At the start of April 2021, UEFA stated they were considering allowing tournament squads to be expanded from the usual 23 players, used at every European Championship since 2004, following calls from national team managers in case of a possible COVID-19 outbreak in a team, as well as to reduce player fatigue caused by the fixture congestion of the prior season. On 27 April, it was reported that the UEFA National Team Competitions Committee had approved the expansion of squads to 26 players, subject to confirmation by the UEFA Executive Committee. On 4 May 2021, the Executive Committee confirmed the use of 26-player squads. However, teams still could only name a maximum of 23 players on the match sheet for each tournament fixture (of which 12 were substitutes), in line with the Laws of the Game.