UEFA Euro 2016

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The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2016 for short, will be the 15th quadrennial top-level European football event. It will be held in the summer of 2016. The host nation(s) are yet to be selected. Should the selection process and timeline used for Euro 2012 be applied again, the host(s) will be chosen in the spring of 2011.

1 Hosting requirements
2 Possible bids
3 References

[edit] Hosting requirements

A minimum of eight stadia is necessary to host a championship in the present 16-team format. Minimum eight stadia must have above 30,000 seats, three of those eight must have above 40,000 seats and a 4-star rating, and at least one of those three must have 50,000 seats and a 5-star rating. Should the tournament be expanded to 24 teams, the experience of past 24-team World Cups (1982 to 1994) shows that 9 to 12 stadia are necessary to host such a competition. This would favour bids from single large countries or joint bids by two or more medium-size countries.

[edit] Possible bids

Several countries are reported to be considering bids:

[edit] Greece

Greece bid for both Euro 2008 (in a joint bid with Turkey) and for Euro 2012 and failed in both instances. The bid is supported both by the Hellenic Football Federation, the Greek Government and the Greek Minister of Sports.

Athens Olympic Stadium, home venue of AEK Athens and Panathinaikos with a large capacity of 71,030. The stadium which hosted the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final was awarded 5 stars by UEFA.
Karaiskakis Stadium, home venue of Olympiacos, can hold 33,334. The stadium was awarded 4 stars by UEFA.
Toumba Stadium, home venue of PAOK, can hold 28,701.
Lysimachos Kaftanzoglu Stadium, home vanue of Iraklis and can hold 28,028.
Pankritio Stadium, home venue of OFI and Ergotelis and can hold 26,400.
Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, home vanue of Aris and can hold 22,800.

Stadiums to be completed in the near future:

Votanikos Arena will be the new stadium of Panathinaikos and can hold 42,000
AEK Arena will be the new stadium of AEK Athens and can hold 50,000

The major drawbacks are that many of the larger Greek stadia are based in Athens and the infrastructure links with stadiums on the Greek isles would have to significantly increase. Also, some of the stadiums lack the quality required by a major tournament such as the EURO.

[edit] Scotland

Scotland, along with the Republic of Ireland, bid for Euro 2008 and there has been much discussion over whether the nation should consider a solo bid for Euro 2016. The entrance into government of the Scottish National Party (SNP) has boosted the hopes of such an outcome.

Scottish stadia that currently meet the criteria (most obviously the requirement for 30,000 seats):

Murrayfield Stadium, in Edinburgh, home of the Scotland national rugby union team and Edinburgh Rugby, capacity 67,800.
Celtic Park, in Glasgow, home of Celtic F.C., capacity 60,832. Potential expansion to 68,000.
Hampden Park, also in Glasgow, a UEFA 5-star stadium, home of the Scotland national football team and Queen's Park F.C., capacity 52,103. There is the capability to increase capacity by as much as 20,000 seats, adding a second tier to the North Stand, and digging down the pitch and athletics trackbed (which is too small for international events) adding seats into the area formerly occupied by the track.
Ibrox Stadium, also in Glasgow, a UEFA 5-star stadium, home of Rangers F.C., capacity 51,082, but with confirmed works to increase capacity to 51,900 and proposed works to increase capacity to 57,000. Recent reports suggest that a major overhaul may now take place to increase Ibrox to 70,000.

However, a bid featuring three stadia in the same host city would possibly be seen as a drawback to any bid unless enough other cities and stadiums were included - usually a minimum of 7 cities, and a minimum of 8 stadiums (although at least 9 would be required if all three in Glasgow were utilised, and 10 if two stadiums in Edinburgh were utilised). Glasgow would probably use two venues, Celtic or Rangers with Hampden Park.

Possible new or upgraded stadiums are:

