Spoleg | Regulations of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship

Preamble

The following regulations have been adopted on the basis of Articles 49(2)(a) and 50(1) of the UEFA Statutes.

I - General Provisions

Article 1 Scope of application

1.01 The present regulations govern the rights, duties and responsibilities of all parties participating and involved in the preparation and organisation of the 2025-27 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (hereinafter the competition).

Article 2 Definitions

2.01 Any masculine or feminine grammatical forms used to refer to people in the different language versions of these regulations are used for readability only and should be understood to cover people of all genders, except where clear from the context.

2.02 In the context of these regulations, the following definitions apply:

Association imagery

In relation to any participating association, that association’s (and its team’s) name, nicknames, symbols, emblems, logos, marks, designations and playing attire, including its colours and designs (with or without any references to the shirt manufacturer).

Commercial rights

Any and all commercial rights and opportunities in and in relation to the competition, including media rights, marketing rights and data rights.

Competition area

The technical areas as defined in the IFAB Laws of the Game and all areas that are primarily used by players and the referee team as well as the officials and venue team members during the match, plus the fourth official's position, any seats in the stands used by either team's sporting delegation, the referee review area (RRA) if VAR is used, the players' tunnel, the team and referee dressing rooms, the medical room and the doping control station.

Data rights

The right to compile and exploit statistics and other data in relation to the competition (including its matches).

Doping

The occurrence of one or more of the anti-doping rule violations set out in the UEFA Anti-Doping Regulations.

Football technologies

Any of the technologies that may be used at competition matches in accordance with the IFAB Laws of the Game and in line with UEFA's instructions, e.g. goal-line technology, video assistant refereeing, medical video review system.

Goal-line technology (GLT)

A camera-based tracking system used to support the referee's decision as to whether a goal has been scored.

Host association

The association organising a qualifying match or one of the associations designated by the UEFA Executive Committee to stage the final tournament.

Host broadcaster (HB)

The media production team (including official broadcast partners) responsible among other things for the multilateral production of the television and media promotion and coverage of the competition (references to 'international media', 'media representatives' and other similar references include host broadcaster within their meaning).

Local organising structure (LOS)

The working group or separate entity, which is specifically created by the host association of the final tournament, consisting of the persons representing the host association, the stadium representatives, the safety/security services, the host city authorities and/or the relevant host country authorities, as well as any other third party, public bodies and agencies, including transport network and traffic management service, as decided by the host association, for ensuring the implementation and delivery of all matches of the final tournament.

Marketing rights

The right to exploit by any and all means and in any and all media, whether now known or devised in the future, any types of advertising (including electronic and virtual advertising), promotion (including ticket promotions), endorsement, public relations, marketing, merchandising, licensing, franchising, sponsorship, hospitality, concessions, travel and tourism, publishing, retailing, and all other commercial association rights and opportunities that are not media rights, promotional rights or data rights.

Media rights

The right to create, distribute and transmit on a linear and/or on-demand basis for reception at any time including on a live and/or delayed basis anywhere in the world by any and all means and in any and all media, whether now known or devised in the future (including all forms of television, radio, mobile, wireless and internet distribution), digital, audiovisual, visual and/or audio coverage of the competition and all associated and/or related rights, including fixed media, download and interactive rights.

Partner

Any party accepted by UEFA under contract to exercise the commercial rights, and thereby participating directly or indirectly in the financing of the competition.

UEFA spectator capacity

All seats and allocated standing places in the stadium that comply with the UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations, minus any seats permanently assigned to media and broadcasters.

Venue

The location of the stadium of the match, including the area controlled by the relevant competent authorities but also any relevant surrounding areas.

Video assistant referee (VAR)

A match official who may assist the referee in making a decision using replay footage.

2.03 In the context of these regulations, any phrase introduced by the terms "including", "include", "in particular", "for example" or any similar expression is illustrative and does not limit the sense of the words preceding those terms.

Article 3 Frequency and entries for the competition

3.01 UEFA stages the competition every two years, over two seasons.

3.02 Every UEFA member association (hereinafter association) may enter its men's Under-21 national team for the competition.

Article 4 Admission criteria and procedure

4.01 To be eligible to participate in the competition, associations must:

confirm in writing that they themselves, as well as their players and officials, comply with the IFAB Laws of the Game promulgated by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and agree to respect the statutes (including the principles of fair play as defined therein), regulations, protocols, directives and decisions of UEFA;
confirm in writing that they themselves, as well as their players and officials, agree to recognise the jurisdiction of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, as defined in the relevant provisions of the UEFA Statutes and agree that any proceedings before the CAS concerning admission to, participation in or exclusion from the competition will be held in an expedited manner in accordance with the CAS Code of Sports-related Arbitration and with the directions issued by the CAS, including for provisional or super-provisional measures, to the explicit exclusion of any state or other court;
fill in the official entry documents (i.e. all documents containing the information deemed necessary by the UEFA administration for ascertaining compliance with the admission criteria), which must reach the UEFA administration within the deadline set by the latter and communicated in due course through a circular letter sent to all associations.

4.02 The UEFA administration decides on admission to the competition. Such decisions are final.

Article 5 Duties of the associations

5.01 On entering the competition, participating associations agree:

to play in the competition until their elimination and to field their strongest team throughout the competition;
to play all matches under the direction of a head coach who is responsible for the selection, tactics and training of the team squad and who manages the players and technical staff in the competition area before, during and after the match. The head coach must either hold the highest valid coaching qualification of the association concerned (based on the implementation status of the UEFA Coaching Convention), but at least a valid UEFA A licence, or, subject to domestic regulations, have started the required UEFA coaching diploma course (simple registration for the required diploma course is not sufficient to meet this criterion). The assistant coach assists the head coach in all football matters and must hold at least the second-highest available valid coaching qualification, but at least a valid UEFA B licence;
to stage and play all matches in the competition in accordance with the present regulations;
to comply with all decisions regarding the competition taken by the UEFA Executive Committee, the UEFA administration or any other competent body and communicated appropriately (by UEFA circular letter or by official letter or email);
to observe the UEFA Safety and Security Regulations for all matches in the competition;
to stage each match in the competition in a stadium meeting the structural criteria of the stadium category required by Paragraph 28.01;
to indemnify, defend and hold UEFA, its subsidiaries and any LOS and all of their officers, directors, employees, representatives, agents and other auxiliary persons free and harmless against any and all liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, claims, actions, fines and expenses (including reasonable legal expenses) of whatsoever kind or nature resulting from, arising out of, or attributable to any non-compliance by the association or any of its players, officials, employees, representatives or agents with these regulations;
to adhere to the principles governing the release of players for association teams as laid out in Annexe 1, Article 1 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players;
to cooperate with UEFA at any time – and in particular at the end of each match – in the collection of items from the game and players' personal items that could be used by UEFA to create a memorabilia collection to illustrate the heritage of the competition, to the exclusion of any commercial use;
not to represent UEFA or the competition without UEFA’s prior written approval.

Article 6 Responsibilities of the associations

6.01 The associations are responsible for the behaviour of their players, officials, members, supporters and any person carrying out a function at a match on their behalf.

6.02 Matches must be played in stadiums within the territory of the host association. Exceptionally, matches may be played in the territory of another UEFA member association, if so decided by the relevant UEFA bodies, for instance for reasons of safety or as a result of a disciplinary measure.

6.03 The host association is responsible for safety and security before, during and after the match. The host association may be called to account for incidents of any kind and may be disciplined.

6.04 Minimum medical requirements concerning the provision of facilities, equipment and personnel by the host association are set out in the UEFA Medical Regulations. For the avoidance of doubt, the host association has sole responsibility for the provision and operation of any facilities and equipment required in the above-mentioned regulations.

6.05 Associations are responsible for guaranteeing the application of sustainability principles in their activities throughout the full duration of the competition, in particular in terms of respect for human rights and the environment.

6.06 In the weeks prior to each match, associations must enter the required information into UEFA’s TIME platform.

6.07 The UEFA administration informs the associations participating in the final tournament about any further guidelines, directives or decisions related to that stage of the competition and provides them with all relevant documents in due time.

Article 7 Anti-doping

7.01 Doping is forbidden and is a punishable offence. In case of anti-doping rule violations, UEFA will instigate disciplinary proceedings against the perpetrators and take the appropriate disciplinary measures in accordance with the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations and UEFA Anti-Doping Regulations. This may include the imposition of provisional measures.

7.02 UEFA may test any player at any time.

Article 8 Fair play

8.01 All UEFA competition matches must be played in accordance with the principles of fair play as defined in the UEFA Statutes.

8.02 Fair play assessments are conducted at all matches in the competition in accordance with the UEFA Fair Play Regulations, in order to establish association fair play rankings at the end of each season.

Article 9 Insurance

9.01 All persons involved in the competition are responsible for their own insurance cover.

9.02 Unless otherwise communicated in writing by UEFA, associations are responsible for and undertake to conclude all necessary and adequate insurance cover for their delegations, including players and officials, at their own expense.

9.03 The host association must ensure that the owners and/or operators of all official sites, including stadiums, provide fully comprehensive insurance cover, including third-party liability and property damage. If appropriate insurance policies are not provided in due time by the owner and/or operator of an official site, the host association is required to conclude the necessary additional insurance cover at its own cost, failing which it may be concluded by UEFA at the host association’s expense.

9.04 All insurances must cover the full period of the competition, including the preparation and the post-competition phase.

9.05 Claims for damages against UEFA are expressly excluded and anyone involved must hold UEFA harmless from any and all claims for liability arising in relation to the competition. In any case, UEFA may request anyone involved to provide, free of charge, written releases of liability, hold harmless notes, confirmation and/or copies of the policies concerned in one of UEFA’s official languages.

9.06 The host association must perform an assessment of the risks involved in organising and staging matches and conclude – with reputable insurers and at its own cost – all necessary insurance to cover such risks, including third-party liability and spectator accident coverage. The host association is responsible for ensuring that UEFA is included into the policies as a co-insured party.

9.07 The third-party liability policy must include an appropriate guaranteed sum for damage/injury for all occurrences (including bad weather, force majeure and terrorism) to persons, objects, property, and for pure financial economic losses, and it must correspond to the specific circumstances of the associations concerned.

9.08 The host association of the final tournament must perform an assessment of the risks involved in organising and staging the final tournament and conclude at its own expense adequate insurance cover (including cancellation) for all of its risks arising from preparing, organising and staging the final tournament.

