Euro 2028: UK and Ireland reveal full details behind bid with 10 host stadiums named

The UK and Ireland have submitted their final bid to host Euro 2028 – with Old Trafford, the London Stadium, the Stadium of Light and Croke Park cut from the list of venues.

Two unbuilt stadiums, Everton’s Bramley-Moore Dock and Casement Park in Belfast, are included in the 10 grounds selected to stage matches.

The other venues chosen are Wembley, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Etihad Stadium, St James’ Park, Villa Park, Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Glasgow’s Hampden Park and Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

UEFA will vote on the hosts of the 2028 tournament in October, with the UK and Ireland up against Turkey, who have unsuccessfully bid to host every Euros since 2008.

The British and Irish bid runs under the slogan, ‘For all, for good, for the future’ and promises there will be a record three million tickets available for the tournament.

Full details behind the UK and Ireland’s Euro 2028 bid have been revealed, with Wembley Stadium one of ten venues named to stage matches during the tournament

Belfast’s Gaelic Football venue Casement Park (pictured in 2020) is the surprise inclusion on the list and is in the process of being redeveloped after being in a state of dereliction

The Aviva Stadium in Dublin (left) and Hampden Park in Glasgow are also included

Map showing the ten stadiums that have been selected as part of the UK and Ireland’s bid

A joint statement from the five British and Irish FAs said: ‘High-capacity, world-famous football grounds and state-of-the-art new venues will provide the platform for the biggest and most commercially successful UEFA Euros ever – making us a low risk, high reward host.’

Old Trafford has been dropped from the shortlist of 14 grounds submitted to UEFA last year despite boasting a capacity of 74,300 – the highest in England after Wembley.

Manchester United said in a statement they ‘mutually agreed to withdraw from the shortlist’ because they were ‘unable to provide the necessary certainty around the availability of Old Trafford due to potential redevelopment of the stadium’.

The more modern Etihad has been chosen as the Manchester venue instead, with its 53,400 capacity set to be increased to 61,000.

West Ham’s London Stadium, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light and Dublin’s Croke Park are the other grounds dropped from the initial 14 and will join Old Trafford on a reserve list, with UEFA having the final say on which grounds are used.

Everton’s new stadium is expected to be built by next year and be able to host 52,679 fans. But work has not yet started on transforming Casement Park, a Gaelic games venue in Belfast which has lain dormant since 2013, into a new 34,500-capacity ground.

The British and Irish bid has been backed by prime minister Rishi Sunak, Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar, Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf and Wales’ first minister Mark Drakeford.

They said in a statement: ‘It will be the biggest sporting event our islands have ever jointly staged – a passionate and unforgettable celebration, with long-term benefits for our cities and communities as well as all European football.’

The bid submission predicts that the 2028 tournament will generate ‘cumulative socio-economic benefits of up to £2.6billion for our nations’. Sustainability is placed as a top priority, with a promise that 80 per cent of ticket holders will be able to travel to matches by public transport.

The UK and Ireland initially planned to launch a joint bid to stage the World Cup in 2030 but abandoned those plans last year in favour of Euro 2028.

Old Trafford had made the initial shortlist but along with West Ham’s London Stadium and Sunderland’s Stadium of Light has dropped down to a reserve list

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (left) and the Etihad Stadium(right) had not been built the last time that the European Championships were solely held in the United Kingdom back in 1996

Villa Park and St James’ Park have made the ten-stadium list after also being used as venues at Euro 96

FA and bid chair Debbie Hewitt added: ‘Our pioneering five-way partnership will deliver a record-breaking and unforgettable UEFA Euros. We will work together tirelessly to be the best partners for UEFA and to deliver on every one of our shared priorities.

‘We will focus on growing football, connecting with and engaging new fans, players and volunteers.

‘We continue to invest £50million annually into grassroots football development across our five associations.

‘Together, we want UEFA Euro 2028 to be the catalyst for a new and sustainable era for football, from the grassroots to the very top of the European game.’