a new stadium in Aberdeen, for Aberdeen F.C., replacing Pittodrie Stadium. A plan for a 32,000 seat arena, with a retractable roof, was included in the Euro 2008 bid. Although a new site has since been selected, and proposed capacity reduced to 20,000-25,000 seats, the design includes the option for permanent or temporary expansion of the ground capacity.
a new stadium in Dundee, for Dundee United F.C. and Dundee F.C., replacing their current homes at Tannadice Park and Dens Park, which are adjacent to each other on the same street. This proposal was included in the Euro 2008 bid. Concerns over the viability and atmosphere in the stadium after any tournament, in relation to club attendances, could lead to a reduction from 30,000 to the mid to low 20,000s after the tournament.
expansion of either, or (in unlikely circumstances) both, club stadiums in Edinburgh. Easter Road Stadium, home of Hibernian F.C., current capacity 17,500 all seats, was included in the Euro 2008 bid, featuring a capacity of 30,000 of which a few thousand were temporary. The club currently have plans to redevelop the ground to around 21,000 all seats. Tynecastle Stadium, home of Heart of Midlothian F.C., current capacity 17,420 all seats, is situated in a more constrained site, however the club have announced plans to increase capacity to 23,000 all seats, subject to planning permission. In both cases, a mixture or permanent and temporary extensions would be made for hosting the European Championships. The club's owner has a long-term plan to expand Tyncastle into a 40,000 seat stadium, and these could be advanced if necessary.
expansion of Rugby Park in Kilmarnock, home of Kilmarnock F.C., current capacity 18,128 all seats. Rebuilding the older Main Stand (including a temporary third tier), and filling the corners, could boost capacity to between 30,000 and 31,000.
a new stadium in Inverness, most likely as a municipal stadium used for a variety of sporting events, including Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. and major shinty matches. This would include a large proportion of temporary seats for the tournament, these being removed afterwards.
a new stadium for athletics and possibly the Scotland national rugby league team, with the most likely location being Stirling due to its central location and excellent transport links. This venue could also play host to Stirling Albion F.C.. The proposal to demolish the current national athletics arena, Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh, has increased calls for a new venue for the sport in Scotland.
East Kilbride is Scotland's fifth largest settlement (after Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee) and has a large enough population to feasibly support a stadium. However East Kilbride has no senior football club, being a new town. The construction of a new stadium might tie in with existing plans to create a professional club in the town. Althrough a stadium could be built for 30,000 capacity, it could be reduced to a more realistic capacity afterwards.
other towns and cities like Motherwell, Paisley, Dunfermline, Perth and Greenock have all been mooted as possible venues, but it is unlikely large stadiums there could be justified.

If the tournament expands to 24 teams, then at least 10 stadiums would be required for any bid. This has led to suggestions Scotland would prefer a joint bid if the tournament expands - although, in theory, the competition could be held satisfactorily if all the aforementioned proposals were used.

In terms of hotel accommodation, Scotland fulfilled the criteria for Euro 2008 most satisfactorily. The existence of such a large tourist industry, especially involved with the annual Edinburgh Festival, and the nations growing role in international business, ensures large hotel capacity.

Transport provision is also generally suitable. There are international airports in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness and at Prestwick between Glasgow and Kilmarnock. Dundee has a domestic flights only airport which could be upgraded, although it is close enough to Edinburgh under UEFA guidelines, while Stirling is close enough to both Edinburgh and Glasgow. In addition to road and ferry links to England and Northern Ireland, direct ferry links currently exist to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway and Belgium. Road transport between possible host cities fulfils the criteria for dual carriageway provision, except the road to Inverness where remaining sections of the A9 would have to be upgraded. Railway routes exist between all possible host cities, as well as services to England and Wales and onwards to continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel. In addition, Glasgow has a subway network, and construction of a network of trams is under way in Edinburgh. There are a large number of public and private bus companies, as well as UK-wide bus routes linking up all the major towns and cities.

Scotland hosted the Commonwealth Games of 1970 and 1986 in Edinburgh, and Glasgow will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. In football, Scotland has hosted neutral finals of the UEFA Champions League in 1960, 1976 and 2002; the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1962 and 1966; and the UEFA Cup in 2007. It also hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1989. In other sports, Scotland has hosted the Island Games (Shetland) in 2005; matches in the Rugby World Cup in 1991 (Edinburgh), 1999 (Galashiels, Edinburgh, Glasgow) and 2007 (Edinburgh); matches in the Rugby League World Cup in 2000 (Edinburgh, Glasgow); and matches in the Cricket World Cup in 1999 (Edinburgh). Regular events in golf are held, on an almost annual basis, and certain tennis events have also be hosted in recent years. Football matches in the Olympic Games in 2012 may be held in Glasgow.

Scotland also has experience of hosting major non-sporting international events, including the annual Edinburgh Festival, major international concerts like T in the Park, and many international conferences and meetings. Scotland also hosted the important G8 Summit of world leaders in 2005.

Euro 2016 could form part of a 'Golden Decade' in British Sport.

Speculation has risen that if Poland and Ukraine fail summer inspections in their build-up to Euro 2012, Scotland may be invited by UEFA to host the tournament in their stead. The above stadiums and constructions would probably take place with Aberdeen and the Dundee clubs having expressed interest in moving to new stadiums in time for the tournament.

If Scotland are awarded Euro 2012, then no bid for Euro 2016 would take place due to UEFA's rules on European Championship hosting.

