UEFA Euro 2028

[tetsujin1979]

FAI announce joint bid with the FA's of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland to host Euro 2028

Links
FA announcement: https://www.thefa.com/news/2022/feb/07/statement-uk-and-ireland-bid-for-euro-2028-20220702
Wiki page on bids: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2028_bids

[John83]

Would Brexit continue to count against the UK in this sort of thing? They burned a lot of goodwill in recent years.

I assume the five host nations* can't all qualify automatically. Would none of them? Is there precident for this?

*Nation meaning an entity with a national team. Let's not get into politics.

[tetsujin1979]

Brexit is possibly a factor in why they've gone for Euro 2028, instead of the world cup.
According to the wiki page on the bid - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2028_bids - there's also a bid from Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, and Serbia, who have also submitted a joint bid for World Cup 2030
Playing devil's advocate here, but what if the decision was made to support the four countries in the 2030 bid, if they support the joint bid for 2028?

[pineapple stu]

Precedent might be Euro 2020 I guess - we've already not qualified for our own Euros (along with Azerbaijan and Romania)

Romania, Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia have already announced a joint bid. Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland and the Faroes are considering a bid. It's not quite the same as Euro 2020 for sure, but I guess there has to be something similar in the bidding rules.

I really don't see what we add to the bid to be honest (or indeed any of the countries other than England)

[NeverFeltBetter]

Literally just a better story I think. It suits England to dress up what would be a competition held primarily there as an historic cooperation, to offset their various problems, be they political in nature or stuff like the embarrassing spectacle that was the 2020 Final.

Should we be bothered? Croke Park maybe, the Aviva, that'd be it. It'd be a few group games and a couple of knockouts, probably a 1/4 final at most. You'd imagine the cost wouldn't be too bad, don't have to build anything. But is it worth it, to help the English FA bluff UEFA?

Also, a 35k Ravenhill in less than 5 years (host scheduled to be announced Sep 23)? Is that realistic?

[Trequartista20]

Until today I thought the expanded European Championships were going to be a pan-European event from now on. Anyway, I'm not too bothered whether we win this joint bid or not, especially when hosting the competition no longer guarantees participation and we lack the quality of player to be in any way confident that we can emerge successfully from a qualification group.

And I'm not too sure why anyone would think that the UK's withdrawal from the European Union would have any bearing on a joint bid for the World Cup.

[pineapple stu]

Until today I thought the expanded European Championships were going to be a pan-European event from now on.
No, it was always a one-off for the 60th anniversary of the tournament. Nice idea I thought, but the logistics probably could have been better worked out (Rome and Baku in particular) and that didn't seem popular when the tournament rolled out. Not sure we'll see it again.

[Diggs246]

I'm against it
I would way prefer a joint bid with Portugal( automatic qualification) because its just 2 country's. We would both do a great job and.... without any violence i might add! UEFA love joint bids and yes we would of course need the GAA onboard.

[Diggs246]

To clarify ..host nation(s) violence

[Crosby87]

Don't they want to do the World Cup every two years now? Won't that kind of be the end of Euros?

[JR89]

Don't they want to do the World Cup every two years now? Won't that kind of be the end of Euros?

Uefa and Conmebol won't agree to that and both coming together to play in the nations league from 2024 is basically two fingers to FIFA and their biannual WC.

Wouldn't be surprised if we get a tournament with just Uefa and Conmebol teams sometime soon.

[Fixer82]

Why do we have to bid with England? A Celtic Nations would make far more sense.

England/UK can do it on their own if they want. They have the stadia. We'd just be a little token couple of games.

Obviously for FAI they don't want to turn down a cash cow but i don't see the attraction. Might as well bring back the 'home nations' tournament too.

[nigel-harps1954]

Why do we have to bid with England? A Celtic Nations would make far more sense.

England/UK can do it on their own if they want. They have the stadia. We'd just be a little token couple of games.

Obviously for FAI they don't want to turn down a cash cow but i don't see the attraction. Might as well bring back the 'home nations' tournament too.

Are there ten stadiums of the size required? Two in Cardiff, two in Dublin, two in Glasgow, one in Edinburgh, and potentially one in Belfast if Casement gets the go ahead.

There's obviously an extra one in Glasgow that could be used but not sure three stadiums in one city would get the go ahead. Unless Swansea or Aberdeen got increases of 10k seats, it wouldn't be a runner.

