The United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland have been confirmed as hosts of the 2028 European Championship, Uefa has confirmed.

After Turkey withdrew to concentrate on a bid with Italy for Euro 2032, which was also confirmed at a meeting in Switzerland, the joint bid went without opposition.

After abandoning a plan to be Europe’s preferred candidate for the 2030 World Cup, the UK and Ireland turned their attention to Euro 2028 with Uefa’s blessing.

Euro 2020 games were played at Glasgow’s Hampden Park and London’s Wembley Stadium.

Noel Mooney, the chief executive of the Football Association of Wales, stated that he would “like the national stadium of Wales to host the opening match,” but that “up to Uefa” to make the decision.

“To bring the tournament to Wales is a special day for us,” he said. “We’re excited. We’ve put forward a schedule of matches, we think Cardiff is perfect for the opener and we look forward to it.

“We hope by hosting, and having these big matches in Cardiff, we can bring Wales to the world in a way it hasn’t been before.”

“As a Welshman, I would love for Cardiff to host the opening match,” said former Wales captain Gareth Bale, who was present at the Nyon presentation. The necessary infrastructure and stadium are available.

Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland have never played host to a significant football competition.

There will be 10 different locations where matches during Euro 2028 will be played, including Wembley, Hampden Park, Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, and Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. The bid also included Casement Park in Belfast and the Bramley-Moore Dock stadium for Everton, the latter of which is still being built while the former has not yet been completed.

Along with Scotland, England was one of the 11 nations to host Euro 2020. It also served as the sole host of the World Cup in 1966 and Euro ’96. In 2022, England will also play host to the historic Women’s European Championship.

Turkey initially submitted a bid to host both the 2028 and 2032 competitions, whereas Italy only submitted a bid for the 2032 event.

Following last week’s approval of their joint bid with Italy to host Euro 2032 by the governing body of European football, Turkey withdrew from consideration to host Euro 2028.

By October 2026, 10 stadiums—five for each nation—will be selected from the 20 potential hosts.

Turkey has never hosted a major international competition, but it did host the June Champions League Final between Manchester City and Inter Milan at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

European winners The Stadio Olimpico in Rome served as the site for Euro 2020 as well as the Euros in 1968 and 1980.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Germany will host Euro 2024, with the most recent tournament taking place in 2021 rather than 2020.