Each of the 24 teams in the European Football Cup scheduled to be held in Germany next summer will be able to compete in the finals with a squad of up to 26 players instead of 23, according to what Agence France-Presse learned from a source close to the European Union’s Executive Committee for the game. All members of the team will be allowed to be on the match list, unlike the finals of the last edition, which was held in 2021, when 26 players were allowed, but only 23 were included on the match list, with the remaining three players sitting in the stands.
Allowing 26 players in the last European Cup was due to the Covid pandemic and the possible complications of team members being infected with the virus.
The international team also allowed FIFA to play in the 2022 World Cup with an expanded squad because the finals were held in the middle of the European season, where the majority of the prominent players play. It remains to be seen whether all national team coaches will choose the maximum number of players allowed.
France coach Didier Deschamps recently told AFP, “Statistics indicate that on average, in a major tournament, four players on the team do not play at all, and there are two or three players who play for a maximum of 10 minutes.” He continued, “Including only 26 players because that is permissible, I do not care.” The final team lists must be submitted to the European Union by June 7, that is, seven days before the start of the continental tournament.
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