(Football news) England, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales have announced a joint bid to host the Euro 2028 tournament after dropping plans of hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup. After what has been described as “an extensive feasibility study" by the FA, the five football associations came to the collective decision after taking into account the economic impact, political landscape of football and the costs involved.
The decision to drop out of the 2030 FIFA World Cup bid appears to be a smart move, especially considering that the chances of it going in their favour was slim to begin with. The government has said that it has “accepted” the decision of the five football associations from dropping the World Cup bid but remains committed to hosting the prestigious tournament in the future. If the Euro 2028 bid is accepted, there is still no guarantee that all five nations will secure automatic qualifications for the tournament without having to go through the pre-qualifiers.
A joint statement from the football associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland said: "On balance, the five associations have decided to focus solely on an official bid to host UEFA EURO 2028, and have agreed not to bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Hosting a UEFA EURO offers a similar return on investment, with the European tournament carrying a far lower delivery cost and the potential of the benefits being realised sooner.
“It would be an honour and a privilege to collectively host UEFA EURO 2028 and to welcome all of Europe. It would also be a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the true impact of hosting a world-class football tournament by driving positive change and leaving a lasting legacy across our communities. We believe the UK and the Republic of Ireland can offer UEFA and European football something special in 2028 – a compact and unique five-way hosting collaboration that will provide a great experience for the teams and the fans."
The Euro 2020 saw the Wembley Stadium hosting eight matches including the semi-finals and finals. The match between England and Italy saw significant crowd trouble at the venue which may go against their Euro 2028 bid. Hampden Park in Scotland was also the venue for four Euro 2020 matches while Dublin's Aviva Stadium was also a venue for four matches but the venue was changed to St Petersburg and London due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Euro 2028 could also be the biggest iteration of the tournament in history as UEFA is considering increasing the number of teams to 32.
In announcing its part in the joint bid, Football Association of Wales president Stephen Williams said: "Here in Wales, The Red Wall has a special affinity with the European Championships and for us to potentially see Cymru participating as a host country at UEFA EURO 2028 is an exciting prospect. I'm incredibly proud that the Football Association of Wales is supporting this bid alongside the football associations of Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and the Republic of Ireland. The positive impact that this will have on Wales as a whole is immeasurable and will leave a long-lasting legacy."
Swift action will need to be taken as the UEFA deadline to submit bid applications ends on March 23rd. On 30th March, the bid requirements will be made available to all the interested parties while UEFA will announce the list of bidders on April 5th and the final dossier submission deadline is on April 12th. UEFA will announce the hosts of the Euro 2028 in September 2023.
Also read: Senegal lift their first AFCON title after beating Egypt on penalties
