KUALA LUMPUR – Third time’s the charm as England will once again have a great opportunity to win their first men’s European Championship, as the United Kingdom and Ireland have been chosen as the hosts for Euro 2028.
UEFA’s decision to hand over the hosting rights to the UK and Ireland comes after Türkiye withdrew from the bidding process to focus on a joint bid with Italy for Euro 2032, which they were later awarded.
England have never won the continental tournament, having come closest in 1996 and 2020.
In 1996, the Three Lions were knocked out by eventual champions Germany in the semi-final at Wembley, and in Euro 2020 they lost to Italy on penalties in the final at the new Wembley.
According to Mail Sport, the official announcement regarding the hosting rights took place in Nyon, Switzerland, yesterday, following presentations made by the respective bids to UEFA’s executive committee.
English FA chief executive Mark Bullingham expressed his delight, emphasising the hard work that went into the bid and the ambition to make Euro 2028 one of the biggest and most successful European Championships ever.
“Fantastic for us and the country, the Home Nations and Ireland.
“We worked very hard to put together a really strong bid, and we think that’s why we ended up unopposed.”
Euro 2028 is poised to be the largest sporting event jointly hosted by the UK and Ireland, with a record three million tickets available to fans.
Ten stadiums are set to host matches, which were revealed months earlier.
One of the stadiums, Everton’s new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock, is yet to be constructed while Casement Park in Belfast is set to be redeveloped.
The other stadiums include Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, Newcastle’s St James’ Park, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Aston Villa’s Villa Park, Wembley, Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Glasgow’s Hampden Park and Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
These stadiums have an average capacity of 58,000, reflecting the bid’s commitment to reaching as many communities as possible.
While it remains uncertain whether all five countries involved in the UK and Ireland bid – England, Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland – will participate in the tournament, UEFA is unlikely to grant five automatic places for these nations in the 24-team competition.
However, according to reports, England will go through the qualification process to ensure that the team remain competitive.
The British and Irish bid received support from the prime ministers of the UK and Ireland, Rishi Sunak and Leo Varadkar, as well as the first ministers of Scotland and Wales, Humza Yousaf and Mark Drakeford.
The bid submission envisions Euro 2028 generating substantial socio-economic benefits of up to £2.6 billion (RM15.1 billion) for the host nations.
Additionally, sustainability is a top priority, with a promise that 80% of ticket holders will have access to matches via public transport.
It is worth noting that Euro 2024 will be hosted solely by Germany, following their successful bid in September 2018, defeating Türkiye in the voting process. – October 11, 2023