Euro 2016:France were today named as the hosts of the 2016 European Championships. The ballot by Uefa's executive committee saw France shade the contest by just a single vote after fellow contenders Italy were eliminated in the first round.
It will be the first time that 24 countries will contest the tournament, up from 16 in 2012, and will see a major tournament return to France after the World Cup in 1998.
France President Nicolas Sarkozy appeared at the ceremony to support his country's bid as the French were awarded the tournament for the third time.
Turkey were bidding to host their first major football tournament while Italy's chances had been written off after a critical review of their bid following Uefa's inspection visits.
Problems and delays in Poland and Ukraine, who will jointly host Euro 2012, may have persuaded Uefa's executive committee to avoid choosing Turkey, an untried country.
The Turkish government had promised to invest €1 billion all in public money, in stadiums for the event. It would also need to spend an estimated €20 billion on national transport infrastructure, including high speed trains.
The French budget for stadiums was €1.7 billion, of which 39 per cent will come from public investment. Uefa's review of the bids said around half of the required private funding had been secured already.
France previously hosted the inaugural European championship in 1960 - a mini-tournament featuring only four teams - and the 1984 event, which they won with a team captained by Michel Platini, the current Uefa president.
Jean-Pierre Escalettes, president of the French Football Federation, said: “This is a beautiful day for us. It is a moment of intense emotion to know that in 2016 France will welcome European football and will fulfil its promises.
“What counts for us is to have the full confidence of UEFA and this trust will not be betrayed. We also understand the frustration of Italy and Turkey — particularly Turkey, who lost by a single vote after bidding for a third time.”