Article 10 Trophy, plaques and medals

10.01 The original trophy, which is used for the official presentation ceremony at the final and at other official events approved by UEFA, remains in UEFA’s keeping and ownership at all times. A full-size replica trophy, the UEFA European Under-21 Championship winners’ trophy, is awarded to the winning association.

10.02 Replica trophies awarded to winners of the competition (past and current) must remain within the relevant association’s control at all times and may not leave the association’s country without UEFA’s prior written consent. Associations must not permit a replica trophy to be used in any context where a third party (including their sponsors and other partners) is granted visibility or in any other way which could lead to an association between any third party and the trophy and/or the competition. Associations must comply with any trophy use guidelines that the UEFA administration may issue from time to time.

10.03 Associations may not, and may not permit any third party to, develop, create, use, sell or distribute any promotional materials or merchandise bearing any representation of the trophy or any replica thereof (including trophy lift images) or use any such representation in a manner that could lead to an association between any third party and the trophy and/or the competition.

10.04 The winning team is presented with 35 gold medals and the runner-up with 35 silver medals.

10.05 Each association that competes in the final tournament receives a commemorative plaque.

10.06 Special player awards may be presented at the final tournament (e.g. UEFA Player of the Match, Player of the Tournament, Top Scorer).

Article 11 Intellectual property rights

11.01 UEFA is the exclusive owner of all intellectual property rights of the competition, including any current or future rights in all types of audio and visual material of the competition, names, logos, visual identities, brands, music, mascots, medals, plaques, commemorative items, trophies and certain key elements of the official match ball design. Any use of the aforementioned rights, any imitation and/or variation thereof and any other reference to the competition (such as by associating the name of an association with the date of a match) requires the prior written approval of UEFA and must comply with any conditions imposed by UEFA.

11.02 All rights to the fixture list and match schedule, as well as any data and statistics (including databases in which such data is stored) in relation to the matches of and players’ participation in the competition are the sole and exclusive property of UEFA. No tickets or accreditation may be used by anyone in order to gain access to a stadium for the purposes of collecting or gathering such data, and such activities are expressly prohibited. This prohibition does not apply to the participating associations, subject to any and all such data collected being used solely for the purposes of instructing their team, players and officials and expressly excluding any other exploitation or use whatsoever.

II - Competition System

Article 12 Competition stages

12.01 All matches in the competition are played in conformity with the IFAB Laws of the Game. The half-time interval lasts 15 minutes.

12.02 The competition stages are as follows:

Qualifying competition
- Qualifying group stage
- Play-offs
Final tournament
- Group stage
- Knockout stage, comprising:
  - Quarter-finals
  - Semi-finals
  - Final

12.03 The UEFA administration seeds the teams for the qualifying group stage draw and for the final draw in accordance with the UEFA men's Under-21 national team coefficient rankings (see Annex A).

Article 13 Group formation and match system – qualifying competition

13.01 The host associations qualify automatically for the final tournament. The remaining associations are drawn into nine groups of five or six teams.

13.02 All matches in the qualifying group stage are played according to the league system, with each team playing one home match and one away match against each of the other teams in its group. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a defeat.

13.03 On completion of the qualifying group stage, final group standings are compiled based on the number of points obtained by each team in the group. The nine group winners and the best runner-up qualify directly for the final tournament. The eight other runners-up contest play-offs to determine the four remaining finalists (see Article 15).

Article 14 Equality of points – qualifying group stage

14.01 If two or more teams in the same group are equal on points on completion of the qualifying group stage, the following criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings:

higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question;
higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question;
if, after having applied criteria a) to c), teams still have an equal ranking, criteria a) to c) are reapplied exclusively to the group matches between the remaining teams to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria e) to k) apply in the order given to the two or more teams still equal;
superior goal difference in all group matches;
higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
higher number of away goals scored in all group matches;
higher number of wins in all group matches;
higher number of away wins in all group matches;
lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all group matches (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
higher position in the UEFA men's Under-21 national team coefficient rankings used for the qualifying group stage draw (see Annex A.1.2 a.).

Article 15 Play-offs

15.01 The play-off ties are determined by means of a draw, including the order of the two legs of each tie. The play-offs are played according to the knockout system, with each team playing each opponent twice, once at home and once away. The team which scores the greater aggregate of goals over the two legs qualifies for the final tournament. Otherwise, the provisions of Paragraph 19.01 apply.

15.02 To compare the rankings between the qualifying groups and to determine the best runner-up, the results of group runners-up against the teams in sixth place are discarded. The following criteria are applied in the order given:

higher number of points;
superior goal difference;
higher number of goals scored;
higher number of away goals scored;
higher number of wins;
higher number of away wins;
lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all group matches (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
higher position in the UEFA men's Under-21 national team coefficient rankings used for the qualifying group stage draw (see Annex A.1.2 a.).

Article 16 Group formation – final tournament

16.01 By means of a draw, the UEFA administration allocates the 16 teams that qualify for the final tournament into four groups of four teams each.

16.02 The UEFA men's Under-21 national team coefficient rankings (see Annex A.1.2 b.) are used to seed teams for the final draw. For match scheduling purposes, the host associations are given the positions A1 and B1, the four groups are formed as follows:

Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
A1	B1	C1	D1
A2	B2	C2	D2
A3	B3	C3	D3
A4	B4	C4	D4

Article 17 Match system – final tournament

17.01 Each team plays each of the other teams in the group once, with three points awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat.

17.02 The final tournament group stage is played according to the schedule below. The last two matches in each group must both kick off at the same time. The first-named team is considered to be the home team.

	Matchday 1	Matchday 2	Matchday 3
Group A	A1 v A2	A1 v A3	A4 v A1
	A3 v A4	A2 v A4	A2 v A3
Group B	B1 v B2	B1 v B3	B4 v B1
	B3 v B4	B2 v B4	B2 v B3
Group C	C1 v C2	C1 v C3	C4 v C1
	C3 v C4	C2 v C4	C2 v C3
Group D	D1 v D2	D1 v D3	D4 v D1
	D3 v D4	D2 v D4	D2 v D3

17.03 The group winners and runners-up play the quarter-finals in single leg knockout matches, as follows:

Quarter-final 1	Winner group A v Runner-up group C
Quarter-final 2	Winner group C v Runner-up group A
Quarter-final 3	Winner group B v Runner-up group D
Quarter-final 4	Winner group D v Runner-up group B

17.04 The four winners of the quarter-finals play the semi-finals in single leg knockout matches, as follows:

Semi-final 1	Winner quarter-final 1 v Winner quarter-final 2
Semi-final 2	Winner quarter-final 3 v Winner quarter-final 4

17.05 The two winners of the semi-finals play the final in a single match, as follows:

Final

Winner semi-final 1 v Winner semi-final 2

Article 18 Equality of points – final tournament group stage

18.01 If two or more teams in the same group are equal on points on completion of the final tournament group stage, the following criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings:

higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question;
higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question;
if, after having applied criteria a) to c), teams still have an equal ranking, criteria a) to c) are reapplied exclusively to the group matches between the remaining teams to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria e) to h) apply in the order given to the two or more teams still equal;
superior goal difference in all group matches;
higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all group matches (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
higher position in the UEFA men's Under-21 national team coefficient rankings used for the final draw (see Annex A.1.2 b.).

18.02 If two teams that have the same number of points and have scored and conceded the same number of goals play their last group match against each other and are still equal at the end of that match, their final rankings are determined by a penalty shoot-out (see Paragraph 19.04), provided that no other teams within the group have the same number of points on completion of all group matches. Should more than two teams have the same number of points, the criteria listed under Paragraph 18.01 apply.

Article 19 Extra time, penalty shoot-out and Olympic play-off match

19.01 If the two teams involved in a play-off score the same number of goals over the two legs, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played at the end of the second leg. The team which scores more goals during extra time qualifies for the next stage. If both teams score the same number of goals or no goals are scored during extra time, a penalty shoot-out determines which team qualifies for the final tournament (see Paragraph 19.04).

19.02 If there is no winner at the end of normal time in a final tournament knockout match, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played. If the two teams are still equal after extra time, the winner is determined by a penalty shoot-out.

19.03 If extra time is required, there is a five-minute break between the end of normal time and the start of extra time. As a rule, the players remain on the field of play during this five-minute break, at the discretion of the referee.

19.04 Penalties are taken in accordance with the procedure laid down in the IFAB Laws of the Game.

19.05 Depending on the number of eligible teams participating in the final tournament, an Olympic play-off match may be necessary to identify the team qualifying for the Olympic tournament. The UEFA administration will confirm the need for such a match, as well as the match date and venue, in due course.

19.06 The Olympic play-off match is a single-leg knockout match. If the score is tied at the end of normal time, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played. If the score is still tied after those two periods, the winner is determined by a penalty shoot-out.

III - Match Scheduling

Article 20 Match dates and fixtures

20.01 All qualifying matches must be played during the following windows, as listed in the 2023–30 FIFA Men's International Match Calendar.

Qualifying group stage
- 17–25 March 2025
- 2–10 June 2025
- 1–9 September 2025
- 6–14 October 2025
- 10–18 November 2025
- 23–31 March 2026
- 21 September – 6 October 2026
Play-offs
- 9–17 November 2026

20.02 If all associations concerned are in agreement and in line with the principles governing the release of players for association teams as laid down in Annexe 1, Article 1 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, matches in the qualifying competition may be played on any other date, with the exception of the last matches of a group, which, for reasons of sporting fairness, must take place on the same day.

20.03 Meetings to determine fixtures in the qualifying group stage will take place immediately after the group stage draw. Associations must agree on the exact date of each match. Associations which are not represented at these meetings automatically accept the decisions taken by the other associations in their group. If the associations in question are unable to reach agreement, the matches will take place according to a standard fixture list drawn up by the UEFA administration. Any subsequent changes of date are subject to the approval of the UEFA administration. In such a case, the host association for the match in question must also inform the other associations in the group.

20.04 The dates for the play-off matches must be agreed between the two associations concerned within seven working days following the play-off draw. If no agreement can be reached, the UEFA administration takes a final decision.

20.05 UEFA compiles the match schedule for the final tournament, which takes place in June/July 2027. Each team must have at least two rest days between matches.

Article 21 Stadium announcements and kick-off times

21.01 Stadiums must be announced by the host associations via the designated UEFA online system at least 60 days before the match in question (and no more than seven days after the play-off draw).

