The island of Jersey will have its appeal to be allowed to join UEFA heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) next month.
Jersey, a British dependency of 102,000 people near France, applied to join UEFA in 2915, a time when Kosovo was moving towards full membership.
UEFA allows membership only to countries recognised as independent by most United Nations member states. It has updated its statutes since the original application by Gibraltar, which joined in 2013.
Jersey's football federation is part of the English Football Association.
If CAS upholds its appeal, it would be eligible for up to €11.1 million in UEFA funding every four years.