Football Associations of England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales have submitted an ‘expression of interest’ bid to host UEFA Euro 2028.
In early February, all five Football Associations officially unveiled their bid to host UEFA Euro 2028 but have now confirmed a submission to UEFA of their ‘expression of interest’ (EOI), which is an important step in progressing forward with their bid.
UK, Ireland, Scotland and Wales Governments have also pledged official support for the EOI submission, although Northern Ireland Executive will continue close observations due to currently not holding formal meetings.
In a joint statement, all five Football Associations stated that ‘this unique partnership’ marks ‘appropriate next steps’ in the ambition to stage the tournament as ‘one of the greatest sporting events ever held in the UK & Ireland.’
All five Football Associations also expressed hope that this unprecedented partnership will open up the possibility of tournament expansion, whilst maximising ‘sustainability and legacy benefits for communities across the UK and Ireland.’
Over the coming months, all five Football Associations will continue developing their proposals subject to release of full technical specification by UEFA concerning the criteria list of tournament hosting bids, which will involve discussion with potential host cities and stadiums.
There will also be a full costs and benefits analysis undertaken to build upon the feasibility study that has already been undertaken, in order to ensure that the UK & Ireland will be able to ‘offer an unrivalled tournament in terms of modern infrastructure and stadiums.
All five Football Associations will continue to maintain ‘constructive dialogue with UEFA’ in order to advance their bid plans, especially once details of further tournament requirements are released by UEFA.
‘catalyst for real growth…’
FA Ireland Chief Executive, Jonathan Hill has hailed confirmation of EOI submission as ‘a significant day for Irish football’, which serves as ‘a real statement of intent for the development of Irish football as a whole.’
Hill also confirmed that FA Ireland will work closely with UEFA to ensure that the bid ‘makes real sense for Ireland and for Irish football.”
Proceeding to explain the benefits of hosting UEFA Euro 2028, Hill continued: “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.”
Hill also iterated that if the joint-bid is successful, he hopes that the gaining of hosting rights will serve “as a catalyst for real growth in the game up to the Tournament and beyond,” in terms of generating new financial benefits to strengthen investment across the whole of Irish football.
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