Ireland and UK to host Euro 2028

Kermit.de.frog

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ireland-and-uk-due-to-host-euro-2028-as-other-bids-fall-1.4832653

No other bids so...

Poll: Are you EXCITED?

1. 'meh...'
2. 'MEH'... but in capitals

NIMAN

Would be massive pressure on us to qualify for that one, since it's unlikely 5 hosts nations would be given it automatically.

Would certainly take the gloss off it if we didn't.

Gusser09

MEH

You'd wonder what goes through the FAI's heads at times. Does Delaney still have some sway? No need for it at all.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118817711#Comment_118817711

But in reality it's not really a big outlay.

Two stadiums in Dublin will be used.

Both are built, the Aviva should be fine and CP will be getting work done by the GAA anyway between now and 2028.

As long as the scope of it remains just that then it's not a big deal.

However there have already been politicians both local and national on about more.

Some lad on Galway wants a 48k stadium built on the site of the unused Galway airport.

Another, a senator from Meath wants a third stadium in Dublin, a signature stadium he called it.

Both of those and anything like them are pure folly.

Coillte_Bhoy

With the new GAA calendar CP is going to be in demand for most of June, i wouldnt be so sure of the GAA handing it over

NIMAN

There was talk of Casement Park being one of the venues, as NI has to be included as one of the host nations and Windsor isn't big enough.

Lot up in the air at present. But I still think it would be good to host some major games of a major tournament in Ireland. I'd buy tickets ok, and I'm sure the games would sell out ok.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118818477#Comment_118818477

They will make it available.

There is no way the GAA would allow Ireland to be excluded and them be seen as the ones who were at fault.

Casement Park is even part of the plan, it was hardly included without the GAA knowing about it.

Also six years is a long time in a GAA calendar.

ebbsy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118818477#Comment_118818477

The GAA would sell their granny for a profit.

Fattybojangles

The GAA i'm assuming are asking for cash from the FAI as a cheque from that mob would be less than useless.

Coillte_Bhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118819300#Comment_118819300

Im sure there is no real objection apart from the timing, UEFA will want the stadium for a couple of weeks before the actual games also, as you say we doen know what the calendar will be like then but the way things are going id imagine there will be many more big games involving the top teams and who knows what big rivalries will be then. If it was this year, imagine moving a Dublin Mayo game out of CP to facilitate a soccer match

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118819905#Comment_118819905

I reckon it will be figured out well in advance to suit all parties.

Coillte_Bhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118820144#Comment_118820144

Can't see it myself, way too much disruption to the season and i haven't heard one word from the GAA yet as to whether they are amenable to it though i imagine background exploratory discussions have at least taken place.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118821107#Comment_118821107

If it's been officially submitted as part of a bid, then talks must have taken place, and the GAA must have said positive things. Croke Park needs a renovation before then anyway, and this gives them leverage to shift more/all of the cost onto the government instead of funding it all themselves. One month's disruption to a season for that sort of gain would be a small price to pay from their point of view. Might even be seen as a nice oppertunity to shift some of the focus to other stadiums around the country, like the freshly renovated Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

ebbsy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118819300#Comment_118819300

Doubt if the first sod will have been turned by 2028 in Casement Park.

Windsor Park is a write off.

Id say it will all go under the one Ireland banner.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118821107#Comment_118821107

Do you seriously think that the people organising this (the British FAs that is) and the GAA have not been talking about this from day one ?

There is no way the GAA are going to turn around after it has been awarded and say "sorry can't use CP because it's already in use".

Fair enough if it was the FAI organising this on their own I would not be surprised if they did not contact the GAA first, through a odd mixture of stupidity, lack of professionalism and pig headedness, but I've far more faith in the other FAs getting their due diligence done.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118821541#Comment_118821541

The Northern Ireland part of this is a real conundrum for the organisers.

They needed the Republic of Ireland to be involved to get the stadiums.

But there is no way they could involve the Republic and excluded Northern Ireland in what was essentially a British lead bid.

So they had to include NI even though they have nothing to offer.

I can't see it being sold under a "one Ireland" banner.

The IFA, the FAI and their respective fan bases have no interest in a "one Ireland" concept when it comes to soccer.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118821541#Comment_118821541

Might be surprised with Windsor Park... their basic capacity is ~19,000 but there might be some scope to add a decent extra chunk with temporary seating. I was at the Spain Russia match in Innsbruck at the 2008 euros, and that stadium only has a normal capacity of 15,000 but by filling in the corners, and temporarily removing the roof and adding another layer of seating there supported by scaffolding outside, they brought it up significantly enough to host a few group games.

