Spain hosts the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Bilbao

Just hours before the UEFA Europa League final is to be played at the San Mamés Stadium, the city of Bilbao hosted the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday morning.

This meeting of the Executive Committee, one of four held by the organisation each year, was also the first attended by RFEF president Rafael Louzán, following his election on 3 April.

It therefore fell to the head of the Royal Spanish Football Federation to welcome those in attendance with words of thanks for “the warm welcome from the city of Bilbao, its institutions, and all of you for being here. I would especially like to thank President Aleksander Čeferin and all of you for the support given to Spain so that we could meet in this place. We hope that today’s meeting proves fruitful for UEFA’s interests in a welcoming country such as Spain. We will do everything we can to ensure you leave with fond memories of this country and that you want to return soon.”

Among the decisions made during the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Bilbao, a key highlight was the increase squad size allowed for the final phase of the Nations League, which the Spanish national team will contest this June in Germany. In view of the demanding schedule, the number of players called up will increase from 23 to 26 for the Final Four.

In addition, the competition format was set for the qualifying campaign for the next European Championships, to be hosted by the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in 2028, and a permanent set of sports facility observers was also established, among other agreements.

The next UEFA Executive Committee meeting is scheduled to take place on 11 September in the Albanian capital, Tirana.