Stadium situation for UEFA Euro 2028 bid

With Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia submitting a bid to host UEFA Euro 2028, AGONAsport analyses the situation concerning arenas to be used for the competition.

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In 2018, the four countries had already held negotiations concerning the possibility of preparing a joint bid for UEFA Euro 2028 and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, and in mid-April, the nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Thessaloniki to confirm they will make an attempt to host one of the competitions.

Deputy Greek Minister of Culture and Sport Giorgos Vasiliadis, Bulgarian Minister of Youth and Sport Krasen Kralev, Serbian Minister of Youth and Sport Vanja Udovicic and Romanian Minister of Youth and Sport Constantin-Bogdan Matei signed the agreement.

Let’s take a closer look at the arena situation for UEFA Euro 2028, starting with the UEFA stadium requirements for the European Championship:

UEFA Stadium Requirements

3 stadia with 50,000 seats (preferably one of which with at least 60,000 seats)

3 stadia with 40,000 seats

4 stadia with 30,000 seats

The semi-finals and final must all be played at different grounds.

GREECE (FOUR ARENAS)

The Olympic Stadium in Athens, boasting a total capacity of around 75,000, fits the first of UEFA’s requirements and will be the main arena in the Greek bid which also contains the new Toumba Stadium (40,000), Karaiskakis Stadium (32,000) and Agia Sofia Stadium (32,000).

At the moment, the Agia Sofia Stadium is under construction in Nea Filadelfeia, and it’s believed it will be able to hold the same amount of supporters as the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus. In Thessaloniki, work is yet to begin on the new Toumba Stadium which will replace the existing arena, but PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis wants the venue to have a capacity exceeding 40,000.

Deputy Greek Minister for Culture and Sport, Giorgos Vasiliadis, has revealed that the country will use existing facilities rather than constructing stadiums specifically for the competition.

ROMANIA (THREE ARENAS)

Bucharest’s Arena Nationala, which opened in 2011, is one of the most modern stadiums on the continent. A year after the grand opening, the stadium hosted the final of the 2011/2012 UEFA Europa League between Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, and it will soon be the venue for UEFA Euro 2020 games. The stadium holds a capacity of 55,000.

In Craiova, a newly-built stadium holds 31,000 fans, while a 30,000 seater arena is available in Cluj-Napoca.

BULGARIA/SERBIA (TWO ARENAS FROM EACH NATION)

In terms of stadium infrastructure, these two countries are quite a way behind Greece and Romania. In Bulgaria, the Vasil Levski National Stadium is the best option available with a capacity of 44,000, however the arena is old and in severe need of improvement. Another Bulgarian stadium, with an airport nearby, is also needed for the bid.

Over in Serbia, the famous Marakana Stadium in Belgrade can hold up to 55,000 supporters, but Partizan Belgrade’s arena (32,000) requires updates if it is to be used for the European Championship.

A minimum of 11 stadiums must be in the formal bid submitted to UEFA, but only 10 will be used for the tournament itself. As things stand, the goal is to have four arenas from Greece, three from Romania and two apiece from Serbia and Bulgaria. It’s worth noting that no other official bids have yet been announced for Euro 2028.

UEFA Euro 2028 hosts are likely to be revealed in 2021.

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: to10.gr

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