Back to 23: UEFA reduces squad size for European Championships
Compared to his predecessors Joachim Löw and Hansi Flick, Julian Nagelsmann has to limit himself - at least in terms of personnel selection.
While the national coaches were still able to call up 26 players for the 2021 European Championship and the 2022 World Cup, the number of players for the 2024 European Championship will be reduced to the usual number of 23 professionals. This is according to the UEFA regulations for the tournament from June 14 to July 14, 2024.
At the last continental tournament a good two years ago, the squad size was increased by three players in order to be able to compensate for possible coronavirus absences. The pandemic also played a role at the World Cup in Qatar a year ago, as did the heavy strain on the players with the unusual date in late fall in the middle of the European top leagues' season.
Final squad must be announced by June
Nagelsmann had initially named 26 players in his first squad for the trip to the USA in October, before calling up as many as 27 players for the upcoming European Championship tests against Turkey in Berlin on Saturday and Austria in Vienna three days later. Following the absences of Malick Thiaw and Chris Führich, he still has 25 players at his disposal, including Mats Hummels, who is suffering from back problems.
However, Nagelsmann had already announced that he would "reduce" the size of his squad for the first two test matches in March - presumably against the Netherlands and France.
The 36-year-old will probably name his European Championship squad shortly before the last Bundesliga match on May 18. The final squad must be announced to UEFA by midnight on June 7 at the latest. Two days later, the DFB team will move into their European Championship quarters in Herzogenaurach. The group matches will take place in Munich on June 14, in Stuttgart on June 19 and in Frankfurt on June 23.
Despite the increase in squad size during the previous European Championships due to pandemic-related issues, the UEFA regulations for the 2024 tournament restrict the national teams to only 23 professionals. Jugendnationaltrainer Julian Nagelsmann will have to adhere to this limit, as he did when he initially named 25 players for the upcoming tests against Turkey and Austria. The DFB head coach is expected to finalize his European Championship squad before the last Bundesliga match on May 18, complying with the UEFA's deadline of announcing the final squad by June 7.
Source: www.dpa.com
