Today, the UK and Ireland’s final bid to host UEFA EURO 2028 has been confirmed as successful, meaning we will host the European tournament. Turkey earlier pulled out of the bidding war, opting to join forces with Italy for the 2032 EURO bid, which has also been confirmed, meaning the four-yearly European football competition will take place in the UK. Ten stadia across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, including one in Manchester, are set to host matches for the prestigious tournament.
High-capacity, world-famous football grounds and state-of-the-art new venues across the five nations have been selected to host on-the-pitch action, one of which being the home of Manchester City Football Club, the Etihad Stadium. With a whopping 61,000 capacity, the Manchester stadium, which recently revealed plans to expand, is expected to be used for top tier matches during the UEFA EURO 2028 tournament.
Manchester City Council Leader, Bev Craig, said of the original bid: “Manchester is a great sporting city and is known the world over for its passion for football. We’re really excited to be part of the UK & Ireland bid to host the UEFA EURO 2028 tournament – which if successful will provide not just a fantastic boost for the city’s economy, but also a chance for fans of the sport, new and old, to get directly involved in what is sure to be some top tournament action here on our doorstep.
“We’ve seen first-hand the positive impact of hosting top-flight international matches here in Manchester during last year’s ground-breaking UEFA Women’s EURO tournament. Both fans and the city’s young players gained so much from it. Our goal for 2028 is to build further on this, and to help create a tournament to remember with a lasting legacy alongside it that helps further develop the sport from the grassroots up.”
As part of the UK and Ireland’s joint bid, the nations aim to make almost three million tournament tickets available – more than any previous UEFA EURO tournament. Plus, the potential hosts hope to offer an average stadia capacity of 58,000 and host matches across multiple nations and regions to reach as many communities as possible.
The other stadiums set to host games at UEFA EURO 2028 alongside the Etihad Stadium in Manchester are: Wembley Stadium (London), National Stadium of Wales (Cardiff), Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London), St James’ Park (Newcastle), Villa Park (Birmingham), Hampden Park (Glasgow), Dublin Arena (Dublin), and as yet unbuilt stadiums Casement Park (Belfast) and Everton’s Bramley-Moore Dock (Liverpool).
UEFA have confirmed the decision after discourse began following Turkey’s withdrawal last week, meaning that one way or another, it’s coming home.