21.02 When selecting a stadium, the host association must take into account the length of the journey to be undertaken by the visiting team. In principle, the stadium for a match must be within a 90-minute bus drive from the nearest international airport with daily flights from/to other European cities.

21.03 The host association must fix and enter the kick-off times online at least 30 days before the match in question (and no more than seven days after the play-off draw).

21.04 For reasons of sporting fairness, the last matches of a group must take place on the same day, and the UEFA administration is entitled to order these matches to be played at the same time.

Article 22 Changes to the match venue, match stadium or match schedule

22.01 If any party to the match has any reason to doubt whether a particular match of the competition can take place as scheduled (including but not limited to pitch, facility and infrastructure, safety and security, operational and/or organisational problems and/or weather conditions), they must notify the UEFA administration immediately. If the UEFA administration receives any such notification, or has any reason itself to believe that a match may not be able to be played as scheduled, it decides if any change will be made to the stadium, venue, date and/or kick-off time. Such a decision by the UEFA administration is final. If the stadium is changed, the costs of staging the match(es) concerned are borne by the host association.

22.02 The referee decides if a match which has started must be suspended. This decision is made after consultation with the UEFA match delegate and, when possible, the UEFA administration.

Article 23 Rescheduling of matches

23.01 If it is decided on the day of a match that the match cannot start or cannot be played in full, the full or remaining match time is, as a rule, played the next day, without prejudice to any possible disciplinary measures. For that purpose, the host associations must conclude all the necessary agreements to ensure that the required facilities are available and can be operated.

23.02 If the match cannot be rescheduled for the next day, the UEFA administration fixes a new date, during or as close as possible to the international match calendar window concerned. The rescheduling may entail exceptions to the regular match scheduling pattern.

23.03 As a rule, a rescheduled match is played at the same stadium. If the circumstances require a change of stadium, the UEFA administration must approve the alternative stadium.

23.04 In all cases, the UEFA administration must approve the stadium and fix the new kick-off time taking account of the teams’ needs wherever possible.

23.05 If an association is responsible for any change to the match stadium or match schedule for all or part of a match, that association bears its own expenses, as well as any additional travel, board and lodging expenses incurred by the other association, the referee team and the match officers, without prejudice to any possible disciplinary measures.

23.06 If the match stadium or match schedule is changed through no fault of either association, each party bears its own expenses related to the original fixture and the rescheduled match or remaining match time.

23.07 In all cases, decisions taken on the basis of this article are without prejudice to any possible disciplinary measures.

Article 24 Completion of suspended matches

24.01 If the referee decides to suspend a match and a decision is taken that the match is to be completed on a different day, the following conditions apply to the restart of the match:

If the match is resumed the following day, the match restarts with the same players on the field and the same listed substitutes as at the moment the match was suspended. If a player is unable to restart the match, one of the previously listed substitutes may take their place. This is considered as a substitution. If the team has used all of its substitutions by this point, no change can be made. A listed substitute who is unable to take their place on the bench cannot be replaced.
If the match is resumed at a later date, the match sheet may contain the same players who were on the match sheet when the match was suspended, with the exception of players suspended for, substituted or sent off during the suspended match. The players who were in play at the time the match was suspended may not be included on the match sheet as substitutes when the match is resumed.

24.02 Whether the match is resumed the following day or at a later stage, the following principles apply:

Any sanctions imposed before the match was suspended remain valid for the remainder of the match.
Single yellow cards imposed before the match was suspended are not carried forward to any other matches before the suspended match is completed.
Players and team officials sent off during the suspended match cannot be replaced and the number of players in the starting line-up remains as it was when the match was suspended.
Players and team officials who were suspended during or in relation to a match played after the suspended match in question can be included on the match sheet.
The teams can make only the number of substitutions to which they were still entitled when the match was suspended, using their respective remaining number of stoppages in play.
The match must restart where it was suspended (i.e. free-kick, throw-in, goal kick, corner kick, penalty, etc.). If the match was stopped with the ball in play, it is restarted with a dropped ball on the spot where it was suspended.

Article 25 Refusal to play and similar cases

25.01 If an association refuses to play or is responsible for a match (including any penalty shoot-out) not taking place or not being played in full, the UEFA disciplinary bodies declare the match forfeited by the association concerned. Moreover, if the circumstances of the case so justify, the UEFA disciplinary bodies may impose any further disciplinary measures deemed appropriate on the association concerned, including disqualification from the competition.

25.02 The UEFA disciplinary bodies can validate the result as it stood (i.e. abandon the match) at the moment when the match was suspended if the match result was to the detriment of the association responsible for the match being suspended.

25.03 If an association is disqualified during the competition, the results of all of its matches are declared null and void, and the points awarded forfeited.

25.04 If an association that has qualified for the final tournament does not compete, the UEFA administration may replace it and, if so, decide which association takes its place according to the results achieved by the associations eliminated previously.

25.05 An association that refuses to play or is responsible for a match not taking place or not being played in full may lose all rights to payments from UEFA, depending on the gravity of the circumstances.

25.06 Upon receipt of a reasoned and well-documented request from the aggrieved association(s), the UEFA administration may set an amount of compensation due for financial loss.

IV - Player Registration

Article 26 Player eligibility

26.01 Each association must select players for its national representative team who hold the nationality of its country and who comply with the provisions of Articles 6 to 10 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA Statutes.

26.02 Each player taking part in the competition must be in possession of a valid passport or identity card of the country for which they are playing, containing a photograph and the player's full date of birth (day, month, year). The referee or the UEFA match delegate may ask to see the passports/identity cards of the players listed on the match sheet.

26.03 Players are eligible to play in the competition if they were born on or after 1 January 2004.

26.04 All players must undergo a medical examination to the extent provided for in the UEFA Medical Regulations.

26.05 The UEFA administration decides on questions of player eligibility. Challenged decisions are dealt with by the UEFA disciplinary bodies.

Article 27 Player lists

27.01 For the qualifying competition, each association must provide the UEFA administration with a list of 23 players (surnames, first names, clubs and dates of birth) as well as the surnames, first names and dates of birth of the head coach and assistant coach, mentioning their coaching qualifications. At least three of these 23 players must be goalkeepers.

27.02 For the qualifying competition, the list of 23 players must be completed online by 24:00 CET the day before the match in question. A signed copy of this list must be handed to the UEFA match delegate at the organisational meeting.

27.03 Only 20 of these 23 registered players, at least two of whom must be goalkeepers, will be eligible to play. Amendments to the list are not allowed after the deadline mentioned in Paragraph 27.02.

27.04 For the final tournament, the list of 23 players must be completed online at least seven full days before the opening match. Three of these 23 players must be goalkeepers. A signed copy of this list must also be sent to the UEFA administration by the same deadline.

27.05 Should listed players or goalkeepers become seriously injured or ill, they may only be substituted if both their team doctor and a doctor from the UEFA Medical Committee confirm that the injury or illness is sufficiently serious to prevent them from taking part in the final tournament. Subject to the final approval of the UEFA administration, they may be replaced on the list of 23 players registered for the final tournament, as follows:

players and goalkeepers may be replaced before their team's first match in the final tournament,
goalkeepers may also be replaced before their next match during the final tournament.

27.06 All official player lists are published by the UEFA administration.

27.07 The associations are responsible for ensuring that the aforementioned provisions concerning player eligibility and lists of players are observed.

V - Stadium Infrastructure

Article 28 Stadiums

28.01 Unless stipulated otherwise in these regulations, all matches of the competition must be played in stadiums that meet the structural criteria defined in the UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations for the following categories:

category 2 for the qualifying competition;
category 3 or 4 for the final tournament.

Article 29 Pitches

29.01 The host association must ensure that the pitch is in the best possible condition for play.

29.02 Any full or partial replacement of a pitch ahead of a match must be communicated to UEFA in advance. UEFA reserves the right to inspect the pitch before approval.

29.03 For natural pitches, associations must respect the pitch-cutting guidelines. The height of the grass may not, in principle, exceed 30mm and the entire playing surface must be cut to the same height. The height of the grass should be the same for both the training sessions and the match. If deemed necessary by the referee or the UEFA match delegate, the host association may be required to reduce the height of the grass for the match and training sessions.

29.04 The pitch-watering schedule must be communicated by the host association at the organisational meeting. The pitch must be watered evenly and not only in certain areas. As a general rule, pitch watering must be finished 60 minutes before kick-off. Additional pitch watering may be carried out if so decided by the host association in the qualifying competition and by UEFA in the final tournament, provided it takes place:

between 15 and 10 minutes before kick-off (or between 20 and 15 minutes before kick-off during the final tournament depending on the countdown); and/or
during half-time (for a maximum of five minutes).

The referee is entitled to request changes to the pitch-watering schedule.

29.05 Except at half-time, participating associations may not allow any commercial or promotional activities (e.g. commercial or product brands, logos or commercial mascots) to appear on the field of play from the moment the teams are ready to kick off until after the final whistle.

29.06 The recommended minimum distances for the positioning of pitch advertising perimeter boards is shown in Annex B. Any other kind of upright advertising must be positioned at least three metres from the boundary lines of the field of play and at least one metre from the goal net, and must pose no danger to players or referees.

29.07 It is the responsibility of the host association to ensure that the area immediately adjacent to the pitch is safe for players, team officials and the referee team in accordance with the UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations. This includes, but is not limited to, temporarily installing additional, high-quality, green artificial turf around the field of play if necessary.

29.08 All field markings and goals must be in accordance with the IFAB Laws of the Game and the UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations. No additional structural elements or physical supports may be used inside the net or in its immediate surroundings other than bars fixing the goal net to the ground and goal net stanchions behind and outside the net. Portable goals must not be used.

29.09 Associations must respect the relevant pitch protection maps for both MD-1 training sessions (if applicable) and pre-match warm-ups.

Article 30 Artificial turf

30.01 With the exception of the final tournament, which must be played on natural turf, matches in the competition may be played on artificial turf in accordance with the UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations and provided that such artificial turf is certified as FIFA Quality Pro.

30.02 The host association is fully responsible for meeting the above requirements and, if necessary, must conclude appropriate agreements with the owner of the artificial turf, in particular those relating to:

maintenance work and ongoing improvement measures; and
safety and environmental measures as set out in the FIFA Quality Programme for Football Turf – Handbook of Requirements and the FIFA Quality Programme for Football Turf – Handbook of Test Methods.

