UK and Ireland to host the 2028 European Championship

Football fans from the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland are delighted as UEFA have announced the home nations as host of Euro 2028.

UK and Ireland were left unopposed after Turkey pulled out of the bidding to focus on a joint bid with Italy for Euro 2032.

Staging a major sporting event, usually means the hosts will qualify automatically. However, it is not yet known if all five countries involved in the bid – England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland will play in the tournament, as it’s unlikely UEFA will offer more than two places, meaning three could miss out.

The tournament is scheduled to be played in June and July of 2028 and across ten stadiums, with six of those grounds being in England and then one each for the remaining four nations.

The proposed venues are:

Wembley Stadium (London)
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London)
Villa Park (Birmingham)
Everton Stadium (Liverpool)
Etihad Stadium (Manchester)
St. James’ Park (Newcastle)
Principality Stadium (Cardiff)
Hampden Park (Glasgow)
Aviva Stadium (Dublin)
Casement Park (Belfast)

The list of stadiums have left some football fans baffled as the selection process has excluded some of the UK’s most iconic home grounds such as Anfield, Old Trafford and Celtic Park, which all have a higher capacity then half of the stadiums named.

It’s understood that Cardiff’s Principality stadium will host the opening match, with final taking place under the legendary arch of Wembley.

It’s been reported that events hosted by multiple countries have been criticised because of their carbon footprint. Although, it’s predicted the tournament could generate an additional £2.6 billion in socio- economic benefits with sustainability being places as a top priority.

There’s a promise that 80% of ticket holders will be able to travel to the matches by public transport as a way to reduce emissions.

It was just two years ago that England and Scotland hosted matches at the delayed Euro 2020 with the final held at London’s Wembley and the nation will be keen to right the wrongs of that event and get their hands on the Henri Delaunay Trophy.