Euro 2024 is here, with Germany hosting a major tournament for the first time since the 2006 World Cup. Tickets have been hard to come by for such a prestigious event, so some fans’ attention will already be turning to 2028, as they plan another summer of football. TNT Sports rounds up the details on the next edition of the European Championship.
The UEFA European Championship is in Germany for the summer of 2024, and the 17th edition of the tournament kicks off on Friday, June 14.
Europe’s continental competition takes place every four years, though it has only been three years since the latest edition, as that one was delayed by 12 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Italy were the victors on that occasion, with the unique event taking place across 11 different nations. The idea was developed by former UEFA president Michel Platini, to celebrate the tournament’s 60th anniversary.
Now, there is a return to normality. Germany is the destination for all 24 teams taking part – of which France and England are the bookmakers’ favourites to lift the trophy in Berlin in mid-July.
Tickets are sold out across the board, with UEFA confirming over 20 million applications had been made in the ballot, which featured just over one million seats.
Match-going fans will soon be turning their attention to Euro 2028, but where will they be heading to? TNT Sports rounds up all the key details…
WHICH COUNTRIES BID TO HOST EURO 2028?
Russia, which recently hosted the 2018 World Cup, confirmed its bids for both Euro 2028 and Euro 2032. This approach was declared ineligible by UEFA, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as the governing body said it would bring the game “into disrepute”.
Turkey were serious bidders for the tournament, putting together a formal proposal featuring 10 host stadiums across eight cities.
Eventually, Turkey missed out and instead combined forces with another nation to show interest in Euro 2028 – Italy – with the two instead winning a combined bid for Euro 2032.
Portugal and Spain were keen on a joint bid, but did not officially enter the race as they instead focussed on the 2030 World Cup. They will host the centenary of that tournament along with Morroco, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
WHERE WILL EURO 2028 BE HELD?
The UK and Ireland won the bidding process for the next edition of the European Championship. Ultimately, the only eligible bid to beat was Turkey’s.
Each of the first 10 European Championships were hosted by a single nation, but since the turn of the century, this will mark a fifth of eight versions to take place across multiple countries.
One potential issue yet to be resolved is that of automatic qualification. According to UEFA rules, a maximum of two host nations can be granted a spot in the tournament without qualifying.
The four states of Great Britain plus the Republic of Ireland announced their joint bid in early 2022. This came at the cost of their previous plan to bid for the 2030 World Cup.
WHICH STADIUMS WILL BE USED FOR EURO 2028?
A total of 10 stadiums across nine host cities will feature at Euro 2028, with the biggest being the 90,000-capacity Wembley – the likely venue for the final, though not officially confirmed.
Several high-profile stadiums miss out, including arguably the Premier League’s three biggest clubs.
Manchester United’s Old Trafford is not guaranteed to be ready in time in the event of any redevelopment, Liverpool’s Anfield does not meet pitch-size regulations, and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium was not considered given two other London stadiums are present.
London Stadium – now occupied by West Ham United – will also not be used, despite being home of the 2012 Olympic Games. The similarly sized Celtic Park in Scotland and even larger Croke Park in Ireland are also absent.
London: Wembley
London: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Birmingham: Villa Park
Manchester: Etihad Stadium
Liverpool: Everton Stadium
Glasgow: Hampden Park
Cardiff: Milennium Stadium
Belfast: Casement Park
Dublin: Aviva Stadium
WHICH MAJOR TOURNAMENTS HAVE THE UK AND IRELAND HOSTED?
England’s only major tournament success came on home soil, in the 1966 World Cup. Captained by Bobby Moore and managed by Alf Ramsey, The Three Lions lifted football’s most prestigious trophy at Wembley.
In fact, England played at the national stadium for all six of their games, drawing with Uruguay in the opener before beating Mexico, France, Argentina, Portugal and eventually West Germany.
England also played at Wembley in each of their five games of Euro 1996, which is the most-recent tournament to be solely held in the country. A draw with Switzerland was followed by wins over Scotland, Netherlands and Spain, before exiting against Germany.
Euro 2020 – delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic – was a unique tournament held across the continent to celebrate its 60-year anniversary.
Eleven countries hosted games, with England (Wembley) and Scotland (Hampden Park) among them. Wales (Milennium Stadium) failed in the bidding process.
London hosted games in both the group stage and round of 16, as did Glasgow. The semi-finals and final were then solely held at Wembley, with England making it to the showpiece event, only to lose to Italy in a penalty shoot-out.
Scotland, Wales and Ireland have never held a major tournament as single nations before. However, all have held major finals in UEFA competitions – the most recent in each being in the 2001/02 UEFA Champions League for Glasgow, 2016/17 Champions League for Cardiff, and 2023/24 UEFA Europa League for Dublin.
