Euro 2028: UK & Ireland only bid left for European Championships as Turkey withdraw | Football News

The UK & Ireland are the only bidders left for Euro 2028 after Turkey withdrew their application.

On October 10, UEFA will award the hosting of two European Championships, the 2028 and 2032 editions.

UEFA confirmed Turkey can jointly bid with Italy unopposed for 2032 and therefore they have pulled out of the running for 2028.

A UEFA statement confirmed: “Further to the announcement on July 28 which revealed the desire of the Italian and Turkish FAs to submit a joint bid to stage Euro 2032, the UEFA administration has today written to both associations to confirm that their joint bid has been duly received and will go forward for assessment and consideration by the UEFA Executive Committee.

“As indicated by the FA of Turkiye with its submission of the request for a joint bid, their bid to stage Euro 2028 is consequently withdrawn.

“The award of both tournaments still requires the approval of the Executive Committee at its meeting in Nyon on 10 October. The presentations at that meeting will be an important part of the process which will take due consideration of the content of the bid submissions before reaching a decision.”

How can all host nations qualify for Euro 2028?

Some high-ranking UEFA officials have concerns over a suggestion that England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland might still be allowed to play in Euro 2028 even if they have been knocked out in qualifying.

Sky Sports News has been told UEFA is sticking to its rules which say no more than two host nations can be granted automatic qualifying spots for the tournament finals.

Since it would be impossible for the four home nations and Ireland to agree on which of them should be given special treatment, all five will enter the competition in the qualifying rounds.

What happens after that – and for any of the five countries which fails to qualify – is the key to ongoing discussions.

It remains possible that the two “automatic” qualification places are held in reserve, and could be used by any of the five countries who fail to qualify in the usual way.

However, Sky Sports News been told that many within UEFA are “uncomfortable” with the idea of countries who have failed in qualifying being handed a spot in the finals regardless.

If, for example, three of the five countries failed to qualify, it would be equally messy to decide which two of those three would progress to the tournament.

One possibility is that the best-performing two countries in qualifying would be granted a “wild card” for the finals.

More to follow…

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