UEFA has revealed that the United Kingdom and Ireland will be the hosts for the 2028 European Championship, while Italy and Turkey have been designated as the hosts for the 2032 edition of the tournament.
The path to this decision was largely predetermined when UEFA accepted the joint bid from Italy and Turkey for Euro 2032 last week.
Consequently, with Turkey withdrawing from the competition to host Euro 2028, the hosts for both tournaments were effectively determined by European football’s governing body.
With Turkey’s withdrawal from the race for Euro 2028, the only remaining joint bidders for that tournament were England, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
However, the final approval for both sets of bids still rested with UEFA’s executive committee, which convened on Tuesday to confirm the selections.
“Nothing is ever a formality, even right until the last minute,” said Debbie Hewitt, chair of the English Football Association (FA). “We took nothing for granted.”
Hewitt said efforts to organise the tournament had united the five soccer associations.
“There’s so many things that you might think might divide, but actually it has really unified,” she said. “I think that will be something that we all feel very proud of.”
Euro 2028 will be the largest major sporting event the U.K. and Ireland have ever jointly staged.
Former Welsh international Gareth Bale, who retired in January, said the tournament would boost soccer in Wales.
“I think it’s important, especially for Wales, to keep on the map, to keep pushing forward, to keep trying and to better ourselves,” he said.
The FA said some 3 million tickets would be available for the tournament, more than at any previous European Championship. Matches will be held in stadiums with an average capacity of 58,000, it added.