No Croke Park but two Irish stadiums included in joint UK & Ireland bid for Euro 2028

Patrick McCarry

The list was cut back from 14 stadiums.

10 grounds across Ireland and the United Kingdom – including Aviva Stadium and Casement Park – have been officially named as part of the joint bid for Euro 2028.

The bid was confirmed, and lodged, on Wednesday with two unbuilt/unfinished stadiums included – Belfast’s Casement Park and Everton’s Bramley-Moore Doc

Interestingly enough, due to sponsorship rights and agreements, many of the sponsor names on stadiums have not been included in the bid. That means Aviva Stadium, which many of us would still call Lansdowne Road, is called ‘Dublin Arena’ on the bid. According to Sky Sports, here are the 10 stadiums listed:

Wembley Stadium
National Stadium of Wales
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Etihad Stadium [Eastlands]
Everton Stadium
St James’ Park
Villa Park
Hampden Park
Dublin Arena
Casement Park

General view of the Aviva Stadium. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Aviva Stadium and Casement Park make the cut

Old Trafford, Croke Park, London Stadium [West Ham’s ground] and Sunderland’s Stadium of Light were all dropped off the original list of 14 venues.

“High-capacity, world-famous football grounds and state-of-the-art new venues will provide the platform for the biggest and most commercially successful Euros ever – making us a low risk, high reward host,” said an FA statement. A statement from Dublin City Council reads:

‘Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy welcomed today’s announcement of the submission of the Euro 2028 bid to UEFA. She added it will also provide an opportunity to shine a light on Dublin’s vibrant and welcoming culture and invite fans from across Europe to enjoy Dublin and all it has to offer.

‘If successful, Dublin City Council will work alongside the government, FAI and other partners to host a landmark celebration that will captivate the whole continent and beyond to increase participation and engagement.’

The bid has been backed by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf and Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford.

Turkey is the other candidate to host the Euro 2028 men’s football tournament in June and July. They have also put their name in the hat for Euro 2032.

A final decision on who will host the event will be made by Uefa in September of this year.