[Trequartista20]

Why do we have to bid with England? A Celtic Nations would make far more sense.

England/UK can do it on their own if they want. They have the stadia. We'd just be a little token couple of games.

Obviously for FAI they don't want to turn down a cash cow but i don't see the attraction. Might as well bring back the 'home nations' tournament too.

England are a Celtic nation.

[EalingGreen]

To clarify ..host nation(s) violenceAlthough they won't admit it in so many words, the FA was caught badly on the hop with the Euro Final, circumstances having combined to create a (predictable) fiasco, That said, there is no reason why that shouldn't have been a one-off. Certainly the FA seem pretty confident that they would be prepared for any future such-event and take precautions to prevent it.

And their reassurances seem to have persuaded UEFA, since they are continuing to throw events London's way, eg:

UEFA and CONMEBOL have today signed a renewed and extended Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) lasting until 30 June 2028, following on from the successful MoU of February 2020.

While the terms of the original agreement remain, this renewed MoU also contains specific provisions related to the opening of a shared UEFA/CONMEBOL office in London and the potential organisation of a variety of football events.

The first such event will see UEFA EURO 2020 winners Italy face CONMEBOL Copa América 2021 winners Argentina in a "Finalissima" at a stadium in London, on 1 June 2022.

The shared London office will be officially inaugurated at the beginning of 2022.

In the context of UEFA and CONMEBOL fighting back against FIFA's plans for a biennial World Cup, it is significant that they are holding the first Finalissima in London and basing their new office there.

In addition, UEFA have already announced that London will host the 2024 CL Final (St.Petersburg 2022, Istanbul 2023, Munich 2025):
https://en.as.com/en/2021/07/16/soccer/1626457774_212654.html

[EalingGreen]

Are there ten stadiums of the size required? Two in Cardiff, two in Dublin, two in Glasgow, one in Edinburgh, and potentially one in Belfast if Casement gets the go ahead.

There's obviously an extra one in Glasgow that could be used but not sure three stadiums in one city would get the go ahead. Unless Swansea or Aberdeen got increases of 10k seats, it wouldn't be a runner.If England had thought they would get awarded the World Cup on their own, then they'd have gone for that. But after the catastrophe of their last bid, if they were to have had any chance for Europe's next turn, then their only hope was to rope in as many allies as possible - hence the joint bid.

Of course, UEFA have clearly calculated that even that wouldn't be near enough to persuade FIFA, so they look now to have done a deal with the FA, requiring them to step aside for a single 2030 WC bid from Spain and Portugal, in return for getting Euro2028. (A Spanish/Portugese bid should gain lots of votes from Central and South America, should no competing bid be forthcoming from CONMEBOL, which is very possible)

As for Euro2028, if it's 24 teams, that will require at least 10 suitable stadia, with tournament organisers always very reluctant to have any one city host two or more Groups. Therefore imo two stadia in Dublin, Cardiff or even Glasgow won't fly. My guess is that it will be one each for the FAI, SFA and FAW, with maybe another one for the IFA, should we somehow throw up a 30k stadium before then, leaving 6 or 7 for England, who will be doing the bulk of the heavy lifting over this one.

If nothing else, UEFA and the 5 Associations won't want to be handing money/rent to non-football venues like Croke, Murrayfield or the Millenium if they can possibly avoid it. And why should they?

Further, should the tournament be extended (heaven forbid) to 32 teams, them that will require another 5 or 6 stadia, and England already has those ready-made and waiting.

So should this bid succeed, I predict the other 4 Associations will be given a juicy bone in return for their votes (i.e. one host city plus a couple of knockout games), but no more.

[Fixer82]

England are a Celtic nation.

How do you figure that then? Nothing about England has retained their distant Celtic heritage. Boudicca was a Long time ago.
They are Anglos, Saxons, Jutes, Celts, Flemish, Norse, Danish etc etc.
Their culture is not Gaelic or ‘Celtic’, unlike Ireland, Scotland and Wales who have all kept our Celtic languages, music and art to differing degrees.

[pineapple stu]

This map from wiki says they're not. And yeah, the various invading tribes pushed the original Celtic inhabitants back to the edges - what we now call Scotland, Wales and Cornwall.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Map_of_Celtic_Nations-flag_shades.svg/800px-Map_of_Celtic_Nations-flag_shades.svg.png

[Diggs246]

Although they won't admit it in so many words, the FA was caught badly on the hop with the Euro Final, circumstances having combined to create a (predictable) fiasco, That said, there is no reason why that shouldn't have been a one-off. Certainly the FA seem pretty confident that they would be prepared for any future such-event and take precautions to prevent it.

