medical decisions. And we were able to take them correctly in previous tournaments. We were able to give people time, but with 23, it’s definitely more difficult.”
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, UEFA had authorized increased squads of 26 players at Euro 2020, a delayed edition played in 2021, and at the world Cup 2022 FIFA. For the latter the decision was dictated by the same health reason, but also because it was scheduled for mid-season where the risk of injury was higher. In Qatar, on the other hand, all the players could appear on the match sheet (15 substitutes) unlike Euro 2021 where three players were sent to the stands for each match.
At the time Didier Deschamps, who has not spoken out on this subject recently, had, moreover, admitted that he was not a fan of this situation, which is always complex to manage in a group.
For the moment, article 48 of the UEFA regulations still stipulates that the coaches must retain 23 players. Three of the team members must be goalkeepers. The cards could be redistributed in a fortnight. Such a prospect would offer an additional chance to certain French internationals. We are thinking in particular of Disasi or Todibo among the defenders, Guendouzi in midfield and Diaby or Nkunku, if he is restored, in attack.
The deadline for sending the final list of 23 or 26 players to the European body has been set for June 7. One week before the start of the competition with the opening match between Germany and Scotland.
For comparison, the Asian Football Confederation had authorized 26 players for the Asian Cup in January 2024. For the African Cup of Nations, at the start of the year, the limit was even extended to 27 players.