Considering the money the UK government will be throwing at this, and the political importance of having each FA/region represented, I could totally see them just doing what needs to be done to get NI involved.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118821122#Comment_118821122

Does Croke Park really need a renovation. By 2028 maybe but I don't see what it's missing that most of the other stadiums on offer have

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118821586#Comment_118821586

I'de say they are raging they included us now. We were probably in there to get them some extra votes that the British FAs don't need now.

Coillte_Bhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118821573#Comment_118821573

Ya i suppose so. Just surprised there has been little or no talk of it in GAA circles really

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118822148#Comment_118822148

Nothing big but it does need work.

The Cusack Stand is almost 30 years old remember.

The GAA had planned to do work on it in 2020, but COVID etc etc.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118822156#Comment_118822156

I always believe that England, Scotland and Wales could go it alone.

If you consider that 2028 may be a 32 team event you need 12 venues minimum of over 30k (According to an article I'm reading on talksport website)

The above three could supply the following 14 immediately.

Wembley

London Stadium

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Emirates Stadium

Old Trafford

Etihad

Anfield

St James's Park

Villa Park

King Power Stadium

Elland Rd

Hampden

Murrayfield

Millennium Stadium.

Now it's a bit London heavy which is not desirable but still it's doable without having to include Ireland, South or North.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118822246#Comment_118822246

The planned work was in the conference facilities and museum. I can't see the actual stadium needing any more than a paint job.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118822312#Comment_118822312

Stadium wise England could have gone it alone the rest were roped in because the English know they are not popular.

Coillte_Bhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118822312#Comment_118822312

Doesnt have to be that London heavy at all, loads more 30k stadia north of London

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118823161#Comment_118823161

It's not really that London heavy anyway when you consider how many people live in the city. There would be huge demand for London games.

tastyt

Obviously it will be enjoyable while it’s here

Sickens me though that an association who do so little for the game in their own country and treat the national league with such contempt will be rewarded with a huge international tournament and will sit their rubbing shoulders with European associations in Croke Park and pat themselves on the back having to go cap in hand to the GAA again .

Fucking embarrassment they are . We also have a summer league here so while there’s thousands watching Bosnia v Sweden or whoever in the Aviva they will probably have Finn Harps travelling down to Limerick on the same day in front of a few hundred and couldn’t give a ****

citytillidie

Russia & Turkey with a late announcement in being interested in hosting Euro 2028

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/60845059?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=623b2b934f71af55b46155b2%26Russia%20declare%20interest%20in%20hosting%20Euro%202028%262022-03-23T14%3A16%3A24.662Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:d162d9a9-37d6-4c44-9847-28df536646ec&pinned_post_asset_id=623b2b934f71af55b46155b2&pinned_post_type=share

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118824151#Comment_118824151

Good

Hopefully Turkey will get it.

breezy1985

Surely Russia are only going ahead with the bid just to troll everyone.

Necro

Looking at requirements (at least currently) they need 10 stadiums. 1 with 60,000 or more capacity, 1 (preferably 2) with 50k or more capacity, 4 with 40k capacity and 3 with 30k capacity.

We've got Croker at 69,500 seated and the Aviva at 51/52k-ish... that's it.

After that looking at Wiki there's a good few GAA stadiums (Semple, Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Gaelic Grounds, Fitzgerald Stadium) that all have over 30k (and in all but Fitzgerald's case over 40k) capacity all up - but crucially, none of them are above 30k capacity seated.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stadiums_in_Ireland_by_capacity

MacHale Park is about the closest to 30k with 25k seated capacity (and then Semple with 24k) so I think having games outside of Dublin is going to be a non-runner. Plus public transport is terrible in anywhere but Dublin for the most part so basically we're back to the Aviva and Croker as our only venues.

What would we realistically be expecting for that? A group and maybe a couple of quarter finals?

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118825426#Comment_118825426

Of course stadiums outside the two in Dublin are non runners.

None are anywhere within a million miles of the standard expected.

Have you ever actually been to Hastings Insurance McHale Park Castlebar ?

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118825447#Comment_118825447

I was last there in 2017 I think for a Connacht Junior Championship Final 😂

I'm very surprised of it's capacity there on that page as it certainly wasn't all seated when I was there last!

y0ssar1an22

russia really ripping the piss with their late bid for euro 2028 and euro 2032

cj maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118825447#Comment_118825447

You can add Windsor Park to that. There's 2 stadiums on the island, any others?

