Inside UK and Ireland's decision to pull out of 2030 World Cup bidding war
The UK and Ireland opted against a World Cup bid and instead have been rewarded with the European Championships two years earlier.
No tournament has been held exclusively on British or Irish soil since England hosted the Euros in 1996. Two years ago, Wembley and Hampden Park took centre stage at the Euros with the London-based stadium hosting the semi-finals and final. Dublin's Aviva Stadium was also set to play a role before Covid restrictions altered plans.
Now, all three stadiums will host Euros contests after the UK and Ireland decided to scrap plans for a World Cup bid, instead focusing their attention on the 2028 tournament. There were no other bids, meaning UEFA's decision was a formality.
England failed dramatically in their attempt to land the 2018 World Cup back in 2010. Russia were eventually named as hosts by a handful of votes.
There has been a clamour for football to return home and fans across the UK and Ireland are set to get their wish in five years' time. The Football Association of Ireland explained how an extensive study had revealed that the Euros would prove almost as profitable as the World Cup, but at far less of a cost to the hosts.
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In a statement they said: "The feasibility study included an analysis of the economic impact, the political football landscape and likely costs of hosting major international tournaments. On balance, the five associations have decided to focus solely on an official bid to host UEFA EURO 2028, and have agreed not to bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Plans to host the World Cup were scrapped (PA Archive/PA Images)"Hosting a UEFA EURO offers a similar return on investment, with the European tournament carrying a far lower delivery cost and the potential of the benefits being realised sooner."
Mark Bullingham, chief executive of the FA, had previously said that bids for both the Euros and the World Cup were "brilliant" opportunities, but said after assessing the "winnability", a decision was made to go for the Euro 2028 bid.
Before plans to abandon a World Cup bid were announced, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee chair Julian Knight described the 2030 ambition as a "giant, expensive vanity project".
The Euros will be played across the UK and Ireland in five years (Alex Morton - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)That World Cup has since been given jointly to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. FIFA have also announced, on the 100th anniversary of the very first tournament, that Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will serve as the nations that open the event.
The home nations and Ireland were also given assurances that the debacle in the lead-up to the final at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley wouldn't been an issue. Poor measures meant that there were disturbing scenes inside and outside of the stadium but UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the trouble "would not count against" a British and Irish bid.
It was confirmed in April that Wembley (London), the Principality Stadium ( Cardiff ), Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London), the Etihad Stadium (Manchester), Everton Stadium ( Liverpool ), St James' Park ( Newcastle ), Villa Park (Birmingham), Hampden Park (Glasgow), the Aviva Stadium (Dublin) and Casement Park (Belfast) will be the stadiums to host the tournament.
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