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Football

02nd Mar 2021

Boris Johnson volunteers to host more Euro 2021 games, hints at World Cup bid

Reuben Pinder

There are worse ways to keep your polling high

Boris Johnson has volunteered England to host more games at this summer’s European championships, as UEFA move closer to a final decision on where the tournament will take place.

The tournament, initially supposed to take place last summer, was originally going to be spread across multiple venues in Europe. This is, for obvious reasons, less than ideal in the current climate.

Wembley is currently scheduled to host seven matches, including both semi-finals and the final, and the prime minister has said the country is ready to host more if needed.

“We are hosting the Euros. We are hosting the semis and the final,” he told the Sun.

“If there’s, you know, if they want any other matches that they want hosted, we’re certainly on for that but at the moment that’s where we are with UEFA.”

UEFA will make a final decision on the matter in mid April, with recent reports indicating that the governing body are leaning towards making England the tournament’s sole hosts. It would be the first time England have hosted a tournament since 1996.

In the same interview, Johnson also alluded to making a bid to host the 2030 World Cup 2030, as the FA issued a joint statement with their Scottish, Welsh and Irish colleagues.

Johnson said he was “very, very keen to bring football home in 2030.”

“I do think it’s the right place,” he said.

“It’s the home of football, it’s the right time. It will be an absolutely wonderful thing for the country.”