And their reassurances seem to have persuaded UEFA, since they are continuing to throw events London's way, eg:

UEFA and CONMEBOL have today signed a renewed and extended Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) lasting until 30 June 2028, following on from the successful MoU of February 2020.

While the terms of the original agreement remain, this renewed MoU also contains specific provisions related to the opening of a shared UEFA/CONMEBOL office in London and the potential organisation of a variety of football events.

The first such event will see UEFA EURO 2020 winners Italy face CONMEBOL Copa América 2021 winners Argentina in a "Finalissima" at a stadium in London, on 1 June 2022.

The shared London office will be officially inaugurated at the beginning of 2022.

In the context of UEFA and CONMEBOL fighting back against FIFA's plans for a biennial World Cup, it is significant that they are holding the first Finalissima in London and basing their new office there.

In addition, UEFA have already announced that London will host the 2024 CL Final (St.Petersburg 2022, Istanbul 2023, Munich 2025):
https://en.as.com/en/2021/07/16/soccer/1626457774_212654.html

The euro final disgrace wasn't the English football fans first redeo tbf.
I'm sure its a minority that does it, but its still done and has been since i was born.
Other countries have hooligans too, but they seem to be the worst

[Fixer82]

The euro final disgrace wasn't the English football fans first redeo tbf.
I'm sure its a minority that does it, but its still done and has been since i was born.
Other countries have hooligans too, but they seem to be the worst

Yes. The English police weren't amply prepared for the final. The Russian police it seems were very prepared when the WC was held there ad so the trouble was kept to a minimum

[seanfhear]

Yes. The English police weren't amply prepared for the final. The Russian police it seems were very prepared when the WC was held there ad so the trouble was kept to a minimum
Cressida Dick ( Chief Constable of the London Metropolitan Police ) would Not be able to find Baker Street in London ! ! How she still has her job is Bizarre ! !

[Trequartista20]

My comment was intended as light-hearted and flippant, I didn't really anticipate the earnest replies and recourse to Wikipedia! Neither do I want to steer the discussion off topic.

So, just to touch on the subject briefly: firstly it depends on what is meant by 'Celtic', which is a rather vague term. But the idea that the English population is Anglo-Saxon and as such are a very separate and distinct people from those in Wales and Scotland is largely myth, seemingly borne out of 19th century national romanticism and the English seeking to justify their feelings of innate superiority. An Oxford University study from some years ago suggested that nearly two-thirds of the English population are descended from Celts, not far off that seen in Scotland and outnumbering those of Anglo-Saxon ancestry three-to-one. The Britons weren't, in fact, driven to the outer reaches of Britain, displaced by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes from the 5th century onwards, but rather lived alongside the existing populace. And whilst these newcomers brought their cultural influence to bear, certain Brythonic ways of life, for example traditional Celtic farming methods, continued to be used. Cumbric continued to be spoken until the 12th century and Cornish until the 18th.

Also mainly unfounded is the implication that Wales, Scotland and Ireland have a shared common Celtic culture quite different to that of ​England. After all, we are conducting this exchange in English. And the Welsh language is very different to Irish.

Ireland, though not to the same degree, has a rather more mixed population than is suggested in the above comment. It didn't suffer invasions on the scale that Britain did over the millennia of course, being further away from the continent. But there was a Viking invasion, Norman invasions, large numbers of colonists that arrived under the Anglo-Norman period of the Pale, as well as the Tudor invasion and the subsequent Plantation. And it goes without saying that modern Ireland has undergone significant demographic change in recent decades and this, happily, is reflected increasingly in the Ireland squad in its various age groups.

I'm not sure if I'm missing something but the map that's been posted provides no information on the cultural, ethnic and genetic make-up of modern Britain and simply appears to be a standard map with the various boundaries delineated and the corresponding territories highlighted in their associated colours - red for Wales, white for England etc.

