UEFA has confirmed the UK and Ireland as the hosts for the 2028 European Championship. Meanwhile, Italy and Turkey have also been confirmed as the hosts for the 2032 competition.
Turkey’s pullout from the race for Euro 2028 and the joint bid by Italy and Turkey for Euro 2032 last week had already cemented these decisions prior to their final affirmation by UEFA’s executive committee on Tuesday.
The 2028 championship will be a remarkable event for the UK and Ireland as their first joint-hosted large-scale sports event. The tournament will be conducted across 10 stadia, including prominent arenas like London’s Wembley, Cardiff’s National Stadium of Wales, Glasgow’s Hampden Park, and Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Despite this broad host allocation, it still remains uncertain how the matches will be distributed among the five hosts.
“Nothing is ever a formality even right until the last minute. We took nothing for granted,” said Debbie Hewitt, chair of the English FA.
In the upcoming championship, UEFA has introduced a new strategy to maintain competitiveness. Navigating the presence of multiple hosts, the tournament framework will feature two “safety net” berths for host teams that do not succeed in earning their spots. However, if more than two host nations fail to qualify, only the two best-performing nations will be enlisted. This development implies that some host nations may not participate in the event.
Former Welsh star, who played for Real Madrid and Tottenham, Gareth Bale said the tournament would boost football in Wales.
“I think it’s important especially for Wales to keep on the map, to keep pushing forward, to keep trying and better ourselves,” he said.
Almost three million tickets will be available for this notable championship, representing the highest availability in European Championship history. Matches will be played in stadia with an average capacity of 58,000, according to The English FA.
In preparation for the 2032 tournament, Italy and Turkey have presented a selection of 20 stadiums. This list will eventually be whittled down to five per country by October 2026, according to UEFA. While Italy has hosted this prestigious tournament multiple times previously, Turkey is geared up to host Euro matches for the first time, adding a touch of novelty to the 2032 tournament.
Currently, the focus is on the European qualifiers for Euro 2024, which is set to be hosted across 10 stadiums in Germany.
