Russia and Turkey want the 2028 European Football Championship

For a long time, the joint application from Great Britain and Ireland was the only one received for the 2028 European Championship. But at the last moment – Wednesday coincided with the UEFA deadline – first Turkey and then Russia showed interest. As for the tournament four years later, Italy and Russia are the only favorites at the moment.

We must take the opportunity to arrange the European Championships. It will be played in the World Cup arenas and we have the infrastructure,” Alexander Dyukov, president of the Russian Football Federation, told Russia’s Match TV channel.

The World Cup was held in Russia in 2018, the idea being that the same arenas could be used for a potential European tournament.

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However, to get such an application is impossible in principle. Football, like many sports, imposed severe sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. A few weeks ago, Russian clubs and national teams were excluded from competitions organized by UEFA and FIFA (International Football Association). Among other things, this led to the expulsion of the Russian men’s national team from the ongoing World Cup qualifiers, and the exclusion of the Russian women’s national team, apparently, from this summer’s European Championship.

However, the Russian Football Association has not been excluded from UEFA, which makes application possible.

UEFA will now process expressions of interest, and on April 5 the nominees will be officially announced. Host countries will be introduced in September 2023.