Turkey, which had unsuccessfully bid for the European Championship seven times, is now set to co-host the grand football event in 2032 alongside Italy.
Only Turkey and Italy had submitted bids for EURO 2032. Following a proposal from the Italian Football Federation to the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) in July, the two countries decided to jointly bid, eliminating any competition. This partnership became the sole candidate for hosting EURO 2032, a move acknowledged by UEFA.
The official announcement regarding Turkey and Italy’s co-hosting of EURO 2032 will be made tomorrow in Nyon, Switzerland, following the UEFA Executive Committee Meeting. Both countries’ delegations will meet at UEFA’s headquarters today and present their final pitches to the UEFA Executive Committee tomorrow.
UEFA Executive Committee Member Servet Yardımcı commented on the joint bid, stating, “The deadline for EURO 2032 hosting applications ended last year. Therefore, there will be no other candidates apart from the Turkey-Italy partnership. I believe the tournament hosted by Turkey and Italy will be the best European Championship.”
Turkey had previously withdrawn its bid for EURO 2028. Following Turkey’s withdrawal, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland became the unopposed candidates for EURO 2028 hosting.
The EURO 2032 matches will be held in five cities each in Turkey and Italy. Both countries had initially selected ten cities for their individual bids. Following the official announcement of the joint bid, the two national federations will finalize the five cities in their respective countries where the matches will be played.
One of the most anticipated details is the venues for the opening and final matches of EURO 2032. Both countries are expected to bid for the final match. TFF President Mehmet Büyükekşi mentioned, “There’s a requirement for a stadium with a capacity of over 80,000 for the final. Whichever country meets this requirement by the end of 2026 will host the final.”
Turkey’s journey in European Championship bids has been challenging. The country had previously bid four times without success and withdrew from two bids before the voting process. Turkey had jointly bid with Greece for EURO 2008, individually for EURO 2012, EURO 2016, and EURO 2024, and withdrew its bids for EURO 2020 and EURO 2028. (AA)
