The proposed host cities and 10 stadia across five partner Associations include London’s Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; Cardiff and the Principality Stadium; Manchester and the Etihad Stadium; Liverpool and Everton’s not-yet completed Bramley-Moore Dock stadium; Newcastle’s St James’ Park; Birmingham’s Villa Park; Glasgow and Hampden Park; Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and Belfast’s not-yet-built Casement Park. 

Almost three million tournament tickets would be available, more than any previous UEFA Euro tournament, according to the formal bid document. The average host stadium capacity will be 58,000, giving more fans the opportunity to attend matches across as many regions and communities as possible.

Plans include compact and connected transport, with more than 80% of ticket-holders able to travel to matches by public transport and a proposed match schedule that will help to reduce emissions.  

The UK and Ireland’s vision also includes the slogan ‘Football for all. Football for good. Football for the future’. The Government partners have also signed the relevant tournament guarantees and backed the hosting of the event. 

It is predicted that UEFA Euro 2028 would generate cumulative socio-economic benefits of up to £2.6bn (€3bn) across the nations, and that bid partners have already invested or committed more than £500m between 2019 and 2025 to improve and upgrade grassroots facilities. 

A further £45m legacy fund will be invested to develop football and create additional legacies, with the bid document also outlining how the tournament would help to create a positive long-term legacy for communities through volunteering, tourism and other training opportunities. 

Image: Habib Ayoade on Unsplash