England will share the hosting of the Euro 2028 football tournament with Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, it has been announced.
The tournament is one of the most prestigious on the planet, second only to the World Cup.
The Euro 2020 tournament was originally planned to take place in a dozen countries across Europe, from Portugal to Azerbaijan, with Istanbul hosting the final.
Turkey had been bidding to host Euro 2028 but dropped out last week, leaving the path open to the joint UK/Ireland bid, which was confirmed at the UEFA’s headquarters in the Swiss town of Nyon on Tuesday.
Turkey will instead jointly host Euro 2032 along with Italy. Both bids ran unopposed but still needed official approval from the UEFA.
Former Wales captain Gareth Bale represented the UK and Ireland in Nyon, when it was confirmed that the Principality Stadium in Cardiff will host the opening match in June 2028, and the final will be held again at Wembley Stadium in London.
Although England and Scotland jointly hosted the same event in 1996, this will be the first time Wales, Northern Ireland, or the Republic of Ireland hosts a major football tournament.
The Venue
Windsor Park in Belfast, which currently hosts Northern Ireland international matches, is not big enough and there were originally plans to build a £300 million stadium on the site of the iconic Maze prison just outside Belfast.Those plans were shelved in 2009 and it was later agreed upon that a new 34,000-seater stadium would be built at Casement Park, a GAA (Gaelic football) venue which is in a nationalist area of west Belfast.
But Casement Park remains derelict and the project has been hit by legal and financial challenges, not helped by the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive at Stormont.
Sinn Fein’s first minister designate, Michelle O’Neill, posted a video on X and said, “Let’s get ready to be part of this historic and unforgettable opportunity of a lifetime.”
Last week, Ireland’s Prime Minister, or Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, said the government in Dublin would be prepared to foot some of the bill for rebuilding Casement Park.
Another of the host stadiums will be Everton’s new ground at Liverpool’s Bramley-Moore Dock, which is currently under construction.
The other stadiums that will host matches are Hampden Park in Glasgow, the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Villa Park in Birmingham, the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, and Newcastle’s St James’s Park.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed the tournament and Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer estimated it would boost the economy to the tune of £2.6 billion.
Mr. Sunak, who was visiting England’s training facility at St George’s Park in Staffordshire, said: “We host tournaments better than anyone else. It’s going to be a massive boost for the economy. We’re going to welcome millions of people to the country and it’s going to inspire a whole new generation.”
He said he hoped it repeated the excitement of last year’s women’s European championships, which England won.
Mr. Sunak glossed over the difficulties at Casement Park, saying: “All our stadiums are largely already built, and when we’ve done these in the past they have proven to be a huge boost to the whole country, and especially the places that are hosting the matches.”
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf said hosting the tournament would, “provide a range of opportunities, not only through the economic benefits of visiting fans but through a strong legacy programme that will help grow a more inclusive and diverse game right across the country.”