Anyway, it's an interesting subject. Here are some links posters might find worth reading.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31905764

https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/were-nearly-all-celts-under-skin-2480644

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/mythsofbritishancestry

As far as the Euros bid goes, I agree the Euro 2020 Final fan trouble counts against the FA. Perhaps more significant than that though is UK press' role in exposing of the rampant corruption extant within FIFA and UEFA, leading to the dramatic downfall of Blatter and Platini. This won't be forgiven in a hurry.

[pineapple stu]

The map posted is a map of the commonly-accepted Celtic Nations from the wiki page mentioned (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_nations)

England is pretty much never considered a Celtic Nation.

Maybe there's outdated cultural/historical reasons for that, but those reasons would likely only de-Celticise the other regions, not vice versa

[backstothewall]

The map posted is a map of the commonly-accepted Celtic Nations from the wiki page mentioned (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_nations)

England is pretty much never considered a Celtic Nation.

Maybe there's outdated cultural/historical reasons for that, but those reasons would likely only de-Celticise the other regions, not vice versa

A very basic potted history.

Scotland was that part of what we now call Great Britain that the Romans never conquered. There were Picts there as well, but just ignore them. Modern England and Wales were a single entity that the Romans would have referred to as the province of Britannia. The people there would have spoke a celtic language and would have observed similar customs to celtic peoples in France or our ancestors here.

After Rome ceased to be able to garrison Britannia, Saxons began arriving and taking control of the former Roman territory. The legend of King Arthur is supposedly based on the Celtic resistance to the Saxon invasion.

Like the Romans, the Saxons didn't have any interest in getting tangled up with the Scots. They conquered the territory that we now call England and introduced their Germanic language which ultimately evolved into English. In those bits of Roman Britannia they didn't conquer, people continued to speak their celtic language for another millennium or more, and those areas evolved into the Celtic nations of Wales and Cornwall. Because the Irish language pre-dates all this we don't have word for Wales. We call it 'Bhreatain Bheag', which translates into English as 'Little Britain'.

[osarusan]

A few sources, none all that reliable, reporting that the joint Irish & UK bid was the only one, and that the awarding of the tournament to our joint bid should be confirmed within the next couple of weeks.

[pineapple stu]

The Guardian are reporting it -

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/mar/22/uk-and-republic-of-ireland-in-line-to-host-euro-2028-after-no-one-else-bids

[Eirambler]

I think it's a done deal, but typical that the time we finally get to host, we still have to qualify. With it being a 32 team tournament and with a decent group of players coming through hopefully qualification will be straightforward, but it would have been nice to auto qualify.

We just have to hope that Euro 2028 isn't our next major tournament appearance. Some of our emerging players like Kelleher will be pushing 30 by then, it would probably be the last chance at a major finals for the likes of Cullen and Robinson who would be well into their 30s by that point.

[osarusan]

The Guardian are reporting it -

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/mar/22/uk-and-republic-of-ireland-in-line-to-host-euro-2028-after-no-one-else-bids

Ok good.

I was seeing stuff like Balls.ie and Inside World Football and not sure how much to trust them.

Germany, hosting Euro 2024, have 10 venues, but that's for 24 teams. Maybe a couple of extra stadiums needed if it is expanded to 32 teams?

Landsdowne Road is the only stadium that has the necessary capacity of 30,000+. Not even Windsor would get to host a game. But maybe with 32 teams, which means some weaker teams, the capacity could be reduced a little?

And, from that Guardian article, to answer a question from earlier in the thread, 'The five nations would not automatically qualify for the tournament because Uefa grants that privilege only when a maximum of two countries are chosen as hosts.'

[nigel-harps1954]

Are there any further details on the bid itself? The chosen stadia?

[jbyrne]

I think it's a done deal, but typical that the time we finally get to host, we still have to qualify. With it being a 32 team tournament and with a decent group of players coming through hopefully qualification will be straightforward, but it would have been nice to auto qualify.


a 32 team tournament is simply ridiculous.
little or no qualification excitement. one of the most stupid ideas in sport ever I would suggest

[Eirambler]

Dan McDonnell reporting that there would be two Irish stadiums used. Lansdowne and Croke Park. So probably about 10 games in Dublin.

That doesn't include any NI involvement, but when it comes down to it I doubt they'll host any games up there, they have no suitable stadium.

Is 32 teams too many? Not sure, once you go to 24 it's probably as well to just go the whole hog and have 32. It devalues qualification a bit, but at the same time it's not absolutely guaranteed that a country like Ireland would qualify - still a bit for us to do. The big nations will stroll in, but they already do for a 24 team Euros anyway.