Coillte_Bhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118825455#Comment_118825455

There are just under 10k seats in the stand, about 1k the other side and the rest is concrete benching, all seated my hole 😃

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118825426#Comment_118825426

McHale park has 25k seated me arrs. Most of what they are counting as seats are concrete benches around most of the stadium.

I would say the capacity would be halved if you tried to put in real seats.

Cork would be the only genuine alternative if you seated the terrace you might get over the 30k (thats working seated as half terrace capacity) or put temporary stands behind which isn't gonna happen.

The big big failing for most GAA stadiums is that they are empty shells with no hot food or media facilities and the money won't be spent to change that for a game or two.

ebbsy

Will not be Russia, as there will be no sponsors willing to put the cash in. And that is what its all about with UEFA.

And Turkey...probably will not be able to generate as much profit as the UK bid will also.

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118825426#Comment_118825426

England to host 66% of games has been mentioned in the doco which implies around 13% for Ireland. So ~8 games in a 63 game competition, plausibly 6 group games, an L16 game and a quarter-final.

Therefore the two Dublin stadiums would be the only requirement.

Also technically it couldn't be 'an Irish group' as you suggest. Because group games are often/usually the same day and the last set of group games are exactly the same time. So it would be more likely to be two half groups, perhaps one shared with Glasgow and another with an English venue. Which would spread the games out - something like 3 games in Croke Park on days 2,6,10 and 3 games from a different group in the Aviva on days 4,8,12.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118826697#Comment_118826697

UEFA seemed very keen on the UK bid. Seems like an odd move from Turkey.

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118827507#Comment_118827507

They've bid for the last 5 euros and been turned down everytime 🤣

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118827623#Comment_118827623

And I'd say EURO 2032 is a dead cert for Italy.

ebbsy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118827623#Comment_118827623

They would not generate enough income for UEFA.

jacool

These are the stadia requirements for 2028

A minimum of ten stadia in total,

one holding at least 60,000                                        Yes

one or preferably two of 50,000                                Yes

at least four with a minimum of 40,000 capacity          Yes     

at least three holding a minimum of 30,000 people      Yes

Turkey satisfies all these, but lost the 2024 vote 12-4 to Germany

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118829723#Comment_118829723

They have a big hooligan problem which the UK and Russia can smooth over with money and maybe Turkey cant

Fr Tod Umptious

This is offical as of this week.

The republic will put forward Croke Park and the Aviva.

NI will put forward the yet to be built Casement Park.

I'm ok with it as trying to include anything other than Croke Park and the Aviva in the republic would have been a farce.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2022/1116/1336457-euro-2028-bid-submitted-as-three-irish-stadia-listed/

The Davestator

Qatar won a world cup with zero stadiums so we'll be grand with a promise that Casement will be ready!

Mr.Nice Guy

If Casement Park isn't built on time, and NI can't offer a stadium to host games that meets UEFA standards (Windsor Park doesn't I gather), does that mean NI loses its status as a host? Presumably they would then have to qualify for the tournament?

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119887791#Comment_119887791

UEFA are not going to automatically quality 5 hosts as it is. They will probably just automatically quality England for obvious reasons but all or some of the others will have to qualify the usual way

Even for WC 2026 FIFA are not yet clear about how many of the three hosts will automatically quality.

The problem with this bid is NI.

It had to be included because politically it would not get support for a bid that included England, Scotland, Wales and there republic, but not NI.

Unionists already feel isolated in the UK , and leaving NI out of this would only add to that.

So the irony is that a GAA stadium needs to be built to appease unionists.

Personally I don't see how England could not have been able to do this on their own.

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119888603#Comment_119888603

In reply to your last sentence.....

England could do it on their own logistically, but probably couldn't win the bid on their own. They accepted the reality that they aren't very good at that sort of thing.

sligeach

UK-Ireland Euro 2028 bid submitted as Croke Park cut from stadia list

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2023/0412/1376537-uk-ireland-euro-2028-bid-submitted-as-croke-park-cut/

Croke Park isn't included as only one stadia is allowed per city, though that rule doesn't seem to apply to London. Lansdowne Road and Casement Park are the 2 Irish stadiums submitted. There's no guarantee that the redevelopment of Casement Park will be finished in time.

And then in England, the new Everton stadium is included as well. Construction is well under way, but there's no guarantee that'll be ready either, especially if Everton are relegated this season, all bets could be off. They've posted losses, over £400 million over the past 4 seasons and have been referred to an independent commission for alleged breaches of Premier League financial fair play rules. Though it would be easier for the FA to find an alternative venue there.