Featured image credit: UEFA
The UK & Ireland Bid to host UEFA Euro 2028 has today (Wednesday) submitted its preliminary dossier to European football’s governing body, with a shortlist of 14 stadia included.
The bid, under the vision of ‘Football for all. Football for good. Football for the future’, will see the current stadium shortlist cut further to a final list of 10 venues. Consultations with cities and stadia will continue into next year with a final list to be submitted to UEFA in April.
The proposed shortlisted cities and stadia are:
1. Birmingham – Villa Park
2. Liverpool – Everton Stadium
3. London – London Stadium
4. London – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
5. London – Wembley Stadium
6. Manchester – City of Manchester Stadium (Etihad Stadium)
7. Newcastle – St James’ Park
8. Sunderland – Stadium of Light
9. Trafford – Old Trafford
10. Dublin – Dublin Arena (Aviva Stadium)
11. Dublin – Croke Park
12. Belfast – Casement Park Stadium
13. Glasgow – Hampden Park
14. Cardiff – National Stadium of Wales (Principality Stadium)
Today’s announcement comes after England’s potential venues were whittled down to 10, according to multiple reports in September, with Stadium MK, home of League One football club MK Dons, still in contention.
Stadium MK is now missing off the shortlist, with Ireland having been expected to utilise Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set to have one venue apiece. The shortlist includes two venues that are yet to open in Everton’s new home and the long-delayed Casement Park project.
A joint statement from the football associations of England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales today said the bid has the support of government partners. The statement added: “Together, we believe we can deliver a world-class tournament, and that hosting UEFA Euro 2028 will achieve a strong and sustainable legacy for football and wider society, helping to drive economic growth in local communities.
“Working with UEFA, our plan is to host a tournament that will be a catalyst for transformational grassroots football development – with a promise to share legacy initiatives with European national associations to accelerate growth across the continent.
“The UK and Ireland’s track record of hosting successful major sporting events over many decades means we have the expertise and experience to take this world-class tournament to new heights.
“Our compact plan and pioneering, multi-partner collaboration can usher in a new era for the Euro. Through the latest digital and marketing innovations, we will help UEFA and its partners engage new audiences and the world’s youth to extend the impact and reach of the tournament further than ever before.
“Our stadia concept includes a proposed shortlist of 14 venues in famous sporting cities known throughout the world, including destinations that are home to clubs with great European football history and heritage.
“The plan ensures that all our proposed cities and stadia are connected by direct, quick and sustainable travel links and accommodation that will provide an unrivalled experience for teams and fans.”
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.
A vote on the hosting rights is scheduled for September 2023.
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