The football associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland have agreed to focus on a bid to host UEFA Euro 2028.
The FA has released the statement following what has been described as an ‘extensive feasibility’ study, which assessed the potential opportunities in international football.
Such include an analysis of the economic impact, the political football landscape and likely costs of hosting major international tournaments.
Furthermore, 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. UEFA is expecting to announce the Euro 2028 hosts in September 2023.
As the organisation continues to collaborate with its Government Partners of the UK and Ireland about the upcoming steps, the FA announced: “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.”
It has been reported that hosting a UEFA Euro offers a ‘similar return on investment’, with the European tournament carrying a far lower delivery cost in addition the potential of the benefits being made clear sooner.
Uefa set a 23 March deadline for associations to confirm their interest in hosting the competition with a final bid to be submitted 12 April 2023.
“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 FA added.
When marking the competition’s 60th anniversary, Euro 2020 was the first championship to be held across multiple countries, including 11 cities across the continent such as Glasgow and London with the final at Wembley Stadium.
Dublin had also been scheduled to host matches but COVID-19 meant the opportunity was taken away due to spectator limits.
