Ireland-UK Euro 2028 bid set to get green light from Uefa 

No rival bid expected to emerge before Wednesday deadline for Uefa's football showpiece 

Aviva Stadium looks set be part of the Euro 2028 hosting stadia. Picture: Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

Ireland looks set to be named this week as co-host of the Euro 2028 tournament, with no rivals to the FAI's joint bid with Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. 

Ireland will have to qualify for the Euro 2028 finals they co-host with the UK associations but the route to an expanded 32-team showpiece should be straightforward.

No rival bids are expected by Uefa’s deadline of Wednesday, with support from the Irish government due to be formally rubberstamped within the next 24 hours.

Under the existing 24-team format in place for Euro 2024 in Germany, 51 games will be played but the mooted enlargement will swell the total of 63. The 51,000 capacity Aviva Stadium will be joined on the ticket by Croke Park’s 82,000 venue.

A redeveloped Casement Park has been mentioned as a possible third location, thereby giving the Irish FA skin in the game in terms of host venues.

Their national stadium in Belfast doesn’t meet the minimum capacity for Euro finals matches under current regulations.

There is also no provision in the present rules granting the five countries - England, Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland - automatic hosting rights.

However, the broadening of finals places to 32 of Uefa’s 55 nations offers no excuse for not qualifying on the pitch.

Based on Uefa’s standard 10 groups, the top three in each pool would progress to the finals and still leave two berths for lower ranked nations via the Nations League.

As revealed in the Irish Examiner last October, the UK federations and FAI switched their attention from the 2030 World Cup bid to the more realistic concept within the continent.

The tactical shift was formally confirmed during a joint press briefing on February 7.

FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill - credited with creating the slogan 'Football's Coming Home' during England's hosting of Euro '96 - has been advocating the massive economic and social gains from getting involved in the bid.

“This is more than just a football tournament,” he said last month. “We are working hand in hand with the Irish Government in relation to the planning for the bid.

“And, as you know, we’ve been working extremely closely with the Government over the last two years anyway over the 2030 World Cup so that’s exactly how we’d want it to be.

“Any investment into the bid and into any successful bid also brings a lot of benefits other than just footballing, so social and community benefits, the obvious benefits around tourism, investment in trade, employment and skills and everything that goes with a tournament including in terms of local volunteering.” 

Hill refused to divulge the cost of bidding at a subsequent press conference. Local politicians, fearful that the tilt will drain resources from grassroots and national league sectors, will press for transparency around the figures before pledging their support.