Ireland and the UK have formally submitted an initial bid to host Euro 2028 to Uefa.
The five associations confirmed in a joint statement issued on Wednesday morning that an ‘expression of interest’ (EOI) had been filed, which has the support of the governments of Ireland, the UK, Scotland and Wales.
The EOI submission comes on deadline day for interested parties to confirm their interest to Uefa, with The Irish Times reporting earlier this week that the Ireland and UK bid was set to be unopposed.
The statement confirming the EOI pointed out the five-nation bid’s capability to host a 32-team finals, should Uefa opt to increase the number of teams from the current 24.
Details on the stadiums to be used in Ireland are still to be confirmed but the Aviva Stadium would meet the requirements while Croke Park would need some work done as well as the agreement of the GAA to allow its use.
The bid has been supported by the Irish Government with a statement on Wednesday morning confirming that a review of the estimated costs and benefits of the bid has been carried out.
“The Government recognises the scale of opportunity jointly hosting Euro 2028 represents and, in line with our in principle support, we will continue to work with the FAI, partner governments, FAs and other stakeholders on the detailed analysis of tournament feasibility, costs and benefits following the provision of bid technical information by Uefa and in advance of a formal bid.”
The intention to bid for Euro 2028 was announced on February 7th, after a feasibility study concluded that targeting the continental finals carried greater certainty than a bid for the 2030 World Cup, which had been under consideration.
A joint statement from the five associations read: “With this unique partnership, we are taking the appropriate next steps and our ambition is to stage a successful Uefa Euro which will be a wonderful celebration of football for fans and teams.
“We believe Euro 2028 would be one of the greatest sporting events ever held in the UK and Ireland.
“This unprecedented partnership of five associations offers something special to European football, including the potential for an expanded tournament, and we are passionate about maximising the sustainability and legacy benefits for communities across the UK and Ireland.
“Over the coming months, we will develop our proposals further, subject to the publication by Uefa of the full technical specification. This includes engaging in discussions with possible host cities and stadia to define the optimum tournament model and conducting a full costs and benefits analysis.
“The UK and Ireland will offer an unrivalled tournament from a technical perspective — with modern, well-connected stadia and excellent infrastructure — that makes our partnership ideal to host Euro 2028.”
In a statement released by the FAI, chief executive Jonathan Hill said he believes the hosting of the tournament can be a catalyst for growth in the game within the country.
“We will now work with Uefa, Government and all our stakeholder partners to present a bid that makes real sense for Ireland and for Irish football,” he said.
“The sporting and economic benefits that hosting such a tournament present would, we believe, be of major significance across all levels of our game and for many years to come. I look forward to briefing our Board and our football community on the next steps of this process in the coming weeks and months.
“If successful, I would see this as a catalyst for real growth in the game up to the Tournament and beyond, generating new monies that can help further investment across all aspects of Irish football, be it in facilities or coaching, and helping us to realise the stated ambition in our FAI Strategy 2022-2025 to grow the game at all levels.”
Questions have been raised about whether bidding for a major tournament is the best course of action for the debt-saddled FAI at this time and, on Tuesday, Ireland manager Stephen Kenny lent his support to the bid while also reiterating the need for money to be invested in domestic football infrastructure.