30.03 The host association must obtain sufficient warranties and/or guarantees relating to the material and the installation of the artificial turf by the owner, manufacturer and installer.

30.04 UEFA cannot be held responsible for any damages to third parties resulting from the use of the artificial turf.

30.05 At the time the stadium is announced to the UEFA administration, the host association must submit a copy of the relevant artificial turf certificate, which must still be valid on the date of the match in question.

Article 31 Floodlights

31.01 Matches in the qualifying phase may be played in daylight or under floodlights. For matches played under floodlights, the illuminance must correspond to the requirements set out in the UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations for the relevant stadium category in accordance with Paragraph 28.01 of these regulations.

Article 32 Football technologies

32.01 Certain football technologies may be used, if decided by UEFA, in accordance with the IFAB Laws of the Game and the relevant FIFA Quality Programmes.

32.02 Each association authorises UEFA and UEFA’s suppliers to install the football technologies approved by UEFA for the competition in its stadium. The association and the stadium owner/operator must cooperate with UEFA and its suppliers and provide them with reasonable access to the stadium and stadium facilities at all times for this purpose (including for all purposes relating to the FIFA Quality Programme certifications). The association must not use or move, and must ensure that no third party other than UEFA or its suppliers uses or moves, any of the equipment or cabling installed at its stadium in connection with the approved football technologies.

32.03 Host associations may use pre-installed and certified GLT systems during the qualifying competition and play-offs, subject to the visiting team’s consent and UEFA’s approval in the official GLT platform. The host association remains fully responsible for the operation of the system and bears all the associated costs.

VI - Equipment

Article 33 Applicable regulations

33.01 The UEFA Equipment Regulations apply to all matches in the competition, unless specified otherwise in these regulations.

Article 34 Playing attire approval

34.01 All teams must submit the playing attire approval form online to the UEFA administration for approval by the given deadline.

34.02 For the final tournament, attire and special equipment used by the participating associations must be approved by the UEFA administration, which will confirm the exact procedure at the workshop organised in conjunction with the final draw.

Article 35 Colours

35.01 For all competition matches, teams must submit their colours online. For each match, the home team has the first choice as to which of its official sets of playing attire registered online it wears.

In the qualifying phase and play-offs, the proposed colours will be validated on-site by the referee team.
For the final tournament, the proposed colours will be validated in advance by the UEFA administration.

35.02 In any case, if the referee notices on the spot that the colours of the two teams could lead to confusion, a final decision on the colours is taken in consultation with the UEFA match delegate and the UEFA administration. As a rule, in such cases it is the home team that has to change colours, for practical reasons.

Article 36 Numbers and names

36.01 Players must be allocated numbers between 1 and 23. If the number 1 is used, it must be worn by a goalkeeper.

36.02 For the final tournament, players must be allocated fixed numbers. These numbers must be displayed at chest height on the front of the shirts and the players’ names must be added to the numbers on the back.

Article 37 Badges in the final tournament

37.01 The competition badge must appear on the free zone of the right shirt sleeve.

37.02 The applicable UEFA campaign badge must be worn on the free zone of the left shirt sleeve.

37.03 None of the badges may be used in any other competition, or for any other purpose, including commercial or promotional activities, without UEFA’s prior approval.

Article 38 Other team equipment

38.01 For the qualifying competition, UEFA will provide the associations with captain’s armbands and issue relevant guidelines for their use at matches.

38.02 For the final tournament, the special equipment provided to each participating association must be used, to the exclusion of any similar items.

38.03 All equipment items worn or used during the final tournament must be free of any sponsor advertising. This provision applies:

to any event held at a stadium, from arrival at the stadium until departure from the stadium;
to any training session designated as official by the UEFA administration; and
at any official UEFA press conference.

38.04 For the final tournament, only warm-up bibs provided by UEFA may be used during official training sessions, for the pre-match warm-ups held at the stadium and for the warm-up of substitute players during the match.

VII - Ticketing and accreditations

Article 39 Visiting team tickets

39.01 Host associations must make at least 5% of the UEFA spectator capacity available to visiting supporters in line with the provisions of Article 17 of the UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations and Article 19 of the UEFA Safety and Security Regulations. In addition, visiting associations are entitled to purchase up to 200 top-category tickets (unless otherwise agreed between the two associations in question) for their VIP supporters, sponsors, etc. (see the relevant articles of the UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations and the UEFA Safety and Security Regulations).

39.02 Visiting associations must, where relevant, sell their tickets by zone in order to facilitate the reallocation of unsold tickets. Visiting associations which have requested an allocation of tickets for the whole or part of the dedicated area that has been made available to them may return any unused tickets to the host association without payment up to seven days prior to the match, unless otherwise agreed by the two associations in writing. After this deadline the visiting association must pay for the whole allocation, irrespective of whether all the tickets have been sold.

39.03 The host association may reallocate tickets returned or not requested by the visiting association provided that all safety and security measures (as mentioned in the UEFA Safety and Security Regulations) are respected and that such tickets are not reallocated to supporters of the visiting association.

Article 40 Tickets with hospitality service

40.01 In the qualifying competition, an adequate number of complimentary and purchase tickets, to be fixed by mutual agreement, must be set aside for the visiting association.

40.02 The official UEFA representatives and at least four representatives of the visiting association must be provided with complimentary VIP seats (and associated hospitality) in the VIP sector.

Article 41 Ticketing – final tournament

41.01 UEFA governs all aspects of the allocation, sale and distribution of tickets to matches in the final tournament (whether alone or as part of a package), including but not limited to quotas, production, prices, methods of distribution and sales conditions and channels. The host associations' duties with respect to ticketing matters are defined in the staging agreement with UEFA.

41.02 Any ticket or hospitality-related agreements and/or terms and conditions which are issued by UEFA must be complied with by the participating associations. Participating associations must provide to UEFA the support necessary to ensure compliance with any such agreements and/or terms and conditions in case breaches or infringements occur within the participating association’s territory and/or involve the participating association’s fans or partners.

41.03 Each association participating in the final tournament is entitled to complimentary and purchase tickets for its matches. UEFA will determine the quantity of tickets allocated to each participating association.

Article 42 Accreditations

42.01 The host association must ensure that the venue data coordinator (VDC) appointed by UEFA to gather live data during the match is provided with:

accreditation permitting access to a commentary position (or an equivalent position) with dedicated broadband internet access, which needs to be in place from the morning of the match until 90 minutes after the final whistle; and
accreditation permitting access to the referees' dressing room.

VIII - Match Organisation

Article 43 Team arrivals

43.01 For the qualifying competition, visiting associations must arrange for their teams to arrive in the country of the match stadium no later than 24 hours before kick-off.

43.02 For the final tournament, each participating team must arrive at its selected team base camp at least two days before its first group match.

43.03 During the final tournament, the teams must stay within a UEFA-approved distance from the stadium where their match is to be played or, if necessary, must arrive at their assigned team transfer hotel no later than 24 hours before kick-off.

Article 44 Training sessions

44.01 The day before a qualifying match, pitch conditions permitting, both teams are allowed to train for a maximum of one hour at the match stadium unless agreed otherwise with UEFA and the host association. If both teams wish to train at the same time, priority is given to the visiting team. The visiting team may not hold any other training sessions at the match stadium. If holding such training sessions could render the pitch unfit for play the next day, an alternative training ground approved ad hoc by UEFA must be made available. Priority is given to the visiting team, so the first training session to be moved is that of the home team.

44.02 The day before each match in the final tournament, pitch conditions permitting, both teams are allowed to familiarise themselves with the pitch on which the match is to take place for a maximum of 45 minutes. In the group stage, this provision applies only to each team's first match in a stadium. In all cases, if holding such sessions could render the pitch unfit for play the next day, an alternative training ground must be made available. Alternative training grounds must be approved by the UEFA administration in advance. If both teams wish to use the same time slot, priority is given to the visiting team. In all cases, use of the field of play is subject to the limitations decided by the organiser in order to preserve the pitch for matchday. For this reason, goal-mouth areas are generally not accessible and training material cannot be used.

44.03 In addition, during the qualifying competition, the visiting team may hold private training sessions at a location to be agreed with the host association, but not at the match stadium.

44.04 Pitch watering ahead of a visiting team’s official training session at the stadium must be agreed between the two teams.

44.05 The day before the match, pitch conditions permitting, the referee team may train on the pitch on which the match will be played. If such a training session is not possible as a result of pitch conditions or travel times, an alternative facility should be made available.

44.06 If the visiting team and/or referees do not train at the stadium the day before the match for whatever reason (e.g. pitch conditions), they must be permitted to visit the stadium the day before the match.

44.07 If the visiting team requests a cool down after the match, it must be communicated at the organisational meeting and should include all relevant information (e.g. duration, number of players, type of exercises). Such requests are subject to the approval of the host association, and, in some cases, the local authorities.

Article 45 Team hotels and training centres – final tournament

45.01 For the final tournament, the UEFA administration provides each association with a number of pre-selected team base camps, each composed of a team hotel and a training centre. Should an association wish to use a different training centre, it must ensure that its chosen centre complies fully with these regulations and must cover all the related costs.

45.02 All training centres used by associations during the final tournament are referred to as official from two days before the opening match and the provisions laid out in Paragraph 67.01 apply. The UEFA administration will issue specific instructions and guidelines regarding the use of all selected training centres.

45.03 If an association participating in the final tournament holds a public training session, it must comply with the instructions and guidelines issued by the UEFA administration. The associations may not exploit any commercial rights in relation to such public training sessions.

Article 46 Match equipment

46.01 Balls must comply with the IFAB Laws of the Game as well as with the UEFA Equipment Regulations.

46.02 For qualifying competition matches, as well as for training sessions, balls of excellent quality must be provided by the host association. The balls provided for training must be of the same type and quality as those used for the matches.

46.03 For matches and official training sessions during the final tournament, balls are exclusively supplied by UEFA.

46.04 The use of two-sided substitution boards (preferably electronic) is compulsory for all matches. For each match a minimum of two boards must be provided by the host association.

Article 47 Use of clocks and roofs

47.01 Before the match, the UEFA match delegate, in consultation with the referee, decides whether a stadium’s retractable roof will be open or closed during the match. This decision must be announced at the matchday organisational meeting, although it may subsequently be altered at any time prior to kick-off if the weather changes, again in consultation with the referee and the UEFA match delegate.

