UEFA to Increase Euro Roster Size to 26 Players

LONDON (AP) — Teams at the European Championship are set to be increased to 26 players for this year’s tournament, three more than usual.

UEFA’s national teams committee recommended the change on Monday and it is set to be ratified by UEFA by the end of the week, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the decision, which was first reported online by The Times of London, ahead of its final approval.

The congested schedule following the shutdown of the sport at the start of the pandemic last season is believed to be the reason to provide teams with more options.

The workload on players has been a concern for coaches ahead of the Euro 2020 tournament, which was due to be played last year before being postponed.

The 24-team tournament is scheduled to start on June 11 and end on July 11.

UEFA had already decided to let teams use five substitutes in regulation time instead of three. The five-subs rule is being used by most competitions amid the pandemic to protect players from injury.