Host nations for major football tournaments traditionally qualify automatically for the finals. However, given five nations were set to host Euro 2028, there had been uncertainty over how England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would be eligible.
Friday’s decision over Casement Park has only added to that uncertainty, and Nelson said it would be Uefa’s decision.
“I guess the only thing I can say at this point is that Northern Ireland will not be hosting games,” said Nelson, who added the IFA would be “relentless” in continuing to grow the sport across Northern Ireland.
“We definitely would hope to be part of the tournament in a playing capacity. We hope that every single time. That will be our aim.
“It is a little bit early to speak about what other parts of the tournament we can contribute to at this point.
“You can rest assured that we will be talking to all of the relevant partners to maximise what we can for Northern Ireland.”
When asked how much Northern Ireland’s and the IFA’s reputation will be hit by the saga surrounding Casement Park, Nelson said that the association was “well respected” within Uefa.
“Uefa has worked with us all the way through this bid,” he added.
“I think they will understand the position we are in. They will understand it is a government decision and, like us, they accept that in a democratic world governments make decisions.”