47.02 If the match starts with the roof closed, it must remain closed until half-time or for the entire match. If the match starts with the roof open, only the referee has the authority to order its closure during the match, subject to any applicable laws issued by a competent state authority. Such a decision may only be taken if the weather seriously deteriorates. If the referee does order the roof to be closed during the match, it must remain closed until half-time or for the entire match.

47.03 Stadium clocks may be used to show the amount of time played or remaining. Additional time in each half should be displayed as additional minutes, not continuously running time (i.e. 45 + x, 90 + y). The same applies in case of extra time (105 + x, 120 + y).

Article 48 Screens and footage of matches

48.01 Simultaneous transmissions, replays and delayed footage of the match being played in the stadium may be transmitted on the stadium's giant screen provided that the host association has obtained all the necessary third-party permission to transmit such footage, including permission from the UEFA match delegate, the host broadcaster producing the live international feed of the match and any relevant local authorities. However, the host association must ensure that replays and delayed footage are shown on the giant screen during the match only when the ball is out of play and/or during the half-time interval, the break before extra time (if any), the half-time interval during extra time (if any) and/or before the start of the penalty shoot-out (if any). Moreover, the host association must ensure that any footage shown on the giant screen under no circumstances includes any images that:

may have an impact on the playing of the match;
may be reasonably considered as controversial insofar as they are likely to encourage or incite any form of crowd disorder;
may display any public disorder, civil disobedience or any commercial and/or offensive material within the crowd or on the pitch;
consist of any action or any behaviour that is against the principles of fair play, including any images that are aimed at highlighting, directly or indirectly, any offside offence, foul or potential mistake of a referee;
are accompanied by sound.

VAR and GLT replays may not be shown on existing screens in the stadium, unless UEFA decides otherwise.

Simultaneous transmissions and replays of the match are authorised for press monitors and closed-circuit channels. The results of other matches can be shown on the scoreboard and/or giant screen during the match.

48.02 Simultaneous or delayed transmissions on public screens outside the stadium in which a match is played (e.g. in a stadium of the visiting association or in a public place anywhere) are subject to the terms of Paragraph 66.01 and any guidelines or instructions issued by UEFA.

Article 49 Match protocol

49.01 The UEFA, FIFA and the UEFA Respect flags, as well as the two national team flags, must be flown horizontally at the stadium at all matches in the competition.

49.02 The walk-on music provided by UEFA must be played from when the players emerge from the tunnel until they have lined up, at which point the national anthems of both teams must be played (instrumental versions of no more than 90 seconds each).

49.03 At all matches in the competition, the players are invited to shake hands with their opponents and the referee team after the line-up ceremony as well as after the final whistle, as a gesture of fair play.

IX - Teams and Competition Area

Article 50 Teams at the stadium

50.01 Both teams must be at the stadium at least 75 minutes before kick-off.

Article 51 Match sheet

51.01 Before each match, each team must confirm, using the match sheet, the 20 (final tournament: 23) players in the team and up to 11 team officials, one of whom must be a team doctor. The match sheet must indicate the number and, if applicable, the shirt name that each player will wear during the match.

51.02 The players indicated on the match sheet as forming the starting 11 commence the match, and the goalkeeper and team captain must be identified among these players. All other players listed on the match sheet are designated as substitutes.

51.03 If there are fewer than seven players on either team, the match is cancelled or suspended.

51.04 Each team must have its match sheet submitted by its competent association official at least 75 minutes before kick-off. The match sheets are automatically exchanged no earlier than 75 minutes before kick-off.

Article 52 Player replacements and substitutions

52.01 Up to five of the substitutes listed on each team’s match sheet may take part in the match. Additionally, a sixth substitute listed on the match sheet may take part in knockout matches exclusively during extra time. A player who has been substituted may take no further part in the match. Each team may use a maximum of three stoppages in play to make substitutions (one additional stoppage in extra time can be used). Substitutions made before the start of the match, during half-time, between the end of normal playing time and extra time, and at half-time during extra time do not reduce the number of stoppages in play that can be used.

52.02 After the match sheets have been exchanged, no changes are allowed. Before the match has kicked off, the following exceptions are possible:

Any of the players indicated on the match sheet as forming the starting 11 who cannot start the match due to physical incapacity may be replaced by one of the substitutes listed on the match sheet. The substitute in question may then be replaced by a registered player not listed on the match sheet (but included in the list of 23 players as laid down in Paragraph 27.01), so that the quota of substitutes is not reduced. The replaced player is taken off the match sheet. During the match, five players may still be substituted.
Any of the substitutes listed on the match sheet who cannot be fielded due to physical incapacity may be replaced by a registered player not listed on the match sheet (but included in the list of 23 players as laid down in Paragraph 27.01).
If none of the goalkeepers listed on the match sheet can be fielded due to physical incapacity, they may be replaced by goalkeepers not previously listed on the match sheet, subject to final approval by UEFA.

The association concerned must provide the UEFA administration with the necessary medical certificates. Any change made to the players indicated on the match sheet as forming the starting 11 after the match sheets have been exchanged without providing due medical evidence is considered as a substitution, and the number of substitutions available to the team during the match is reduced accordingly. The replaced player may take no further part in the match.

52.03 In the final tournament, after the match sheets have been exchanged, no changes are allowed. Before the match has kicked off, the following exceptions are possible:

Any of the players indicated on the match sheet as forming the starting 11 who cannot start the match due to physical incapacity may be replaced by one of the substitutes listed on the match sheet. The replaced player is taken off the match sheet and the quota of substitute players is reduced accordingly for the match in question. During the match, five players may still be substituted.
Any of the substitutes listed on the match sheet who cannot be fielded due to physical incapacity may not be replaced, which means that the quota of substitute players is reduced accordingly for the match in question.
If none of the goalkeepers listed on the match sheet can be fielded due to physical incapacity, they may be replaced by goalkeepers not previously listed on the match sheet, subject to final approval by UEFA.

Article 53 Competition area

53.01 The 11 team officials and nine (final tournament: 12) substitute players indicated on the match sheet, i.e. a total of 20 (final tournament: 23) people, are allowed to sit on the team bench. If the team bench provides fewer than 23 seats, the remaining number of seats must be accommodated to the side of each team bench (or behind if the team benches are in the stands), with access to the dressing rooms. They must be segregated from the general public and, ideally, covered. The set-up must be the same for both teams. All the substitutes and the team doctor indicated on the match sheet must be seated on the team bench during the match.

53.02 During the match, substitutes are allowed to leave the technical area to warm up in the predefined area confirmed by the referee. Five substitutes per team are allowed to warm up at the same time; however, if space does not permit, the referee may decide to limit the number of substitutes allowed to warm up simultaneously to three per team. The team fitness coach indicated on the match sheet may join the players warming up and is responsible for ensuring that the referee’s instructions are respected.

53.03 Smoking is not allowed in the competition area. This includes the use of electronic cigarettes.

53.04 The use of any electronic communication equipment and/or systems is regulated by the IFAB Laws of the Game and the relevant instructions issued. Under no circumstances may any such systems be used by teams in connection with any kind of refereeing decision or matter.

X - Refereeing

Article 54 Referee team and referee liaison officer

54.01 The General Terms and Conditions for Referees officiating at UEFA Matches apply to the referee teams appointed for the competition.

54.02 The referee team is composed of the referee, two assistant referees, the fourth official, two or more video assistant referees (if appointed) and a reserve assistant referee (if appointed).

54.03 The referee team is taken care of by a referee liaison officer, who is an official representative of the host association.

54.04 Directly after the match, the referee validates the official match report.

Article 55 Appointment and replacement of referees

55.01 The Referees Committee appoints a referee team for each match. Only referees from the official FIFA list of referees are eligible.

55.02 UEFA arranges for the referee team to arrive on-site the day before the match. If a member of the referee team does not arrive by the evening before the match, the UEFA administration and the teams must be informed immediately. The Referees Committee takes the appropriate decisions, which are final.

55.03 Any referee, assistant referee or video assistant referee who becomes unfit to officiate, or is otherwise incapacitated before or during a match, is replaced by another member of the referee team as follows, in accordance with the IFAB Laws of the Game:

The referee is replaced by the fourth official or the video assistant referee if one has been appointed and is available on site, or by an assistant referee.
An assistant referee is replaced by the fourth official or by the reserve assistant referee if one has been appointed.
A video assistant referee is replaced by the assistant video assistant referee (if certified as video assistant referee) or by the referee if the latter is unfit to referee but able and certified to serve as video assistant referee.

If necessary, the match will take place without video assistant referees and/or without a fourth official.

Article 56 Procedure in case of severe injury to players

56.01 In the event of a suspected concussion, the referee stops the game to allow the injured player to be assessed by the team doctor, in accordance with Law 5 of the IFAB Laws of the Game. In principle, this should take no more than three minutes, unless a serious incident requires the player to be treated on the field of play or immobilised on the field for immediate transfer to hospital (e.g. spinal injury).

56.02 Any player suffering a head injury that requires assessment for potential concussion will only be allowed to continue playing after such an assessment, upon specific confirmation by the team doctor to the referee of the player's fitness to do so.

Article 57 Video assistant refereeing and goal-line technology

57.01 VAR and GLT may be used in accordance with the IFAB Laws of the Game for the purpose of assisting the referee.

57.02 No sources or systems other than the official VAR system may be used by the referee to review replays during the match.

57.03 VAR may be used in all matches of the final tournament. The decision as to whether VAR should be used for a specific match is at the sole discretion of the referee, and that decision is final. The non-use of VAR for part or all of the match, whether due to the referee's decision or technical failure or unavailability, in no way prejudices the validity of the referee's decisions, which are final in all cases.

57.04 In the event of technical failure, matches may take place or continue without the use of GLT. The non-use of GLT for part or all of the match, whether due to the referee's decision or technical failure or unavailability, in no way prejudices the validity of the referee's decisions, which are final in all cases.

XI - Disciplinary Law and Procedures

Article 58 UEFA Disciplinary Regulations

58.01 The provisions of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations apply to all disciplinary offences committed by associations, officials, members or other individuals exercising a function at a match on behalf of an association, unless the present regulations stipulate otherwise.

Article 59 Yellow and red cards

59.01 As a rule, a player or team official sent off by the referee is automatically suspended for the next match in the competition. In the event of a serious offence, the UEFA disciplinary bodies are entitled to augment this punishment, including by extending it to other competitions.

