Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin T.D., and Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education, Thomas Byrne T.D., today reiterated the Irish Government’s support for the Ireland and UK joint bid to host the UEFA EURO 2028 Championship.
On 11 April, the Government agreed to support the submission of a final bid by the Football Association of Ireland for the co-hosting of the tournament by Ireland and the UK. The final bid has now been submitted to UEFA by the five football associations.
Hosting the tournament here will present a wonderful opportunity to showcase Ireland and our world-class tourism offering to Europe and the wider world. It’s also a great opportunity for both North-South and East-West cooperation on a project that will mean so much to communities across Ireland and the UK.
The extensive work conducted by the bid partners in the lead up to this bid has shown not only the scale of the economic opportunity presented by the tournament, but also the potential to build a lasting legacy for football, tourism, and communities.
Ireland has a long-standing commitment to supporting grassroots and high performance sports and facilities in line with the aim set out in the National Sports Policy to double the annual investment in sport by 2027. An event of this scale is a wonderful opportunity to further grow the game in Ireland, including in the context of the growth of the women’s game, and we will be seeking to work with the FAI and all partners to the bid to deliver this growth.
The Government would like to see the tournament engage the entire country, young and old and from all of our communities. Should Ireland and our partners be chosen as the hosts of this prestigious event, the Government will work to ensure that the legacy benefits are maximised to the benefit of all and towards making this tournament the most sustainable and inclusive ever held on these islands.
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, said:
“I am happy that the Government has agreed to support the Ireland and UK joint bid for UEFA EURO 2028. This tournament represents a huge opportunity for Ireland to welcome Europe and the world to our shores, to display our world-class facilities and to host an event that benefits all. It is also an opportunity to ensure long-lasting benefits for League of Ireland, local and youth football.
I am particularly pleased that the collaborative effort has worked well and has served to strengthen ties with our partners, north-south and east-west.”
Minister Catherine Martin said:
“I am pleased that the Government has agreed to support the Football Association of Ireland and the joint bid of Ireland and the UK with the submission of the final bid dossier for UEFA EURO 2028. Officials will now work with all bid partners between now and UEFA’s announcement of the EURO 2028 hosts to further support the bid. This tournament has the potential to deliver tremendous benefits for Ireland, particularly for the tourism and hospitality sector, which will be poised to host thousands of football fans with the island of Ireland’s world famous warm welcome.”
Minister of State Thomas Byrne said:
“I am confident that we can co-host a fantastic tournament for football fans which will place Ireland on the world stage. The UEFA EURO Championship is one of the largest sporting events in the world and if chosen to host by UEFA the tournament will be harnessed to champion social impact programmes and to use football to drive positive change in our clubs and communities. Hosting it in Ireland would be a tremendous occasion not just for football but for Dublin and the whole country. From a sporting point of view, it represents an enormous opportunity for football’s development in Ireland and to leave a lasting legacy in this regard.”