Euro 2008 co-hosts Switzerland and Austria are finalising a wild-card invitation for England at this summer's championships.

England, who famously failed to qualify for the championships after a 3-2 home loss to Croatia, will be invited to play in Group A, with Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Turkey.

The opening match of the European Championships will now be a clash between England and Switzerland on June 7th in Basel, replacing the scheduled fixture with the Czech Republic.

The move comes following a disastrous qualification campaign that ultimately cost boss Steve McClaren his job, leading to concerns from organisers and sponsors that advertising revenue and local beer sales would be severely damaged by England's absence.

This story was, of course, an April Fool's gag...

Bastien Lacheny / Eurosport