[pineapple stu]

a 32 team tournament is simply ridiculous.
little or no qualification excitement. one of the most stupid ideas in sport ever I would suggest
I was thinking I didn't remember about it going to 32.

That's a ridiculous amount alright. There's going to be a lot of very average teams, probably playing quite defensively against better sides. Sounds like it can only compromise on quality that bit too much

[NeverFeltBetter]

Could they add enough capacity to Windsor Park in six years to get it to meet the criteria? Or argue UEFA to reduce it? The latter probably more likely. I presume the IFA must have been promised something.

As for us, well I suppose ten-ish games in Dublin isn't anything to sniff at. It would be nice if we had the infrastructure to have games outside of Dublin, but wish in one hand, etc.

[Eirambler]

Training camps etc. in NI I think if they can't host games. Neither Windsor or Ravenhill are big enough to host and I can't see either being upgraded for this.

Obviously there's the potential Casement redevelopment also, but there's a whole host of political issues to overcome there and that's if it even happens.

Most likely they'll be on the official branding etc as hosts, but will only host training camps and team bases etc.

[TonyD]

Training camps etc. in NI I think if they can't host games. Neither Windsor or Ravenhill are big enough to host and I can't see either being upgraded for this.

Obviously there's the potential Casement redevelopment also, but there's a whole host of political issues to overcome there and that's if it even happens.


Most likely they'll be on the official branding etc as hosts, but will only host training camps and team bases etc.


I think politically it will be very difficult to leave NI out of hosting games if we are involved. Can you imagine the outcry ? I imag8ne they’ll do whatever they have to to ensure that the North has. Stadium, whether that means Casement, or developing Windsor .

[SkStu]

I think politically it will be very difficult to leave NI out of hosting games if we are involved. Can you imagine the outcry ? I imag8ne they’ll do whatever they have to to ensure that the North has. Stadium, whether that means Casement, or developing Windsor .

I agree that there would be savage bitterness if they were omitted. It is hard to see how it happens though. I think UEFA requires seating capacity of 35k or thereabouts, not including media spots (there's additional requirements for parking and security too). Windsor capacity is currently around 20k so you'd have to double it to get to 35k... and its a pity as Windsor is a lovely, compact stadium. Casement is pretty much standing only (unless it has been developed since i last took an interest) so would need some significant investment too (not to mention the "Casement" name :)). Is Ravenhill a viable option? I'm struggling to come up with other options up there.

I suppose if the will is there it can happen - but these things also take time...

[nigel-harps1954]

Can only assume Casement is the only option. The planning permission was granted for its redevelopment at the end of last year.

[CraftyToePoke]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60838824

There are currently no stadia in Northern Ireland that meet the competition's minimum capacity requirement of 30,000 for hosting matches and, with Windsor Park's capacity being 18,500, it would appear all hopes hinge on the redevelopment of Casement Park.

Planning permission for the 34,500-capacity stadium in west Belfast was granted in July, with a desired completion date of summer 2024, but the project will be the subject of a judicial review in March following a challenge by a local residents' group.

Irish FA chief executive Patrick Nelson last month stated his desire to see Northern Ireland play a full part in hosting the tournament.

As his squad assembled ahead of friendlies away to Luxembourg and at home to Hungary on Friday and Monday, Northern Ireland boss Baraclough called on "the relevant people" to ensure that happens.

"Northern Ireland have to be a part of that so we will be encouraging the relevant people to make sure that we are in the shake-up when it comes to hosting games here," he said.

"We have got the infrastructure and we have also got the chance to build on that infrastructure, and I think we have to take that chance.

"We don't want to be the only nation that doesn't host a game during that tournament.

"Yes, we can have countries here as part of their warm-up games or their training camps, but we don't want to be doing that, we want to be hosting games. We want to play a major part in that."

......

[Eirambler]

What they want and what they get are likely to be two different things. And in some respects they only have themselves to blame.

Let's say Casement does get redeveloped in time and then NI qualify. GSTQ blaring out in Casement at the 2028 Euros? I just can't see it being a runner.

[Diggs246]

What they want and what they get are likely to be two different things. And in some respects they only have themselves to blame.

Let's say Casement does get redeveloped in time and then NI qualify. GSTQ blaring out in Casement at the 2028 Euros? I just can't see it being a runner.

