Despite being one of the host nations for Euro 2028, England will not receive an automatic place in the finals, in a paradox that stirs controversy when compared with what happened with Argentina at the 2030 World Cup.
While the English national team must play the qualifiers to reach the tournament it is hosting on home soil, Argentina booked their spot at the 2030 World Cup simply by staging a single match as part of the tournament's centenary edition.
British newspaper "The Sun" report that this paradox comes at a time when millions of fans have signed a petition demanding that Argentina, winners of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, be barred from upcoming tournaments. Instead, they find that Argentina's place at the 2030 World Cup is already settled four years in advance, despite hosting only a single opening match.
Spain, Portugal and Morocco are hosting the 2030 World Cup finals, and they have secured direct qualification. The greater controversy, though, lies in handing Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay automatic places too, merely for hosting the opening matches of their national teams in celebration of the World Cup's centenary.
England, by contrast, are not among the teams qualified for Euro 2028, which they co-host with Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, and which will feature 24 teams.
Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur, the Etihad, Everton's Hill Dickinson, St James' Park and Villa Park will all stage matches.
Host nations of major tournaments usually get a direct qualification berth, as the United States, Canada and Mexico did for the 2026 World Cup. The new qualifying regulations approved by the Union of European Football Associations "UEFA" impose a different path.
Under the new system, England will join one of the twelve groups, each containing four or five teams, alongside 50 other European sides. They enjoy no preferential treatment, beyond avoiding being drawn into the same group as the other host nations.
The twelve group winners qualify directly for the finals, along with the best eight runners-up, bringing the total to 20 teams out of 24.
UEFA have allocated two of the four remaining places to the host nations should they fail to qualify through the qualifiers. That means if one of the other host nations qualifies, England will secure a place even without finishing first or second, thanks to a berth reserved for the host nation.
Failing to qualify through first or second place would raise serious questions about England's level, especially given they are considered one of the strongest teams in the world. A place looks all but certain in any case.
Should three or four host nations fail to qualify through the qualifiers, only the best two among them will receive the two places allocated for hosting.
Argentina's direct qualification for the 2030 World Cup, despite the widespread criticism of their conduct on and off the pitch, remains a source of great discontent among football followers, given the comparison with what is being imposed on England in their own continental tournament.