[edit] Celtic nations bid

Ireland and/or Wales may be invited to join Scotland in a bid for a 'Celtic 2016' championships. Ireland unsuccessfully bid with Scotland for Euro 2008, which went to Austria and Switzerland.

A bid involving the Republic of Ireland could include:

The newly-upgraded Lansdowne Road, in Dublin, home of the Republic of Ireland national football team and the Ireland national rugby union team, which will have a capacity of 55,000 seats once completed.
Croke Park, also in Dublin, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association and its major events, as well as many football and rugby union fixtures during the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road. Croke Park currently holds 82,500 people - of which 73,500 are seated. The 9,000 capacity terracing could be expanded or seated for hosting the tournament.
Páirc Uí Chaoimh, in Cork, home of Cork GAA. Currently holds 52,000 people - of which about half are seated. However it is expected that the stadium will be coverted into a 60,000 all seater stadium in the near future.
Thomond Park, in Limerick, home of Munster Rugby will have a seated capacity of 25,000 once fully developed. A further increase to 30,000 could follow.
Semple Stadium, in Thurles, home of Tipperary GAA. It's current capacity around 53-55,000 of which 36,000 are seated. There are currently plans to increase capacity to 57,000 (including increasing the seating capacity), along with improvements in facilities. However, much work would have to be performed in terms of adding roofs to the end stands.
Gaelic Grounds, in Limerick, home of Limerick GAA. The current capacity is 50,000 (roughly 50% seated). To host a major tournament, roofing, floodlights and additional facilities would have to be added, and some terracing converted to seats.
McHale Park, in Castlebar, home of Mayo GAA has a capacity of 36,000 all seats - however, much of this is uncovered bench seating.
A number of other Gaelic Athletic Association stadiums have large capacities (and many have plans to further increase them), however these stadiums generally contain predominantly open-air terraces. See List of GAA Stadiums by Capacity for more details.
Should they be needed, the cities of Galway and Waterford could be used as host cities as well.

A bid involving Northern Ireland could include;

the replacement for Windsor Park, in Belfast, home of the Northern Ireland national football team and Linfield F.C.. Options have included a new national stadium, on the site of the now disused Maze Prison, with a capacity of 42,000 seats. However, calls have been made for a smaller stadium, on the current site - whether this be an entire rebuild, or some new stands.
Casement Park, also in Belfast, home of Antrim GAA. Although currently holding 32,500 people the majority of the ground is uncovered terracing. It would likely be replaced by the Maze stadium.
the population of Derry is also significant, and could perhaps justify a large stadium.

A bid involving Wales could include:

the Millennium Stadium, in Cardiff, a UEFA 5-star stadium, home of the Wales national football team and the Wales national rugby union team, capacity 74,500 all seats.
the New Cardiff City stadium, in Cardiff, home of Cardiff City and possibly Cardiff Blues, which will have a capacity of 25,000 seats once completed. This will be upgradable to 30,000.
There is scope, in terms of population, for a stadium in Newport or Swansea. Rodney Parade Stadium in Newport is scheduled to have a seated capacity of 15,000 by 2010. The Liberty Stadium in Swansea holds 20,000 seated spectators, however it was not designed with increased capacity options, and another new stadium would effectively be required.

However, recent comments by Scotland's new First Minister Alex Salmond suggest that the Scots going it alone in their bid would be preferential.^[1].

[edit] Sweden and Norway

According to an article^[2] in the Swedish newspaper Göteborgs-Posten, Sweden and Norway are considering co-hosting the championship, with Gothenburg's Ullevi Stadium as the venue for the final. Gothenburg is the natural choice for the final as the city is close to Norway. However, the 43,000-capacity Ullevi currently holds a UEFA 4-star rating only and would need expanding to over 50,000 (and improved amenities) to attain the 5-star rating necessary to host the final. The new 50,000-seat football-only national stadium in Solna, on the other hand, will be designed to 5-star standards from the start and will be a central part of the bid, with its 50 000 places.

Other stadia being considered in Sweden are a new stadium in Malmö and Olympia Stadium in Helsingborg. Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Lerkendal Stadion in Trondheim, Brann Stadion in Bergen, and Viking Stadion in Stavanger are the planned venues in Norway. One to four further stadia upgrades/constructions would be needed if the tournament were to be expanded to 24 teams. On February 6th 2008 the Football Association of Norway released plans of selling Ullevaal Stadion and building a new 50,000 seat 5-star rated stadium somewhere else in Oslo.

