The UEFA Executive Committee’s recent decision to appoint Italy and Türkiye as joint hosts of EURO 2032 was a much-welcomed outcome for Italian football fans across the country; bringing the tournament over to Italian soil for the fourth time in modern football history will no doubt be extremely positive for both excited fans keen to watch their favourite national team fight for the trophy – and bringing a significant boost to the Italian economy.
However, while Italy can’t wait to bring the EUROs back over to this side of Europe, two other countries are in charge of hosting the event first, the UK – and Ireland. But, just how is the latter preparing to host EURO 2028?
Tempting Betting Deals
For many football fans, betting on the Euros is just as exciting as watching the tournament itself. Whether you’re wagering on which team will come out on top during the match, or looking for an extra thrill after the game at one of Ireland’s popular casinos like Nice Casino Ireland, Irish sportsbooks are already preparing for those footy fans keen to win big from supporting their favourite team in the tournament.
The majority of fans will focus on two types of bets: match bets and tournament bets. While the former enables you to bet on the result of individual games and is the most popular wagering type for the EUROS, match bets are also popular for those who want to risk it all and put their money behind an entire team to win the tournament – or crash out at a certain round.
Increased Public Transport
Given the sheer number of people coming to both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to watch the game, it’s unsurprising that the countries are looking at ways to increase public transport. In Belfast, authorities are looking to extend bus and rail services – particularly late at night – and are focusing many of their efforts on contending with the notable shortage of taxis and options for public transport in the city. Investing in more public transport will allow fans to continue enjoying the tournament after the games have finished for the day by exploring Ireland’s brilliant night-time entertainment.
New Stadiums
One of the many costs of hosting the EUROS is building and refurbishing enough stadiums to hold the games. Out of the 10 host stadiums for the 2028 joint tournament with the UK, Dublin’s Aviva Stadium is the only venue in the Republic of Ireland to be used. However, Northern Ireland has also put forward their bid to include Belfast’s Casement Park stadium to be used in the tournament. The cost of renovating this space has caused much controversy recently, yet the country remains steadfast in its efforts for the dilapidated stadium to be included in EURO 2028.
For comparison, the current stadiums put forward for when Italy hosts the games in 2032 are:
- Stadio San Siro in Milan
- Stadio Olimpico in Rome
- Juventus Stadium in Turin
- Stadio San Nicola in Bari (renovation needed)
- Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples (renovation needed)
- Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa (renovation needed)
- Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi in Verona (renovation needed)
- Stadio Artemio Franchi (new stadium) in Florence
- Stadio Renato Dall’Ara (new stadium) in Bologna
- Stadio Sant’Elia (new stadium) in Cagliari
More Hotels…
According to UEFA tournament requirements, a EURO host city with a 30,000-capacity stadium should have a minimum of 9,000 beds for visiting fans – especially those who will be going over to Ireland from Italy to see the national team take their chance at stealing EURO glory. While these beds could be in anything from campsites to 5-star hotels, Ireland is working hard to also create enough space for fans and supporters to rest their heads after an exhilarating game.
As well as sufficient hotel space, the hosts also need to provide at least 1,600 hotel rooms for other key target groups. This typically includes referees, officials, hospitality, commercial partners and media. 75% of these rooms should be either four or five-star standard, while the other should have a minimum three-star rating.
… And Even More Facilities
On top of enough public transport, suitable stadiums and sufficient hotels for fans and workers, Ireland also needs to introduce a wealth of specialist facilities to help everyone enjoy the game comfortably. UEFA has detailed explanations about these facilities, and we’ve collated the most important below:
- Host stadiums should include a ticketing office, media centre and stadium broadcast centre.
- Stadiums need a ‘hospitality village’ to cater specifically for corporate hospitality, UEFA Club and other VIPs.
- Stadiums need a VIP centre which can host 250-350 VIPs for group games.
- There must be a sufficient number of sanitary facilities for those with disabilities.
- An appropriate amount of public toilets for the public is also necessary.
The excitement from the build-up to EURO 2028 is almost palpable, but one thing’s for sure: Ireland is working tooth and nail to get the country ready to welcome lots of excited football fans from all over the world.
