UK, Ireland secure joint hosting rights as confirmed by UEFA

UEFA has officially approved the joint bid from the United Kingdom and Ireland to host the Euro 2028 tournament.

England will collaborate with Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland in hosting the competition five years from now.

The successful bid was confirmed after the five-nation consortium presented their proposal to UEFA’s executive committee.

England’s bid was basically uncontested, as other potential hosts withdrew from the race. Turkey who were initially in the race, chose to partner with Italy to host the 2032 finals, leaving the UK and Ireland as the sole contenders.

The joint bid further outlined a total of ten stadiums to be utilized for the tournament, as earlier reported by Gistreel, with six located in England and four in Ireland.

The England stadiums are Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Etihad Stadium, St James’ Park, Villa Park, and Everton’s new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium are part of the comprehensive proposal.

Those of Ireland include the redeveloped Casement Park in Belfast, the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Hampden Park in Glasgow, and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

While traditionally host nations secure an automatic place in the tournament, the collaborative effort of five nations has raised concerns.

Meanwhile, UEFA has reserved two tournament spots should any of the host nations fail to qualify based on merit.

However, if three or more host nations are unable to qualify, these spots will be allocated to the highest-ranked nations in the competition. Although, the English Football Association has already expressed its intention to participate in the qualification process.