The UK and Ireland are now set to host Euro 2028 after their previous rivals Turkey opted to join Italy’s bid for Euro 2032 instead. On Friday, Turkey sent a formal request to UEFA to form a joint bid to host the tournament in nine year’s time, all but sending the 2028 edition to Western Europe.
The relevant Football Associations had been confident of beating Turkey to the bid, but now run unopposed as games are set to be held in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Although a formal decision to confirm the hosts will not take place until October, UEFA’s statement after talks with Turkey and Italy effectively ensures that there is a chance that Wembley could host the tournament’s final for the second time in seven years, after holding the 2020 edition where England were defeated by Italy in 2021.
A statement by UEFA read: “UEFA confirms that it has received today a request from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) to merge their individual bids into one joint bid to host UEFA EURO 2032.
“In 2021, UEFA initiated a bidding process for the hosting of two consecutive editions of its European Championship, in 2028 and 2032. TFF entered the process for both editions, while FIGC decided to bid only for the 2032 edition. A joint bid to host the 2028 edition has also been placed by five associations: England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
“UEFA will now work with FIGC and TFF to ensure that the documentation to be submitted for their joint bid is compliant with the bidding requirements. If the joint bid does comply with such requirements, it will be submitted to the UEFA Executive Committee at the meeting scheduled on 10 October, where the appointments for 2028 and 2032 will be made. Decisions on venues and match schedules will be made at a later stage.”
