The UK and Republic of Ireland have agreed to abandon plans to host the 2030 World Cup and instead focus on a bid for Euro 2028.
It is rumoured that Euro 2028 may expand from 24 to 32 teams, making a bid from multiple “geographically compact” countries attractive.
England hosted eight Euro 2020 games at Wembley including three group games, two round of 16 matches, both semi-finals and the final against Italy.
Here’s what we know about Euro 2028 so far:
Euro 2028 key dates
- 23 March 2022: Uefa deadline to submit applications
- 30 March 2022: Requirements are made available to bidders
- 5 April 2022: UEFA announces the bidders
- 12 April 2023: Final bid dossier submission deadline
- September 2023: Hosts are appointed
According to Uefa guidelines, joint bids are considered so long as “the bidding countries are geographically compact” which of course, would apply to the UK and Republic of Ireland.
There have been three previous tournaments where hosting duties have been shared: Euro 2000 (Belgium and the Netherlands), Euro 2008 (Austria and Switzerland) and Euro 2012 (Poland and Ukraine).
On each of those occasions, the host nations qualified automatically for the tournament.
However, with England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all involved in the bidding for Euro 2028, “the automatic qualification of all the host teams cannot be guaranteed”.
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Turkey:
After Germany pipped Turkey to host Euro 2024 chairman of the Turkish football federation, Nihat Ozdemir said: “Our goal is to host Euro 2028 and we will organise it properly.”
In 2019 they hosted the Liverpool vs Chelsea Uefa Super Cup at the 42,000 capacity Vodafone Park stadium which Ozdemir hoped would be a good reference for future events.
Italy:
Being the host of Euro 2028 would allow Euro 2020 champions Italy to modernise sites and stadiums that do not meet the quality and safety standards of other European countries.
President of the Italian national Olympic committee, Giovanni Malago said: “The assignment of the European Championships 2028 is the only possibility with the World Cup and the Olympics to have an acceleration with respect to the procedures concerning the theme of stadiums.”
Spain:
Spain want to host their first major international tournament since the 1982 World Cup and could lean on neighbours Portugal to make their bid more appealing.
This rumour came after Fifa president, Gianni Infantino and the president of the Royal Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales met in 2018 but it seems Spain have turned their attention to the World Cup.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said Europe would be represented by just one candidacy to host the World Cup which is Spain.
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Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland:
The Danish Football Association (DBU) revealed their interest via a media statement after meeting with the chairs of the Nordic FAs six years ago.
The joint bid will focus on “sustainability, volunteerism and well-being”.
DBU chairman, Jesper Moller Christensen said: “The Euros is one of the biggest events in the world of football and it is great for all of us who love football.”
Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania:
Greece’s deputy sports minister, George Vassiliadis said that a memorandum of understanding had been signed in 2019 between the countries to host either the Euros or the World Cup.
He said: “This is a very big day, we are moving forward to achieve our dream. We want to bring better days to the Balkan region and we can be optimistic for the future.
Bulgaria and Italy previously hosted the 2018 World volleyball championship
Bulgaria’s former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov was open to discussing the proposal with former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and mentioned the 2018 World volleyball championship as an example of their capability to joint host a tournament.
Why did UK and Ireland drop bid for World Cup 2030?
China, Spain and Portugal, and a joint South American bid are now the frontrunners to host World Cup 2030.
The English FA statement said: “Hosting a Uefa EURO offers a similar return on investment, with the European tournament carrying a far lower delivery cost and the potential of the benefits being realised sooner”.
The government said that it would invest £550m in grassroots football if the 2030 bid was successful but the “feasibility study” accounting for economic impact, the political football landscape and likely cost has found the potential bid to be futile.
Last year Boris Johnson said about a potential World Cup bid: “I do think it’s the right place. It’s the home of football, it’s the right time.”
However, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee chair Julian Knight last month labelled it a “giant expensive vanity project”.
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