GSTQ Sweet jesus talk about alienating 45% of the population.

Create your own song FFS.

Re the competition. I would way prefer to do a proper joint bid with someone like Portugal ( both teams automatically qualify) we would do an amazing job

[backstothewall]

We've 6 years to get this right. We really must have a second venue somewhere outside Dublin built in time for this.

[Kingdom]

I think politically it will be very difficult to leave NI out of hosting games if we are involved. Can you imagine the outcry ? I imag8ne they’ll do whatever they have to to ensure that the North has. Stadium, whether that means Casement, or developing Windsor .

Sure we'll be united by that stage, so they will hosting games... í mBaile Atha Cliath :D

[Exgrad]

Wouldnt the venues all ready be nominated in the bidding process, or do people think we can start changing that round once the tournament has been secured? I think people will need to accept there will be no games or training venues outside the greater Dublin area.

[Kingdom]

It's a no-brainer from the English FA. They can farm out one group of 8 to Dublin and Glasgow, as there's no other cities in either country that can effect capacity - unless you were to include Murrayfield. Just looking at it there, the website says 10 stadiums (for a 24 team tourny), that could easily rise to 16 for a 32 team (thinking of WC 26).

English FA could in fairness to them include with the two London grounds, any of:
Newcastle, Sunderland, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Bristol, Southampton
(Bold being nailed on, italics less likely).
to add to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dublin.

[Real ale Madrid]

We've 6 years to get this right. We really must have a second venue somewhere outside Dublin built in time for this.

6 years to build a facility capable of hosting a Euro game from scratch outside the capital? Try 16 years.

[backstothewall]

6 years to build a facility capable of hosting a Euro game from scratch outside the capital? Try 16 years.

Galway seems the obvious option. Maybe somewhere around the end of the N6 It could serve as a new provincial HQ for Connacht GAA, and perhaps the odd big game for Connacht Rugby. Then there would be the odd concert and other one off events. A 35,000 enclosed all-seater stadium wouldn't be a complete white elephant

As for Belfast, I'm not sure Casement will be involved even if it's ready.

On paper it sounds obvious, but if NI were to qualify would they be based there for group stage games?

The north playing in the heart of Andytown would be a policing nightmare. Presumably they would want to play GSTQ before the game. I just don't see that being a runner. It's politically problematic to not involve them, but it's potentially even more problematic to include them, and I'm not sure how much difference 6 years would make to that!

The smart option might be to use this an an opportunity to dump the Casement Park project, and build a different, better stadium elsewhere in the city to serve for this tournament, and then as a provincial HQ for the GAA.

[Eirambler]

No chance of any of the provincial cities being involved in this in terms of hosting games unfortunately, it's just not going to happen. It will be Lansdowne, Croker and that will be it.

That's the outcome of decades of an unbalanced development approach in Ireland and it's not going to be fixed between now and 2028.

[jbyrne]

why could pairc ui chaoimh not be used?
Temporary seating could be installed on the terraces. Russia used temporary seating in at least one stadium in the 2018 WC

[kennedmc]

We've 6 years to get this right. We really must have a second venue somewhere outside Dublin built in time for this.

Build a 35K stadium for a few matches and a budget of what 200 million plus?!

No thanks.

Give us 25% of that money and we will build 8 - 10 football academies around the country that will help develop the skills of boys and girls for the next 40 years :)

[NeverFeltBetter]

There will be no new stadiums built for this. We can't even get a rail line to Dublin airport built over several decades FFS.

The Cork option is the only realistic possibility, but even that would be a big job in a stadium whose primary tenants had to be publicly shamed to allow a charity football match to be played there. And I really don't want the GAA getting more public money they will then pretend they never received after the tournament is over.

No, I don't think so. The Aviva is there, so is Croke Park which already has a history of filthy Sasanach games. I'd love for things to be spread out, but not with white elephants we won't have a hope in filling a week after the Final.

As for the North, I don't think Casement will be a runner, but more for planning permission reasons than God Save The Queen (I mean, while it isn't the same, it's been sung in Croke Park without incident). And, again, nobody should be doing favours for the GAA when the GAA will happily act like they owe nothing to nobody afterwards.

Far more likely some manner of dispensation will be sought for Windsor Park, which UEFA was happy to see host the Super Cup recently. And if such a dispensation was granted, well, Thomond holds 20K+ and has held football internationals before...