The United Kingdom and Ireland will host Euro 2028; Türkiye and Italy in 2032

In a modest and unsurprising ceremony, where the nominees were unique, UEFA announced on Tuesday (10) that the nominees Euro 2028 It will be jointly organized by United Kingdom and Irelandhe is from 2032 It will be the headquarters Italy and Turkey.

These choices underscore the trend of major sporting competitions, which are jointly organized by several countries as a means of making projects viable.

From Wembley (London) to City Stadium (Manchester), via St. James’ Park (Newcastle), Hampden Park (Glasgow), Dublin Arena, National Stadium (Cardiff) and Casement Park (Belfast), the ten stadiums that will host the continental competition in 2028. Well-known and iconic, whether in football, rugby or Gaelic games.

“This will be the biggest event ever organized by our two islands working together,” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on social media network X (formerly Twitter).

British Sports Minister Lucy Fraser said: “Football is an integral part of our way of life… It will be an amazing tournament thanks to the famous stadiums that will be filled with the best spectators in the world.”

Details to be determined and questions

The details of the competition in 2032 are less known. Italy and Turkey They began the race to host the competition separately, before uniting their efforts last July, without revealing the host cities, while disturbing the 1,400 kilometers that separate the capitals of the two countries.

“The heart of football will beat in Turkey in 2032!”, Turkish Sports Minister Osman Askin Pak reacted on Tuesday, in a message published on the X website.

By choosing Tuesday, Türkiye achieves a long-awaited goal. She was a defeated candidate in 2008, 2012 and 2016. In 2021, when the competition was held in 12 cities on the continent, UEFA’s evaluation report found “the absence of a human rights action plan.”

Its “partner” Italy has already organized the competition 1968 that it 1980. Additionally, Rome hosted matches in 2021 as the tournament was played across the continent to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

There are some questions surrounding both countries: the recent travel ban imposed in Rome regarding European competitions is worrying foreign fans, as is “organizational difficulties in Istanbul during the 2019 Super Cup.”

“Sharing the weight of the organization makes sense, especially in a context in which local populations expect a reduced influence in major competitions. But geographical cohesion is essential,” sums up the director of the Football Supporters’ Association in Europe, Ronan Even, who asks: UEFA to analyze “the issue of human rights.” “Humans and Police Culture” in naming the organizing countries.

Football at home

With the world Cup The number of participants will increase from 2026 48 choicesThe European Cup maintains the final stage with 24 countries Since 2016, which is equivalent to 51 matchesBefore 104 of the World Cup.

Therefore, the five federations of British Islands (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland) focused their candidacy for Parliament European Cup in 2022after initially betting on World Cup 2030whose organization was ranked last week by Spain, Morocco and Portugal, with three opening matches in South America (Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay).

They then argued that it is the “third largest sporting event in the world”, which provides a “similar return on investment” to the World Cup.

Thirty-two years after Euro 1996, in England, and seven years after Euro 2020 – held in 2021 due to the pandemic – it has spread across the continent, but has been concentrated from the semi-finals onwards at Wembley Stadium, in London, the competition. European main international. It goes back to the region where football was invented.