The final bid from the Ireland UK to host EURO 2028 has been submitted to UEFA.
The bid, involving five football associations sees 10 stadia proposed.
The Irish Stadia to be used will be the Aviva Stadium, and Casement Park in Belfast along with Wembley Stadium, Hampden, the Principality stadium and Tottenham Hostpur Stadium.
With the average capacity being 58,000 across the 10 stadia, it means that almost 3 million tickets will be available for the games, more than any other European Championships.
The statement from the FAI reads:
Today, the Ireland & UK final bid to host UEFA EURO 2028 has been submitted. The bid is a detailed plan that shows how our nations are collaborating to stage an historic football festival for all of Europe and take the tournament to new heights.
An online presentation of our compelling bid, including a joint statement of support by our Heads of Governments, is here: UK & Ireland UEFA EURO 2028 Bid Brochure
We are delighted to propose to UEFA and the European football family a world-class stadia concept tailormade for EURO 2028. This plan is enhanced by our excellent technical facilities and operational experience.
The proposed host cities and 10 stadia across the five partner Associations are (gross capacity order):
1. London - Wembley Stadium (90,652)
2. Cardiff - National Stadium of Wales (73,952)
3. London - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (62,322)
4. Manchester - City of Manchester Stadium (61,000)
5. Liverpool - Everton Stadium (52,679)
6. Newcastle - St James' Park (52,305)
7. Birmingham - Villa Park (52,190)
8. Glasgow - Hampden Park (52,032)
9. Dublin - Dublin Arena (51,711)
10. Belfast - Casement Park (34,500)
High-capacity, world-famous football grounds and state-of-the-art new venues will provide the platform for the biggest and most commercially successful UEFA EURO ever – making us a low risk, high reward host:
• Almost three million tournament tickets available – more than any previous UEFA EURO
• Average stadia capacity of 58,000 so more fans than ever before will attend matches
• Matches hosted around our nations and regions to reach as many communities as possible
Our bid also places sustainability and good governance practice as top priorities:
• Compact and connected transport plan – more than 80% of ticket holders able to travel to matches by public transport
• Proposed match schedule to reduce emissions
• Adhering to UEFA’s major event human rights principles to ensure an inclusive, discrimination-free and equal work environment for colleagues and volunteers
Ireland & UK share a proud reputation as world-leading event destinations which have successfully staged some of the biggest global sporting tournaments – backed by strong government support.
Our vision – ‘Football for all, Football for good. Football for the future’ – is a promise to help our Associations and UEFA grow a more diverse and inclusive game as well as connect with new audiences and the next generation of fans and volunteers.
To mark the bid submission moment, the Captains of our men’s national football teams showed their support for the Ireland & UK bid:
1. Séamus Coleman, Ireland
2. Harry Kane, England
3. Steven Davis, Northern Ireland
4. Andy Robertson, Scotland
5. Aaron Ramsey, Wales
We are delighted that our Government Partners are fully committed to hosting UEFA EURO 2028. They have signed the relevant tournament guarantees and will ensure the event is fully supported. This will create a welcoming, exciting and safe football experience that players and fans will enjoy in every city and every game.
We will work with our Governments’ to ensure there is a strong legacy investment from hosting the tournament, we share and support UEFA’s plan that hosting UEFA EURO 2028 is a significant opportunity to transform football development and generate meaningful economic, environmental and social benefits:
• We predict UEFA EURO 2028 will generate cumulative socio-economic benefits of up to €3 billion (£2.6 billion) for our nations, €241 million of which will be generated in Ireland*
• A €51 million (£45 million) legacy fund will be invested to develop football and create additional legacies for grassroots football
• The tournament will help create positive long-term community impact through volunteering, tourism and other training opportunities that provide people with skills for life
We look forward to continuing our engagement with UEFA and listening and learning from the European football family to enhance our bid plans.
CO-SIGNED BY FOOTBALL ASSOCIATIONS OF IRELAND, ENGLAND, NORTHERN IRELAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES
