Uefa confirms UK & Ireland will host Euro 2028
Uefa has confirmed the UK and Republic of Ireland will host the 2028 European Championship.
The joint bid ran unopposed after Turkey withdrew to focus on a joint bid with Italy for Euro 2032 – which Uefa also confirmed.
The UK & Ireland focused on Euro 2028 after they ended a plan to be Europe’s preferred candidate for the 2030 World Cup.
The Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales have never hosted a major football tournament.
Matches at Euro 2028 are set to be held at 10 different grounds, including Glasgow’s Hampden Park and Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. Belfast’s Casement Park and Everton’s Bramley-Moore Dock, the former unbuilt while the latter is still under construction, were also included in the bid.
England were one of the 11 countries to host Euro 2020 along with Scotland, as well as being sole hosts of the 1966 World Cup and Euro ’96. England also hosted the record-breaking Women’s European Championship in 2022.
UK and Ireland Euro 2028 host stadiums
1. Wembley Stadium (London) (capacity 90,652)
2. Principality Stadium (Cardiff) (73,952)
3. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London) (62,322)
4. Etihad Stadium (Manchester) (61,000)
5. Everton Stadium (Liverpool) (52,679)
6. St James’ Park (Newcastle) (52,305)
7. Villa Park (Birmingham) (52,190)
8. Hampden Park (Glasgow) (52,032)
9. Aviva Stadium (Dublin) (51,711)
10. Casement Park (Belfast) (34,500)
Will all five home nations get automatic qualification?
Usually, those hosting a major tournament get automatic qualification. But will five co-hosts it’s not guaranteed.
In its bid guidelines, Uefa says: “In case of more than two joint-host associations, the automatic qualification of all the host teams cannot be guaranteed and shall be subject to a decision to be made in conjunction with decisions concerning the qualifying competition.”
It is unlikely Uefa will offer more than two places, so three could miss out.
It is understood the FA wants England to go through the qualifying process rather than being given an automatic qualification as they believe it will provide the team with better preparation for the tournament than a series of friendlies.