59.02 In case of repeated cautions:

in the qualifying competition, players and team officials are suspended for the next competition match after the third, fifth and any subsequent caution;
in the final tournament, players and team officials are suspended for the next competition match after two cautions and any subsequent even-numbered caution.

59.03 Cautions that have not resulted in a suspension and pending yellow-card suspensions expire on completion of the qualifying competition. They are not carried forward to the final tournament.

59.04 Cautions from matches in the final tournament that have not resulted in a suspension expire on completion of the quarter-finals. They are not carried forward to the semi-finals or any Olympic play-off match.

59.05 Cautions and pending yellow-card suspensions from the final tournament expire at the end of the competition.

Article 60 Protests and appeals

60.01 Protests and appeals against decisions by the UEFA disciplinary bodies must be lodged and any applicable fee paid in accordance with the relevant provisions of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, with the exception of the following deadlines being applicable to the final tournament:

a protest and the proof of payment of the protest fee must reach the UEFA disciplinary office within 12 hours of the end of the match in question;
a declaration of the intention to appeal against a decision by the UEFA disciplinary bodies must be lodged within 24 hours of notification of the relevant decision with grounds.

XII - Financial Provisions

Article 61 Financial rules – whole competition

61.01 The amounts paid by UEFA are gross amounts. As such they cover any and all taxes, levies and charges.

61.02 The UEFA administration resolves any disputes concerning the settlement of accounts by the participating associations. Such decisions are final.

Article 62 Financial rules – qualifying competition

62.01 In principle, the host association retains its match-related earnings and bears all organisational costs (including any taxes, levies and charges).

62.02 The host association pays for the board and lodging of the referee team, the UEFA match delegate and the UEFA referee observer as well as for their transport within the host association's territory. Their international travel expenses and daily allowances are covered by UEFA.

62.03 Unless agreed otherwise by the associations concerned or stipulated otherwise in these regulations, visiting associations pay for their own travel, board and lodging.

62.04 Associations receive the following contributions towards the cost of away matches (travel, board and lodging):

fixed participation contribution of €135,000, credited to each association’s account with UEFA as follows:
1. €70,000 by 31 December 2025
2. €65,000 by 30 November 2026
additional contribution of €25,000 for each association in the play-offs, credited to its account with UEFA by 30 November 2026.

Article 63 Financial rules – final tournament

63.01 UEFA contributes to the international travel costs (return fare by air-conditioned bus, rail (first-class or sleeper) or air (economy class)) incurred by a maximum of 35 persons for each delegation.

63.02 UEFA provides local ground transport within the territory of the host country for a maximum of 35 persons per delegation. Any additional transport must be arranged and paid for by the associations themselves.

63.03 UEFA pays a contribution to each participating association to cover the team's accommodation and meal expenses incurred from two days before the team's first match until either one day after the team's elimination or one day after the final, as applicable.

63.04 The UEFA Executive Committee sets the amounts of the fixed participation and performance bonuses based on the overall revenue generated by the exploitation of the commercial rights, and decides on the corresponding distribution system. Detailed financial information of relevance to all participating associations will be communicated before the final tournament.

XIII - Exploitation of the Commercial Rights

Article 64 Commercial rights – general

64.01 The host associations shall ensure that their ticketing and media accreditation terms and conditions for the matches stipulate as a minimum that:

no person may conduct any promotional or commercial activity at the match stadium without the prior written approval of UEFA;
tickets must not be used for any commercial purposes such as for promotion, advertising, use as a prize in a competition/sweepstake, or as part of a hospitality or travel package without the prior written approval of UEFA;
all people attending the match acknowledge that use may be made (free of charge) of their voice, image and/or likeness in still images and audio/visual transmissions relating to the match;
no person attending the match may, without UEFA’s prior written approval, collect, record, transmit and/or exploit any sound, image, data, statistics and/or description of the match for any purpose other than for private use.

64.02 Participating associations may not use or authorise any third party to use any of the competition trademarks or music or any graphic material or artistic forms developed in connection with the competition in programmes, promotions, publications or advertising or otherwise without the prior written consent of UEFA. In addition, participating associations may not develop, use, register, adopt or create any mark, logo or symbol which refers to the competition or which, in UEFA’s reasonable opinion, is confusingly similar to, is a colourable imitation of, is a derivation of, or unfairly competes with such trademarks, materials or forms.

64.03 UEFA declines all responsibility and liability in the event of any conflict between any agreement entered into by an association and any arrangement entered into by UEFA relating to the exploitation of the commercial rights to the competition.

Article 65 Promotional purposes

65.01 UEFA owns and has the sole right, to the exclusion of the participating associations and any other party, to exploit all the promotional rights to the competition.

65.02 On registering for the competition, associations must grant UEFA the right to use and authorise others to use photographic, audiovisual and visual material of their team, players and officials (including their names, relevant statistics, data and images), as well as the association name, logo, emblem, stadium image and team shirt (including references to the kit manufacturers), free of charge and worldwide for the full duration of any rights for (a) the staging and organising of the competition (and future editions of the competition); (b) non-commercial, promotional and/or editorial purposes (including the use of such material in the multilateral production of television and media promotion and coverage of the final tournament and on/for the UEFA digital services); and/or (c) as reasonably designated by UEFA. Any such use may occur after the competition and may include references to and/or branding of third parties, including sponsors, provided that no direct association will be made by UEFA between individual players or associations and any partner. On request, the associations must supply UEFA free of charge with all appropriate material as well as with the necessary documentation required to allow UEFA to use and exploit such rights in accordance with this paragraph.

65.03 In case an association qualifies for the final tournament, it must grant UEFA the right to use and authorise others to use the association's imagery, free of charge and worldwide for the full duration of any rights for incorporation into commercial and promotional merchandise and materials (together with packaging and promotional materials for such merchandise and materials) provided that any such merchandise and materials: (a) relate to the final tournament; (b) include the competition name and/or a competition logo; (c) include association imagery from each of the other participating associations; and (d) do not give undue prominence to the association imagery of any one or set of participating associations. The requirements specified in (c) and (d) do not apply to the use of the association imagery of the participating association that wins the competition where such association imagery is featured in images of the celebration of its victory following the final match (for example, photographs of the presentation and lifting of the trophy). Such merchandise and materials may be sold or distributed free of charge and may include customary references to and/or branding of any manufacturer, distributor and/or provider of the relevant merchandise and materials, provided that no such reference or branding implies an endorsement of any such third party or their products and/or services by any participating association.

65.04 Associations must obtain all necessary third party rights and consents that are required in order for them to comply with this chapter and, upon request, must supply UEFA free of charge with the necessary documentation (including any third party consents) required to allow UEFA to use and exploit its rights under these regulations.

Article 66 Commercial rights – qualifying competition

66.01 The host association of any match in the qualifying competition is authorised to exploit the commercial rights relating to such matches. In doing so, it must observe any instructions or guidelines issued by UEFA from time to time.

66.02 All agreements and arrangements pertaining to the exploitation of commercial rights in respect of the qualifying competition must be presented to the UEFA administration upon request. In addition, the commercial rights to any match in the qualifying competition may not be sold unless the sale is documented in a written agreement that provides for the payment of an appropriate fee to the host association. Any such fee forms part of the match receipts and remains with the host association.

66.03 UEFA owns and has the sole right, to the exclusion of the participating associations and any other party, to exploit the marketing rights to the qualifying competition generally or as a collective whole, including, by way of example, the right to nominate sponsors in relation to the qualifying competition or the competition (including the qualifying competition) as collective wholes. No participating association may participate in or allow any third party to use any rights granted by the participating association in any aggregation of marketing rights in any way that would permit a third party to create an association with the qualifying competition, the competition or the final tournament generally or as collective wholes. As a result, any grant by a participating association of marketing rights relating to the qualifying competition must be conditional upon the grantee and other third parties not exploiting the relevant rights in such a manner. By way of example, no participating association may create, or permit a third party to use rights granted by it to create, a website that is promoted as an official or dedicated website of the qualifying competition as a whole.

66.04 All associations participating in the qualifying competition undertake to take all legal and other measures that UEFA deems appropriate at its sole discretion to prohibit, prevent and stop any unauthorised exploitation of the commercial rights to the qualifying competition and to protect the ownership thereof.

66.05 For the purpose of directly or indirectly promoting the competition, in particular within programming produced by or on behalf of UEFA, the host association of any match in the qualifying competition must ensure that any third party owning rights to images of such a match grants UEFA the right to use and exploit, and authorise others to use and exploit, on a perpetual worldwide basis, by any and all means and in any and all media whether now known or invented in the future, throughout the world, for the full duration of such rights, not less than 15 minutes of audio and/or visual material from this match, free of charge and without payment of any associated clearance costs. For any match in the qualifying competition where production of a broadcast signal is foreseen, the host association undertakes to provide UEFA, free of charge and at least 60 minutes prior to the kick-off of the match, with access to the transmission details for receiving the broadcast signal at a location of UEFA’s choice. These broadcasts can be recorded by UEFA for purposes envisaged in this paragraph and a copy of such recordings will be made available to the host association upon request. If the signal is unavailable for whatever reason, the host association undertakes to provide UEFA with a recording of the entire match, free of charge, in digital format (or such other format as may be requested by UEFA), to be sent to a destination determined by UEFA within seven days of the relevant match.

Article 67 Commercial rights – final tournament

67.01 UEFA owns and has the sole right, to the exclusion of the participating associations and any other party, to exploit, retain and distribute all revenues derived from the exploitation of all the commercial rights to the final tournament, including those arising at, and relating to, the official training ground of each participating association. UEFA may exercise its right to exploit these commercial rights at its sole discretion and on a worldwide basis.

67.02 The commercial rights arising at, and relating to, the official training ground commence two days before the first match of the final tournament and terminate upon the conclusion of the final tournament.

67.03 Each participating association must provide all necessary assistance and cooperation to UEFA in taking any and all legal and other measures that UEFA, at its sole discretion, deems appropriate to prohibit, prevent and stop any unauthorised exploitation of the commercial rights to the final tournament and to ensure that all the commercial rights remain owned and exercised solely and exclusively by UEFA without restriction. In this regard, no association may use or exploit, directly or indirectly, any commercial rights to the final tournament without the express prior written agreement of UEFA and subject to such conditions as UEFA may require. Each association must ensure that its players, coaches, officials and other employees as well as its partners, commercial or otherwise, do not use or otherwise exploit directly or indirectly any commercial rights to the final tournament without UEFA’s express prior agreement, which may be granted or withheld at its sole discretion.

