UK & Ireland Confirmed As Hosts Of UEFA EURO 2028
UEFA has today confirmed the UK and Ireland will host UEFA EURO 2028.
Following a meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee at its headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, as a unique and pioneering five-Association partnership, was awarded the 2028 tournament.
The UEFA ExCo decision took place after a presentation by the UK and Ireland Football Association leaders and Welsh football star, Gareth Bale.
The UK and Ireland bid delegation also included six football youth ambassadors who play an active role supporting the development and diversity of the game in their local communities.
Gareth Bale and the youth ambassadors received the UEFA EURO 2028 pennant from UEFA President, Aleksander Čeferin, to officially mark the awarding of the tournament to the UK and Ireland.
The UEFA EURO 2028 bid was successful thanks to its clear and compelling vision to help domestic and European football grow a more diverse and inclusive game, connect with new audiences and inspire the next generation of players, fans and volunteers.
The UK and Ireland expressed this vision as ‘Football for all. Football for good. Football for the future’.
The UK and Ireland was also awarded the tournament based on the nations’ collective wealth of operational experience and world-class technical facilities – with a long track-record of staging successful major sporting events, including the ground-breaking UEFA Women’s EURO 2022.
Of the ten venues chosen, the average stadia capacity of 58,000 will mean more fans than ever before will attend matches, with approximately three million tickets made available during the tournament, more than any previous UEFA EURO.
The UK and Ireland partnership also has strong sustainability strategies, which will be developed further in the lead up to 2028. These include:
– A 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
– Launching a personal carbon footprint tracker for every spectator and proposing plans for carbon reduction
– Adhering to UEFA’s major event human rights principles to ensure an inclusive, discrimination-free and equal work environment for colleagues and volunteers
UEFA EURO 2028 is predicted to generate cumulative socio-economic benefits of up to £2.6bn (€3bn) for the UK and Ireland.
Bid partners have already invested or committed more than £500m (€567m) between 2019 and 2025 to improve and upgrade grassroots facilities – with the aim of expanding investment programmes as UEFA EURO 2028 approaches.
A further £45m (€51m) legacy fund will be invested to develop football and create additional benefits.
Stadium Hosting Games (Capacity)
London – Wembley Stadium (90,652)
Cardiff – National Stadium of Wales (73,952)
London – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (62,322)
Manchester – City of Manchester Stadium (61,000)
Liverpool – Everton Stadium (52,679)
Newcastle – St. James’ Park (52,305)
Birmingham – Villa Park (52,190)
Glasgow – Hampden Park (52,032)
Dublin – Dublin Arena (51,711)
Belfast – Casement Park (34,500)
