No other rival bids came in to host the tournament
The United Kingdom and Ireland are set to be confirmed by UEFA as hosts for the 2028 European Championships after the governing body received no rival bids.
When will the announcement be made?
Barring any last-minute entry before the deadline (Wednesday March 23) UEFA will be expected to announce that the five nations of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland will host the tournament on April 7.
As per The Times, Italy are also set to confirm that they will make a bid to host the 2032 European Championships after they ruled out going head-to-head against the UK and Ireland for 2028.
Turkey are also considering launching a bid to host the 2032 Euros whereas Russia had also pondered rivalling the British and Irish bid for the 2028 tournament. This, given Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, is no longer possible.
UEFA are expected to expand the tournament from 24 to 32 nations, starting from the next instalment of the competition in Germany in 2024.
However, despite the increase in nations, it is unlikely that UEFA will allow any of the five nations from the British and Irish bid to automatically qualify in 2028 due to their rules on co-hosting tournaments.
Will England still bid to host the 2030 World Cup?
With it seeming a foregone conclusion that the UK and Ireland will host Euro 2028, it is expected that a bid to host the 2030 World Cup will be dropped with people involved believing there is better opportunities for the nations by hosting the Euros instead.
Roughly two thirds of the games would be played in English stadiums, with the final taking place at Wembley Stadium. Mark Bullingham, the Football Association’s chief executive said last month: “We believe we can put together an incredibly strong tournament in many ways.
“We also know we can deliver a really strong commercial return to Uefa and we feel that puts us in a strong position.
“UEFA are being very transparent with all 55 countries that they want to use the 2024 [in Germany] and 2028 men’s Euros to rebuild their coffers and rebuild their reserves, which they’ve had to use during the pandemic.”
Related links:
- UEFA announce rule changes in light of war in Ukraine
- UEFA considering relocating Conference League final to Greece
- ‘Off the table’: UEFA president Ceferin says biennial World Cup idea is dead