67.04 From the association's arrival at the final tournament venue until the end of the final tournament, a participating association may not display (including on any clothing) any third party commercial identification or branding in any final tournament stadium, or at any official UEFA press conference, other than:

on attire used at unofficial training sessions;
in the indoor press conference facility at their official training centre (or another press conference location approved by UEFA) when used for unofficial events/activities;
manufacturer’s identification on attire in accordance with the UEFA Equipment Regulations.

67.05 Associations participating in the final tournament may be permitted to make coaching films, which must not be used for any purposes whatsoever other than for the instruction of players, referees and officials of the associations concerned. Permission to film and produce such coaching films must be obtained from the UEFA administration in writing. Such permission sets out any relevant financial and other conditions. Available space and locations for the relevant film crews are limited and any such requests for permission must be submitted to the UEFA administration at least 30 days before the start of the final tournament. All practical filming arrangements, including access, working areas, number and size of crews, types of camera, etc., are communicated by UEFA in advance by circular letter or a similar means of communication. If requested by UEFA, a copy of all relevant film material must be provided to UEFA within 24 hours of the request being made.

67.06 Each participating association guarantees UEFA optimum support in the implementation of the commercial rights, and undertakes to refrain from taking any steps that would encroach upon the rights granted by UEFA to any of its partners.

67.07 Each participating association must (where applicable) assist UEFA in combating activities that undermine UEFA’s commercial programme and the value of the commercial rights. In this regard, each participating association must provide UEFA with all such assistance as UEFA may reasonably require in order to prevent third parties from undertaking without UEFA`s consent, activities that directly and/or indirectly associate that third party or their products, services or brands with UEFA or the competition. In particular, each participating association must prohibit third parties to which it grants rights from undertaking such activities. In addition, no participating association may admit any person to a stadium who may reasonably be expected to act in a manner which undermines UEFA’s commercial programme.

67.08 Each participating association must support and ensure that its players, officials and other employees support the commercial programme established by UEFA for the final tournament, including, without limitation, the promotional programmes run by UEFA and its partners (e.g. ball kids, player escorts, match-ball carriers, flag bearers, UEFA Player of the Match awards and stadium tours).

67.09 At its sole discretion, UEFA may authorise associations to exploit certain media rights and request certain additional access rights for the purposes of filming in each case in respect of the matches in which they are participating. Any and all rights or access granted are subject to the national association media guidelines issued by UEFA from time to time.

67.10 At UEFA’s request, any and all content produced and exploited by associations pursuant to Paragraph 67.09 above and the national association media guidelines must be shared by associations with UEFA, UEFA media partners and/or a third party appointed by UEFA (in each case, as designated by UEFA and in accordance with UEFA guidelines and regulations) for exploitation by UEFA and/or UEFA media partners. Each association hereby assigns to UEFA free of charge (including where applicable by way of present assignment of future rights) all legal and beneficial right, title and interest (including all intellectual property rights) which it may from time to time acquire or hold throughout the world in and to any and all footage produced by it pursuant to Paragraph 67.09 above and the national association media guidelines, including any and all rights to transmit and/or re-transmit the relevant materials, whether vested, contingent or future, free of all liens and encumbrances for the full period of such rights therein (including any and all extensions, reversions and renewals thereof). In any jurisdiction where such assignment does not take effect, the association: (i) shall hold such rights for the benefit of UEFA absolutely; and (ii) hereby grants to UEFA free of charge a worldwide, unrestricted, irrevocable, exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable and royalty free licence in respect of all such rights for the entire term of those rights (including any and all extensions, reversions and renewals thereof). Such assignment (and, if applicable, such licence) includes, among other things, the right to use, broadcast, transmit, publish, reproduce and modify the materials in any way known or not yet known, and to license third parties (including UEFA media partners) to do the same.

XIV - Media Matters

Article 68 Responsibilities regarding media matters – qualifying competition

68.01 Each participating association must appoint an English-speaking team press officer to coordinate cooperation between the association and the media in accordance with these regulations. The team press officer must ensure that the media facilities provided by the association for home matches meet the required standards. The team press officer is also responsible for assisting UEFA in compiling editorial features in text or electronic format to help promote the tournament, and for providing information on team schedules and news. The team press officer must be present at all home and away matches to coordinate all media arrangements, including pre- and post-match press conferences and interviews. The team press officer must cooperate with the other team's press officer during the preparation and delivery of the match and ensure that all accreditation requests come from bona fide media representatives.

Article 69 Media activities on the day before the match – qualifying competition

69.01 Each team must open its training session the day before the match to the media for at least 15 minutes. If an association does not hold a full training session the day before the match, alternative arrangements must be made in agreement with UEFA to provide the media with access to a minimum of 15 minutes of the team’s preparation.

69.02 Each team must make its head coach and at least one player available to the media the day before the match. This may take the form of a press conference or individual interview opportunities. Ideally, these media activities will be staged at the match stadium, but they must, in any case, take place in the city where the match is to be played. The media activities of the two teams must be arranged so that media representatives can attend both, and so that media deadlines in the countries concerned can be respected.

Article 70 Matchday media activities – qualifying competition

70.01 Pre-match, half-time and post-match interviews can take place with each team at the stadium as follows:

Interviews are allowed with coaches and player(s) before the match, subject to their agreement.
Half-time interviews may be conducted with the head coach, the assistant coach or players, subject to their agreement.
Post-match super-flash and flash interviews take place immediately after the final whistle in designated areas between the pitch and the dressing rooms. Both teams must make their head coach and at least two key players available upon request.

70.02 Each team must make its head coach available for a post-match press conference at the match stadium. The first press conference must start no later than 20 minutes after the final whistle.

70.03 After the match, a mixed zone where reporters can conduct interviews must be set up for the media on the way from the dressing rooms to the team transport area. This area must be accessible only to coaches, players and representatives of the media. Each team must provide a minimum of three players who participated in the match to conduct interviews in each section of the mixed zone.

Article 71 Media access rights – qualifying competition

71.01 No media representatives are allowed to go on to the field of play before, during or after the match, with the exception of the host broadcaster camera crew covering the team line-ups at the start of the match and up to two host broadcaster camera crews filming the teams after the end of the match. The same applies to the tunnel and dressing-room area, with the exception of flash interview positions and a camera of the host broadcaster filming the following activities:

team arrivals (as far as to the dressing-room area);
players in the tunnel prior to entering the field (before the match);
players returning to the pitch at the start of the second half.

71.02 A limited number of photographers, camera operators and production staff of the audiovisual rights holders – all equipped with the appropriate pitch-access accreditation – are allowed in the area between the boundaries of the field of play and the spectators (see Annex B).

71.03 The team dressing rooms are off limits to media representatives before, during and after the match. However, subject to the teams’ prior agreement, one camera crew of the host broadcaster may enter the dressing rooms to film the players’ shirts and equipment. This filming must be completed before the arrival of the players, at least 90 minutes before kick-off. Any additional dressing room access for media (e.g. for post-match celebrations) must be agreed between the relevant team and UEFA in advance.

71.04 A position in the main stand should be foreseen for a camera crew from each team to conduct technical filming, from a central position or a position agreed by the teams and the local press officer.

Article 72 Responsibilities regarding media matters – final tournament

72.01 Each participating association must appoint an English-speaking team press officer for the whole tournament to coordinate media matters in cooperation with UEFA and the media, in accordance with UEFA’s rules and regulations. The team press officer assists UEFA with access to interviews, training sessions and other team media activities, as well as providing operational information, content and statistics as requested. The team press officer must attend all team media activities, travel with the team to all matches and work alongside the UEFA media officer at the match venues.

72.02 Teams must cooperate to the fullest extent possible with access and interview requests from UEFA media platforms before, during and after the competition. Each team must provide UEFA with access to all players in their squad, the head coach and the assistant coach for a squad access day in order to gather the following content for host broadcaster operations and UEFA digital platforms:

a green screen filming session with all players, the head coach and the assistant coach;
a photography session with all players, the head coach and the assistant coach;
a digital/corporate content session with ten players and the head coach;
an interview session with two players and the head coach.

UEFA and the association must agree in advance on the date, time and location of the squad access day and on which players will be made available. Each team’s squad access day must take place no later than four days before the team’s first match in the final tournament unless alternative arrangements are agreed by the team and UEFA.

72.03 For the final tournament, all team media activities at the match stadium are coordinated by UEFA.

72.04 Each team must hold a daily media activity, in accordance with UEFA’s specifications, featuring a minimum of two spokespersons in the form of a press conference, a mixed-zone or an alternative format agreed with UEFA in advance. The team is responsible for the technical set-up of its remote media activities. In addition, teams may hold only one fully closed training session before each match. All other training sessions must be open to the media for at least 15 minutes.

Article 73 Media activities on the day before the match – final tournament

73.01 Both teams must make their training session held the day before the match open to the media for at least 15 minutes, in accordance with the schedule agreed in advance with UEFA. These official training sessions must be arranged by the two teams and UEFA together, so that the media can attend both. Subject to Paragraph 44.02, these official training sessions take place at the match stadium, unless otherwise agreed with UEFA in advance. Each team may decide whether the entire training session or only the first 15 minutes are open to the media. If a team decides to open only 15 minutes up to the media, the team may film the entire training session itself and make the footage available to HB, upon request. No other media activities are permitted during the closed part of the training session. Should a team allow its own photographer to attend an entire training session, of which only 15 minutes are open to the media, this team photographer must, upon request, provide UEFA with photos that it can make available to the international media. Teams are allowed to film the closed part of their training session for technical analysis purposes with no obligation to provide access to broadcasters. Such footage may not be published by the association or distributed to representatives of the media. Training sessions that start earlier than scheduled must nevertheless be open for the advertised period of 15 minutes. If a team does not intend to hold a training session the day before the match, the training session held the previous day (two days before the match) must be open to the media and will be considered as the official pre-match training session. UEFA must be informed at least 24 hours in advance if this is the case.

73.02 Each team must hold a pre-match press conference at the match stadium the day before each match. Each MD-1 press conference must be attended by the head coach and at least one player. If the head coach is suspended for the match, the team has the option of making the assistant coach available for the pre-match press conference instead. These press conferences are coordinated by UEFA and the participating teams to avoid schedule clashes and to meet media deadlines. In principle, the official time slots defined by UEFA must be respected. If no agreement can be reached, UEFA’s decision is final. UEFA-provided backdrops must be used at all official UEFA press conferences.

