Euro Champs To Be Extended To 24 Teams

The UEFA European Championship is set to be expanded to feature 24 teams from the 2016 tournament replacing the existing structure of 16.

A decision was made at a UEFA executive committee meeting this week and whilst a formal announcement has yet to be made, Franz Beckenbaur, vice-chairman of UEFA’s development and technical assistance committee, confirmed the move would be made.

He commented: ‘Yes for sure it’s going to be 24 teams. The European Championships will not lose any quality by that.’

Former German international Beckenbauer is not a UEFA executive committee member but is a European FIFA executive member who sits in on the meetings as a non-voting observer.

The proposal to expand the competition was put forward by the Scottish Football Association and Football Association of Ireland last year.

The new format will mean fewer countries will have the capacity to host the tournament but it is believed the 53 member nations are unanimously in favour of the change.

‘I think the expansion will be better for the game – more teams will have the chance of qualifying and the excitement of the groups will go on for longer,’ said Scottish FA chief executive Gordon Smith.

‘It is disappointing in that it means we will not be able to stage the tournament in the future, and we recognise that will be the case.

‘It was a trade-off between trying to stage it or open up the qualification process and we have decided to look at something that helps everybody.’