For the first time a major European tournament will be held in Turkey!

After several failed bids (2008/held in Austria and Switzerland, 2012/held in Poland and Ukraine, 2016/held in France, 2021/held throughout Europe, 2024/held in Germany) the Turks are now confident. The European Championship was awarded in 2028 or 2032.

Mehmet Bükeksi, 61, president of the Turkish football association TFF, said: “We are very confident and expect support.” Introducing an interesting idea – EM almost exclusively in one city. Büyükeksi: “We can organize the European Championship almost alone in Istanbul.”

Büyükeksi: “Our journey started in 2008. We are ready for the tournament. “

But other countries too! Because the Turks aren’t the only ones hoping for a European Championship at home…

England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland are favorites as joint applicants for EM 2028, and Italy and others have applied for the EURO in ten years’ time. The reigning European champion initially considered a bid to host the event in 2028, but withdrew interest due to time constraints and strong competition from Great Britain.

Interesting: UEFA requires ten arenas for a tournament, one of which can hold at least 60,000 spectators and the other two at least 50,000. Also, consider increasing the number of teams from 24 to 32 (!) after the European Championship in Germany.

The host countries for 2028 and 2032 will be announced in September this year. With a premiere!

By the way: It is already clear where the next world championships will be held. The Winter World Cup in Qatar will be followed by 2026 in the USA, Mexico and Canada. There are many interested parties in 2030, including the South American quartet of Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.