The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland will now bid unopposed for Euro 2028 after Turkey withdrew to focus on a joint bid with Italy for Euro 2032.
Turkey agreed to merge its Euro 2032 bid with Italy in July and that has now been approved by the governing body, UEFA — this leaves England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland as the sole bidders to stage the 2028 tournament.
The development has been met with excitement amongst British and Irish football fans, however, concerns have been raised about the capacity of police to handle the event, following the chaotic scenes at the final of the Euros at Wembley Stadium in 2021.
A statement by Europe’s football governing body said: “Further to the announcement on July 28 which revealed the desire of the Italian and Turkish FAs to submit a joint bid to stage UEFA Euro 2032, the UEFA administration has today written to both associations to confirm that their joint bid has been duly received and will go forward for assessment and consideration by the UEFA Executive Committee.
“As indicated by the FA of Turkiye with its submission of the request for a joint bid, their bid to stage UEFA Euro 2028 is consequently withdrawn.”
If the 2028 bid by the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland is approved, 10 stadia across the five nations would host matches; Wembley, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Etihad Stadium, Everton’s new Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium, Villa Park, and St James’ Park in England.
The remainder is a redeveloped Casement Park in Belfast, the Avia Stadium in the Republic of Ireland, Hampden Park in Scotland, and the Cardiff National Stadium in Wales.
The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland released a joint statement in response to UEFA’s update, which said: “We are looking forward to presenting our bid to UEFA on October 10. These are exciting times, and we have a very compelling Euro 2028 proposal for UEFA. Our bid is groundbreaking for the men’s European Championships and will deliver lasting legacies across the whole of Ireland and the UK.”
In other sports news, FIFA’s 2030 World Cup will be hosted across three countries.
