The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland have released a joint statement confirming a collective bid to host the 2028 UEFA Euro tournament.
The bid from the five national associations is unopposed as things stand and is expected to be approved without the need for a formal bidding, vetting and voting process.
The semi-finals and final of the 2020 edition of the tournament were held at Wembley Stadium, while group games were staged at Hampden Park in Glasgow. While venues which will host matches are yet to be confirmed, those stadiums are nigh on guaranteed to be included alongside the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Windsor Park in Belfast, and the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Premier League stadiums including the likes of Old Trafford, Anfield, and the London Stadium could also make the cut to stage matches.
The FAs announced their intention to bid in early February, and the tournament is expected to be expanded from its current 24 teams to 32.
The joint statement released by the five national organisations reads: ‘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 original plan the FAs had was to bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. After a feasibility study costing nearly £3m was conducted, that idea was dropped in favour of the Euro bid.
Euro 2028 will be the 18th edition of the tournament, with the 2024 edition set to be held in Germany.
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