There has been a major rule change ahead of Euro 2024 that could massively benefit Gareth Southgate and England's chances.
It feels like a rather quick turnaround from the last couple of international tournaments, with Euro 2020 taking place in 2021 due to the pandemic and the World Cup in Qatar taking place during the winter rather than the summer.
Germany 2024 is set to get underway on Friday, June 14th, with the hosts facing a Scotland side that many consider to be the dark horses of the competition.
England go into the tournament as one of the favourites alongside France who knocked Southgate's side out at the quarter-final stage of the 2022 World Cup.
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Ahead of the tournament, there has been a major rule change, as reported by BBC Sport journalist Emma Sanders, who wrote on social media: âThe UEFA Executive Committee has today decided to increase the maximum squad size of the teams participating in Euro 2024 from 23 to 26 players.â
Expanded squads were introduced in the previous Euros in 2021 to help nations manage the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The idea was first proposed during a gathering of all the national team coaches in Dusseldorf two weeks ago.
This could have a huge impact for the bigger nations, with managers not having the same headaches as usual when being forced to leave behind a high-profile player.
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In previous major tournaments, we have seen the likes of Leroy Sane and Sergio Ramos miss out on selection despite being available.
With these new rules in place, it is a lot more likely we will see the biggest stars all make the cut.
The news should have gone down extremely well with Southgate due to England having the luxury of a lot of world-class players all in the same position, with the attacking midfield role being particularly stacked.
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It will also allow the England boss to take more risks, with players such as Anthony Gordon, Jarrad Branthwaite, and Kobbie Mainoo all having incredible seasons but lack international experience.
Fellow home nation Scotland will also have a wider variety of options heading into their second consecutive Euros finals. The added bodies could also have a major boost in morale as they aim to get out of their group.
The increase will hopefully allow younger players across Europe to get a chance on the biggest stage. The 2022 World Cup was dubbed the end of a footballing era, so Euro 2024 could be the start of a new one.
Tom Jenkins