Euro 2028: Northern Ireland will not be classed as host nation for tournament
Northern Ireland will not be named as a host nation for the Euro 2028 final and will miss out on a backdoor route to qualification, the Football Association of Ireland’s chief executive has said.
UEFA have yet to formally outline the qualification process for the tournament – which will be held in the UK and Ireland – but it is believed all co-hosts will take part in the group stages of qualifying, with at least two spots remaining for ineligibles State reserved.
FAI chief executive David Courell said this would not include Northern Ireland, who would also not take part in any potential play-off series involving hosts as they are no longer considered a host nation. Casement Park ceases to be host stadium.
These play-offs could involve England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, countries that do not qualify automatically through the group stages.
Northern Ireland must therefore qualify through the regular qualifying process.
“To be clear, Northern Ireland is not eligible for an automatic spot if it is not the host nation,” FAI chief executive Courell told a media briefing in Dublin on Tuesday.
“We are in talks with UEFA but the working assumption is that all of us (host nations UK and Ireland) will get through the qualifying rounds and if we don’t manage to qualify then there will be automatic reservations – but that has not yet been confirmed by UEFA. Football Federation’s approval,” he added.
When contacted by BBC Sport NI, a Football Association of Ireland spokesman confirmed the position relayed in the FAI briefing.
Belfast’s Casement Park was initially earmarked as one of the host venues for Euro 2028, but plans to rebuild the stadium in time for the final were halted in September.
The UK government said the estimated cost of rebuilding the stadium had “risen significantly” to more than £400 million.
The company said it would not provide funding to rebuild the stadium in time for the games, adding that there was a “significant risk” that the stadium would not be built in time.
