The United Kingdom and Ireland will host the 2028 European Championship, while Italy and Turkey will stage the 2032 edition of the tournament, UEFA confirmed on Tuesday. The UK-Ireland bid ran unopposed, while the Italy-Turkey plan had no rivals. UEFA’s executive committee will be asked to approve the hosts for both tournaments at a meeting next week in Nyon, Switzerland.
The British and Irish federations have compiled a strong case for hosting, highlighting the economic benefits for the countries, including PS2.6 billion worth of new infrastructure and more than 100 jobs created in construction alone. They also have a track record of staging significant events, from the Olympics to the World Cup and Champions League finals. The FA chairwoman, Debbie Hewitt, praised the work of the bidding team in a statement released to the media. “Our bid was ambitious and pioneering, putting the UK and Ireland in the spotlight of the football world,” she said. “We have demonstrated our ability to deliver the highest standards – a massive boost for our game and our country.”
In their bid presentation, England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland were all given equal billing, with Wembley and Old Trafford as the focal points. The FA’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, was part of the delegation that visited the governing body’s headquarters in Nyon to make the presentation. A video was used to build up the excitement for the tournament, which featured ten proposed venues, including Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, the club venues of Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Newcastle, as well as the under-construction new home of Everton at Bramley-Moore dock in Liverpool. The Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Hampden Park in Glasgow, and Casement Park in Belfast were also included, with Ireland getting to show off their capital, Dublin.
UEFA’s rules forbid two nations from qualifying automatically if they have a joint bid for the tournament. Still, England has already told the governing body that they want to compete with their four co-hosts. That could raise the risk that one of the five would miss out on hosting, although it was unlikely that they would be allowed to withdraw from qualification unless they could not find an alternative.
Italy is the reigning champion of Europe, having defeated England in the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley. The reigning champions will not be expected to take part in 2032, however. The Italian and Turkish federations will instead be required to submit a separate bid for the 2032 tournament, which is expected to be awarded in December. That will likely run alongside the joint UK-Ireland bid, although the winners of that race will be revealed in January.