73.03 Each team must make its head coach and at least one player available the day before each match for interviews with the host broadcaster and any live audiovisual rights holders from its own country and the country of the opposing team.

Article 74 Matchday media activities – final tournament

74.01 Interviews are not permitted during the match on the field of play itself or in its immediate vicinity.

74.02 Pre-match, half-time and post-match interviews with each team can take place at the stadium as follows:

Each team must make its head coach and a key player available for a pre-match interview with the HB and the main audiovisual rights holder from its country, as determined by UEFA. This interview takes place between the team’s arrival at the stadium and the end of the warm-up; the timings must be agreed by the team and UEFA. Any additional pre-match interviews are subject to the agreement of the team.
Half-time interviews may be conducted with the head coach, the assistant coach or players, subject to their agreement.
Each team must make one player available for a super-flash interview with the HB or the main audiovisual rights holder from its country, as determined by UEFA. The UEFA Player of the Match must also be made available for an additional super-flash interview in front of a dedicated backdrop, if applicable. These interviews take place immediately after the final whistle on or next to the pitch. Any additional super-flash interviews are subject to the agreement of the team.
Flash interviews and indoor studio interviews are obligatory and take place after the match. Each team must provide three interviews with the main audiovisual rights holder of its country, two interviews with each of the other unilateral audiovisual rights holders (including the host broadcaster), and one interview with each of the audiovisual rights holders operating in any multilateral flash interview positions. The head coach must be available for at least five of the above interviews, if requested, including at least one with an audiovisual rights holder operating in a multilateral flash interview position. The players made available for the above interviews must include the UEFA Player of the Match. Teams must ensure that the head coach and players are available for these interviews within 15 minutes of the end of the match.
Players selected for doping controls may conduct post-match interviews upon approval of the UEFA doping control officer and provided that the player is escorted by a chaperone appointed by the UEFA doping control officer.
If a team's head coach is suspended for the match, or is sent off during the match, the team may choose to make the assistant coach available for the post-match interviews instead of the head coach.
Teams must fulfil interview requests from audiovisual rights holders before conducting interviews with their national associations' own media platforms.

74.03 Each team must make its head coach available for a post-match press conference at the match stadium. The first press conference must start no later than 20 minutes after the final whistle. The UEFA Player of the Match, as designated by UEFA, must also attend the post-match press conference. If a team's head coach is suspended for the match, or is sent off during the match, the team may choose to make the assistant coach available for the post-match press conference instead of the head coach.

74.04 After the match, a mixed zone must be set up on the way from the team dressing rooms to the team transport area. This area – accessible only to coaches, players and representatives of the media – is divided into areas with different access points, as determined by UEFA. If requested, each team must provide a minimum of three players who have participated in the match to conduct interviews in each section of the mixed zone.

74.05 After the match, teams are responsible for ensuring that all relevant players who have won official UEFA awards (e.g. the UEFA Player of the Match or UEFA Player of the Tournament) attend the relevant official event, ceremony, interviews, press conference or presentation.

Article 75 Accreditations and access rights – final tournament

75.01 The accreditation of media representatives is the responsibility of UEFA, which may consult the associations regarding accreditation requests from media representatives of their countries as part of the validation and arbitration process. Final decisions on the acceptance or refusal of accreditation requests are the sole responsibility of UEFA, at its full discretion. UEFA may withdraw an accreditation at any time.

75.02 Access devices for final tournament matches and official media activities are managed and distributed by UEFA. National associations' media platforms must comply with the guidelines provided by UEFA in advance of the tournament.

75.03 Any live audio transmission of a match via internet and wireless technology and the sale or distribution of any commentary of a match on any media are expressly prohibited unless specifically authorised by UEFA.

75.04 During the final tournament, the following access restrictions apply:

No media representatives are allowed on the field of play before, during or after a match, except those involved in authorised operations of the HB and other audiovisual rights holders determined by UEFA.
No unauthorised media representatives are allowed on the field of play or in the area between the boundaries of the field and the spectators. Only media representatives who have been granted permission by UEFA, such as accredited photographers and audiovisual rights holders, are allowed in such areas to carry out their work in the specific locations assigned to them.
No media representatives are allowed in the players’ tunnel or the dressing-room area, except for flash interviews in UEFA-approved positions and for authorised HB operations.
The dressing rooms are off limits to media representatives before, during and after a match, except for authorised HB operations or in the framework of additional access agreed between UEFA and the respective association. A short presentation may be conducted in a team’s dressing room on matchday, before the team's arrival and subject to the agreement of the team in question. This filming will be supervised by UEFA and may be conducted only by the main audiovisual rights holder(s) of the relevant team’s country.

XV - Closing Provisions

Article 76 Implementing provisions

76.01 The UEFA administration is entrusted with the operational management of the competition and is therefore entitled to take the decisions and adopt the detailed provisions and guidelines necessary for implementing these regulations.

Article 77 Unforeseen circumstances

77.01 Any matters not provided for in these regulations, such as cases of force majeure, are settled by the UEFA General Secretary, whose decisions are final.

Article 78 Non-compliance

78.01 Any breach of these regulations may be penalised by UEFA in accordance with the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations.

Article 79 Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)

79.01 In the event of litigation resulting from or in relation to these regulations, the provisions regarding the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) laid down in the UEFA Statutes apply.

Article 80 Annexes

80.01 All annexes form an integral part of these regulations.

Article 81 Authoritative version

81.01 If there is any discrepancy in the interpretation of the English, French or German versions of these regulations, the English version prevails.

Article 82 Adoption and entry into force

82.01 These regulations were adopted by the UEFA Executive Committee on 4 February 2025 and came into force on 5 February 2025, with amendments approved on 29 July 2026, which come into force immediately.

For the UEFA Executive Committee:

Aleksander Čeferin

President

Theodore Theodoridis

General Secretary

Nyon, 29 July 2026

Annex A - Coefficient Ranking System

A.1 Principles

A.1.1 Matches taken into consideration

All matches played in UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying competitions (group stage and play-offs) and final tournaments are taken into consideration.

A.1.2 Reference period

An entire championship (qualifying competition plus final tournament) is referred to in this annex as a cycle. A half cycle consists of either a qualifying competition (group stage with or without play-offs) or a final tournament. For the calculation of the national team coefficient to be used for the below mentioned draws, as a rule, two and a half cycles are taken into account.

Qualifying group stage draw
- 2019-21 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (qualifying competition and final tournament)
- 2021-23 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (qualifying competition and final tournament)
- 2023-25 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (qualifying competition: group stage and play-offs)
Final draw
- 2021-23 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (qualifying competition and final tournament)
- 2023-25 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (qualifying competition and final tournament)
- 2025-27 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (qualifying competition: group stage only)

A.1.3 Match points

Points are awarded for each match played in the qualifying competition and final tournament. Match points are awarded only for matches that have actually been played. For each match, points are awarded as follows:

10,000 points are awarded to each national team irrespective of the result.
A win is worth 30,000 points and a draw 10,000 points.
For each goal scored, 501 points are added, and for each goal conceded, 500 points are deducted. This rule also applies to any goals scored during extra time.
For play-offs, points according to paragraphs b) and c) above are awarded after normal time for the first leg and after normal time, or extra time if applicable, for the second leg. No points are awarded for the penalty shoot-out.
If a knockout match in a final tournament ends with a penalty shoot-out, both teams are awarded 10,000 points (as for a draw). In addition, the winning team is awarded an extra 10,000 points. The goals scored in the penalty shoot-out do not count.

Example: Team A beats Team B, 4-1

	Team A	Team B
+ 10,000 points per match	10,000	10,000
+ 30,000 points per win	30,000	n/a
+ 501 points per goal scored	4 x 501	1 x 501
- 500 points per goal conceded	1 x (-500)	4 x (-500)
Total match points	41,504	8,501

A.1.4 Bonus points

To acknowledge the different levels of difficulty encountered in different stages of a competition and to give it a weighting in the calculation, bonus points as indicated in the table below are awarded to teams. Bonuses are guaranteed and do not depend on the result of the respective match.

Qualifying competition	Final tournament
Play-offs	Group stage	Quarter- finals	Semi- finals	Final
6,000	9,000	18,000	28,000	38,000

A.1.5 Cycle calculation

For each individual national team, the points obtained in all official matches during a given cycle (or half cycle) are added together and divided by the number of matches played during such period. The result is the coefficient of the cycle (or half cycle).

A.1.6 Weighting factor

More recent results are given greater consideration. The coefficient of the half cycle counts twice (weighting factor 2), the coefficient of the most recent cycle also counts twice (weighting factor 2) and the coefficient of the less recent cycle counts once (weighting factor 1).

A.2 Calculation method for compiling the rankings

The coefficients of the relevant two and a half cycles are each multiplied by their respective weighting factor, added up and divided by five (corresponding to the sum of the weighting factors). The result is the overall coefficient of the national team, which is used to compile the rankings.

A.3 Particular cases

For associations that have not participated in certain cycles in the relevant reference period, only cycles (and/or the half cycle) in which they were involved are taken into account with their respective weighting factor. The final result is divided by the sum of the weighting factors of the cycles (and/or the half cycle) concerned.
In the case of an association that has hosted or will host a UEFA European Under-21 Championship final tournament during one of the reference periods as mentioned under Annex A.1.2 and therefore has no points from the respective qualifying competition, the points earned in the most recent qualifying competition in which the association has taken part are used.

A.4 Same coefficient

If two or more associations have the same coefficient, the following criteria are applied to the most recent half cycle, in the order given, to separate them:

coefficient;
average goal difference;
average number of goals scored;
average number of away goals scored;
average disciplinary points based only on yellow and red cards received (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
drawing of lots.

Annex B - Pitch Organisation

1.	Advertising boards
2.	Technical area
3.	Team benches
4.	Warm-up areas
5.	Pitchside halfway camera
6.	Host broadcaster cameras
7.	Reverse-angle cameras
8.	Additional TV cameras (reserved area of minimum 10x2m)
9.	Remote photo and TV cameras in front of boards
10.	Photographers
Note: Diagram shows standard pitch set-up. All details subject to individual stadium conditions. All pitchside equipment to be positioned so that it does not present any danger to the players, coaches and match officials.