Old Trafford will be one of the high-profile stadiums to miss out on staging Euro 2028 games – with the UK and Ireland set to host the tournament after main competitors Turkey pulled out of the running.
The home nations are now unopposed in their bid for the next iteration of the European tournament, after Germany welcome teams from across the continent next summer, and look certain to earn the privilege.
Turkey were their only rivals but the nation has withdrawn to focus on joining forces with Italy for the 2032 European Championships instead.
Ten stadiums have been proposed to stage matches at Euro 2028 across Britain, including two which have not yet been built – Everton‘s Bramley-Moore Dock and Casement Park in Belfast.
But Old Trafford, which boasts the highest capacity in England after Wembley and was on the bid’s original 14-stadium shortlist, has been snubbed in in a damning indictment of the neglect shown to the ground by United’s owners, the Glazer family.
Old Trafford will not host games at Euro 2028 after the largest club ground in England was cut from the list of venues submitted to UEFA as part of the UK and Ireland’s bid
The UK and Ireland look set to host Euro 2028 after rivals Turkey withdrew from the running
Belfast’s Gaelic Football venue Casement Park (pictured in 2020) is the surprise inclusion on the list and is in the process of being redeveloped after being in a state of dereliction
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Instead, Manchester City’s more modern Etihad Stadium has been chosen as the Manchester venue, with its 53,400 capacity set to be increased to 61,000 – still far smaller than the 74,300 of the Theatre of Dreams.
United said they ‘mutually agreed to withdraw from the shortlist’ because they could not provide ‘the necessary certainty around the availability of Old Trafford due to potential redevelopment of the stadium’.
As well as the Etihad and Everton’s new stadium, the other English grounds chosen are Wembley, St James’ Park and Villa Park – the only three venues which also hosted matches at Euro 96 – and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Anfield was never in the running because its pitch size does not meet UEFA requirements.
Casement Park, a Gaelic games venue in Belfast, has been selected even though it has not been used since 2013 and work has yet to start on transforming it into a new 34,500-capacity stadium.
The other grounds picked are Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Glasgow’s Hampden Park and Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
West Ham’s London Stadium, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light and Dublin’s Croke Park join Old Trafford in being dropped from the original shortlist.
UEFA will officially confirm who will host Euro 2028 next week. The governing body released a statement on Wednesday announcing that Turkey had pulled out, leaving the UK and Ireland as the only contender.
The Aviva Stadium in Dublin (left) and Hampden Park in Glasgow are also included
Map showing the ten stadiums that have been selected as part of the UK and Ireland’s bid
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is another Premier League stadium that has been named
It said: ‘Further to the announcement on July 28 which revealed the desire of the Italian and Turkish FAs to submit a joint bid to stage Euro 2032, the UEFA administration has today written to both associations to confirm that their joint bid has been duly received and will go forward for assessment and consideration by the UEFA Executive Committee.
‘As indicated by the FA of Turkiye with its submission of the request for a joint bid, their bid to stage Euro 2028 is consequently withdrawn.
‘The award of both tournaments still requires the approval of the Executive Committee at its meeting in Nyon on 10 October. The presentations at that meeting will be an important part of the process which will take due consideration of the content of the bid submissions before reaching a decision.’
The British and Irish bid runs under the slogan, ‘For all, for good, for the future’ and promises there will be a record three million tickets available for the tournament.
A joint statement from the five British and Irish FAs said: ‘High-capacity, world-famous football grounds and state-of-the-art new venues will provide the platform for the biggest and most commercially successful UEFA Euro ever – making us a low risk, high reward host.’
The British and Irish bid has been backed by prime minister Rishi Sunak, Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar, Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf and Wales’ first minister Mark Drakeford.
They said in a statement: ‘It will be the biggest sporting event our islands have ever jointly staged – a passionate and unforgettable celebration, with long-term benefits for our cities and communities as well as all European football.’
The bid submission predicts that the 2028 tournament will generate ‘cumulative socio-economic benefits of up to £2.6billion for our nations’. Sustainability is placed as a top priority, with a promise that 80 per cent of ticket holders will be able to travel to matches by public transport.
The UK and Ireland initially intended to launch a joint bid to stage the World Cup in 2030 but abandoned those plans last year in favour of Euro 2028.
Villa Park and St James’ Park have made the ten-stadium list after also being used as venues at Euro 96
FA and bid chair Debbie Hewitt added: ‘Our pioneering five-way partnership will deliver a record-breaking and unforgettable UEFA Euro. We will work together tirelessly to be the best partners for UEFA and to deliver on every one of our shared priorities.
‘We will focus on growing football, connecting with and engaging new fans, players and volunteers.
‘We continue to invest £50million annually into grassroots football development across our five associations.
‘Together, we want UEFA Euro 2028 to be the catalyst for a new and sustainable era for football, from the grassroots to the very top of the European game.’