[edit] France

On 18 April 2007, the President of the French Football Federation, Jean-Pierre Escalettes, declared France's intention to bid. The President of the LFP, Frédéric Thiriez, commented that they would be a favorable candidate, owing to the quality of the infrastructure already in place. On December 11, 2007, the French sports minister, Bernard Laporte, said the bid would have the full support of the government and it would be submitted at the end of 2008 or early 2009.^[3]

France has an excellent pool of modern stadia built or renovated for the 1998 World Cup, which would require only minimum upgrades to meet Euro 2016 criteria. Accommodations in all potential host cities and transportation links between them are more than adequate. The country has hosted two major football events in recent history (World Cup 1998, Euro 1984), plus the (World Cup 1938), 1960 European Nations' Cup and many minor tournaments (most recently the 2003 Confederations Cup, 2001 U-17 Championships, and 1994 UEFA U-21 Championships).

[edit] Denmark and Sweden

Originally, Denmark and Sweden planned a bid, but it looks like Norway is taking over from Denmark. The Danish government and Danish Football Association (DBU) still want to bring the championship to the country.^[4] However, the biggest disadvantage for Denmark is the lack of suitable venues, as only one stadium - the national arena, Parken, in Copenhagen - currently fulfills the UEFA requirements.

On June 8, 2008, Sport Event Denmark announced that the work with the bid is underway, and they will talk to DBU.^[5]

[edit] Turkey

The head of Turkish Football Association, Hasan Doğan, has declared that he will try to bring EURO 2016 to Turkey before his term of office ends, during his declaration that he will be giving up the position possibly in the next term.^[6] He also mentioned that there were "positive talks" between him and Michel Platini about this issue.^[7] Current stadia that can be used for the tournament include:

Atatürk Olympic Stadium, built in 2002, with a large capacity of 83,000. The stadium, which hosted the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final, was awarded 5-stars by UEFA.
İzmir Atatürk Stadium, home venue of Altay S.K. and Göztepe A.Ş. is located in the city of Izmir and has a capacity of 58,008.
Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, located in the Kadikoy district of Istanbul, is home of Fenerbahce S.K. and can hold 55,000. It is the second stadium in Turkey with 5-stars by UEFA. It will host the 2009 UEFA Cup Final
BJK İnönü Stadium is the football stadium of Besiktas JK, in Istanbul. The stadium is currently the 4th largest in Turkey and has 32,150 seats.
Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium is home of Trabzonspor, located in the city of Trabzon and can hold 30,000 people.

Stadiums to be completed in the near future:

The new stadium of Galatasaray S.K. will have a seating capacity for more than 52,000 spectators (Construction End Date: August 2009)

The New İnönü Stadium with a capacity of 42,000

Aslantepe ArenA will be the new home stadium of Galatasaray SK and will be opened in September 2009. It will have a capacity of 57,800 and is expected to become Turkey's 3rd 5-star stadium.
New Ankaraspor Stadium will replace the Ankara 19 Mayıs stadium as home ground of Ankaraspor. Its capacity will be 35,000.

New Trabzonspor Stadium will be Trabzonspor's new stadium and will hold 33,000.
Kayseri Kadir Has Stadyumu is going to replace the ageing Kayseri Atatürk Stadium, in Kayseri, Turkey. It will be part of the larger Atatürk Spor Complex and is expected to be completed in August 2008. It will be the home of Kayserispor and Kayseri Erciyesspor. It will be one of the most modern stadiums in Turkey when completed, and will offer a number of restaurants, cafes, and VIP areas for fans. Two brand-new shopping centres will also be located nearby, as will a car park with a capacity of 1785 cars.

Also, the new stadiums of Konyaspor, Bursaspor and Antalyaspor will all have over 30,000 seats and easily meet the UEFA requirements.

[edit] Hungary and Romania

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From unofficial sources, Hungary may be in the process of inviting Romania to co-bid for Euro 2016. Considering two failed bids (for Euro 2004 with Austria, and for Euro 2012 with Croatia), Romania appears to be the last co-hosting solution. However, it is considered that a Romania/Bulgaria bid for Euro 2020 would have a better chance of realisation — Romania (jointly) hosting 2016 would rule them out of bidding for 2020. Also Romania will have much more time to improve her infrastructure and other facilities if she will bid in 2020 along with Bulgaria who, also needs time to evolve.

Still, there is the possibility that Romania will bid with Hungary, country that has more funds to invest in such an event than Bulgaria, in 2020 again, if they will fail in 2016. Despite all this, the one who is the most advantaged is Romania, because she will make the decision with who will she bid with. We will wait to see in the spring of 2011 or 2015 respectivly, when the hosts will be anounced.