The United Kingdom and Ireland have submitted their final bid to co-host Euro 2028, setting out plans to stage a “record-breaking and unforgettable” tournament.
The bid includes matches across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, with more tickets available than for any previous European Championship finals. Wembley, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, St James’ Park, Villa Park and Everton’s new stadium will all host matches in England, as will Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, which has been preferred to Old Trafford.
The Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Hampden Park in Glasgow, Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and Casement Park in Belfast – which requires building work – are the other venues being proposed in the bid.
“Our pioneering five-way partnership will deliver a record-breaking and unforgettable Uefa Euro,” Debbie Hewitt, chair of UK and Ireland bid, said in a statement. “We will work together tirelessly to be the best partners for Uefa and to deliver on every one of our shared priorities. We will focus on growing football, connecting with and engaging new fans, players and volunteers.
“We continue to invest ?50m (EUR57m) annually into grassroots football development across our five associations. Together, we want Uefa Euro 2028 to be the catalyst for a new and sustainable era for football, from the grassroots to the very top of the European game.”
Support from all governments involved in the bid came in the form of a joint statement from prime minister Rishi Sunak, Scotland first minister Humza Yousaf, First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
“Together, our nations will host an outstanding Uefa Euro 2028,” it read.”It will be the biggest sporting event our islands have ever jointly staged – a passionate and unforgettable celebration, with long-term benefits for our cities and communities as well as all European football. Our governments are fully committed to hosting Uefa Euro 2028. Drawing on our collective experience of hosting major events, we will work with our five Football Associations and Uefa to deliver the best possible tournament – a welcoming, exciting and safe football festival that players, fans and the entire Uefa family will enjoy in every city and at every game.
“We will be honoured to deliver a tournament that truly brings our vision to life. Together with Uefa, we will build upon the proud traditions of using the power of football to inspire, and create new opportunities for football and communities across the UK and Ireland, now and for future generations. Our unique and unprecedented Uefa Euro 2028 will welcome the world to iconic destinations and, above all, bring people together.”
The bid carries the slogan ‘Football for all, football for good, football for the future’, and claims 80% of ticket-holders would be able to travel to matches by public transport. It also predicts benefits of up to ?2.6bn for the nations involved.
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Old Trafford, which has the second-highest capacity of all football stadiums in England, had initially been put forward as a potential venue, but Manchester United decided to withdraw from the shortlist following talks with the FA. The club said in a statement last week: “Manchester United were pleased to put Old Trafford forward as a potential host of Uefa Euro 2028 matches and proud of the strong case we made.
“However, during follow-up discussions with the FA, it became clear that we were unable to provide the necessary certainty around the availability of Old Trafford due to potential redevelopment of the stadium.”
Casement Park has stood unused as a major sporting venue since 2013, with development work delayed over funding issues, but has still been included in the 10-stadia bid.
