The UEFA executive committee has officially picked Italy and Turkey as co-hosts for Euro 2032. The decision ultimately became straightforward after the duo dropped out of contention for the 2028 Euros. Along with naming the host nations for the 2032 tournament, UEFA also revealed that the United Kingdom and Ireland will host Euro 2028.

Italy previously abandoned a move to host the 2028 tournament just last year. Turkey, however, remained an opponent to the UK/Ireland bid. Nevertheless, Turkey eventually dropped out of the race to rejoin Italy as co-hosts for the 2032 Euros. Russia initially wanted to oppose Italy and Turkey, but UEFA denied their bid due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Nations to promote Mediterranean culture during tournament

Italy and Turkey may not share a border, but they do have a fairly similar connection. Both countries are on the Mediterranean Sea and are only separated by Albania and Greece. The two successful bidders acknowledged this connection in a joint statement released on Tuesday. “We offer our gratitude to UEFA for giving two countries sharing Mediterranean culture the honor to co-host UEFA EURO 2032,” the statement read.

“The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) have united their strength with their bid to host the best EURO ever held, establishing new bridges of friendships and leaving a lasting contribution to the football legacy.”

“In the coming years, Italy and Turkey will work intensively, as we point out in our motto ‘Play as One,’ until 2032, with a big passion and commitment to offer the ultimate EURO experience to the fans.”

Turkey to host competition for first time

This will be the first time that Turkey hosts European Championship matches. However, Italy has previously hosted the European Championship twice before (1968 and 1980). Rome, the capital of Italy, was a host during Euro 2020 as well. The 2020 tournament happened across 11 nations to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the tournament.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Insidefoto.