Football: after Turkey’s withdrawal, Euro 2028 will be hosted by the United Kingdom and Ireland

2023-10-04 17:33:42

There is no longer any possible doubt. Euro 2028 will be hosted by Ireland and the United Kingdom. According to the BBC, Turkey, the other potential candidate, preferred to withdraw from the 2028 edition to focus its efforts on the organization of Euro 2032. As for Russia, UEFA had not retained its candidacy a year ago due to the war with Ukraine.

UEFA has not yet validated this decision, but it is difficult to see how it could not do so. Without opposition, all that is missing is the green light from the body for Ireland and the United Kingdom to be officially designated. Normally, she is expected to rule shortly.

Last April, the British and Irish organizers selected ten stadiums including Hampden Park in Glasgow (Scotland), the Principality Stadium in Cardiff (Wales), the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (Ireland) and Wembley in London (England). Two stadiums must also be built: Casement Park in Belfast (Northern Ireland) and Bramley-Moore Dock in Everton (England).

The 18th edition of the Euro will take place in June and July 2028 with a number of qualified countries not yet determined. Indeed, UEFA is working on an expansion from 24 to 32 teams present. This would facilitate the presence of five organizing federations, namely England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the four federations representing the United Kingdom in addition to that of the Republic of Ireland.

For Turkey, the course is therefore set for the 2032 edition with a major change. The Turks have decided to join Italy, which was a candidate for 2032. The two countries will thus propose a single candidacy. The two countries validated this project in July and are awaiting agreement from UEFA.

Although Turkey hosted the final of the last Champions League in June between Manchester City and Inter Milan, it has never organized a major international tournament (World Cup or Euro). Italy had already been selected for the 1968 and 1980 editions as well as for a few meetings in Rome during the 2020 edition.