Ten English venues in contention for Euro 2028 bid

England’s potential venues for the UK and Ireland bid to host UEFA Euro 2028 have been whittled down to 10, according to multiple reports, with Stadium MK, home of League One football club MK Dons, still in contention.

The Times and The Telegraph have both reported on the latest movement in the bidding, as the UK and Irish bid seeks to compete against a rival effort from Turkey for the national team tournament.

The 10 stadiums still in contention are said to be: Wembley Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London Stadium, Villa Park, Stadium MK, Old Trafford, Etihad Stadium, the under-development Everton Stadium at Bramley Moore Dock, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light and Newcastle United’s St James’ Park.

The Times said that other stadia, such as Southampton’s St Mary’s, could still qualify for the list if hospitality facilities are upgraded. This list is expected to be further reduced to six or seven by European football’s governing body, with Ireland expected to utilise Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and Croke Park, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set to have one venue apiece.

The Times notes that some notable absentees from the 10 English stadia, such as Liverpool’s Anfield and Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, have failed to make the cut because their pitches are too small, while others, including Leeds United’s Elland Road, have been unable to gain the required backing from local authorities.

In March, the UK and Ireland’s pathway to co-hosting Euro 2028 was complicated with both Russia and Turkey announcing that they would bid for the tournament. UEFA confirmed it had received declarations of interest to host the 2028 and 2032 editions of the European Championship from four potential bidders.

The announcement from European football’s governing body came following the deadline for submissions. As expected, a joint declaration of interest was submitted by the football associations of England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales for Euro 2028.

Russia and Turkey declared their interest in hosting either the 2028 or 2032 edition of UEFAs flagship national team competition, while Italy, also as expected, announced its intention to bid for Euro 2032. However, Uefa subsequently terminated Russia’s bid for Euro 2028 or 2032 as part of further sanctions issued against the country in May for its invasion of Ukraine.

The preliminary bid dossier is due to be entered to UEFA by mid-November, with the final document due in April before the vote on the hosting rights next September.