The UEFA, Europe's top football organisation, disclosed on Tuesday that the United Kingdom and Ireland have been chosen to host the Euros 2028. Adding to this, Italy and Turkey will collaborate for the European championship in 2032. In a strategic move, Turkey opted out of contention for the 2028 edition to solidify ties with Italy for a joint bid.
Cities such as Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Newcastle are potential contenders to play host.
The scales seemed tilted towards Italy for the 2032 event, despite looming uncertainties over the nation's capability to wrap up an expansive infrastructure venture. The challenge lies in erecting and refurbishing the requisite stadiums to accommodate a 24-team, 51-match extravaganza.
Offering a sense of certainty, UEFA perceives stability, given that both Italy and Turkey would need to present merely five stadiums each. This is in light of UEFA's guidelines that permit co-hosting only by neighbouring member federations.
The sprawling distance separating Rome and Istanbul stands at roughly 1,400 kilometres (870 miles), spanning the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, with air travel clocking over two hours.
While both Italy and Turkey have gained automatic berths in Euro 2032 due to their host status, UEFA has decided against offering five auto-entries for the 2028 edition. One potential course of action could involve placing all five into conventional qualifying brackets and bestowing automatic slots to the top performers amongst the non-qualifiers.
The 2020 edition of the Euros, postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, saw Italy emerge as victors, beating England on penalties in the final. That edition of the tournament was held across multiple cities in Europe to mark the 60th anniversary of the Euros.
Meanwhile, the Euros 2024 will be hosted by Germany across 10 cities: Berlin, Dortmund, Munich, Cologne, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Düsseldorf. The Olympiastadion, home of Hertha Berlina HSC in Berlin, will host the final of the mega tournament.
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