Russia Still Wants To Host Euro 2028 As Turkey Makes Surprise Bid To Rival UK & Ireland

The UK and Ireland's joint bid to host Euro 2028 will NOT run unopposed as had been previously expected.

Football Associations from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland issued a joint statement on Wednesday morning.

It saw them formally file an EOI (expression of interest) to UEFA stating their intention to make Euro 2028 "one of the greatest sporting events ever held in the UK & Ireland".

At the time of the statement, it was believed that there would be no rival bidders for Euro 2028.

Turkey had been expected to pull out of the race.

Meanwhile, previous suggestions that Russia could be a candidate were widely dismissed, after FIFA and UEFA banned all Russian teams from competition as a consequence of Vladimir Putin ordering his army to invade Ukraine last month.

But a post on the Russian union's website after an executive committee meeting later on Wednesday included that its members "support the decision to declare interest in hosting the European Championship 2028 or 2032 in Russia".

Despite successfully hosting the 2018 World Cup, it seems highly unlikely that any Russian bid will be considered by UEFA.

But Turkey could still be a contender after surprising many when they followed the UK and Irish FAs in submitting an EOI on Wednesday.

"The Turkish Football Federation has made an official candidacy application to UEFA for the 2028 European Football Championship finals to be held in Turkey," read a statement from the country's soccer federation on Wednesday afternoon.

"UEFA will make its decision on hosting Euro 2028 after evaluating the files of the candidate countries in the upcoming period."

Turkey were unsuccessful bidders for the Euros in 2016 and 2024, as they were beaten by France and Germany respectively.

UEFA have already handed one big event to Turkey, with Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium selected to host the 2023 Champions League final.

Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium will host the 2023 Champions League final and could also be used as a venue for Euro 2028 if Turkey beats a joint bid by the UK and Ireland

IMAGO/Seskim Photo