UK and Ireland confirm Euro 2028 bid with no games at Anfield or Emirates

The UK and Ireland have submitted their bid to host Euro 2028, with Liverpool's Anfield and Arsenal's Emirates Stadiums missing out, as previously expected.

Whilst Euro 2020 saw a whole group of the competition held in England and Scotland, as well as a slew of knockout games, including both semi finals and the final, there hasn't been a full major men's tournament held on these shores since Euro 96.

Initially it looked like a joint UK and Ireland bid would attempt to host the World Cup in 2030 but the FAs decided to focus instead on the Euros two years earlier.

Originally it was expected that the bid would be pretty easy to win, as it was thought to be going unopposed to UEFA, meaning there would have been little problem with a vote.

However, Turkey have since joined the bidding process, meaning the UK and Ireland's bid is far from guaranteed, though Turkey are also bidding for the tournament in 2032.

The FAs from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Ireland have now submitted their bids to the European football governing body, and included a list of stadia which could potentially host games.

"Our stadia concept includes a proposed shortlist of 14 venues in famous sporting cities known throughout the world, including destinations that are home to clubs with great European football history and heritage," the FA said in a statement.

"The plan ensures that all our proposed cities and stadia are connected by direct, quick and sustainable travel links and accommodation that will provide an unrivalled experience for teams and fans."

"The proposed shortlisted cities and stadia are:

1. Birmingham - Villa Park

2. Liverpool - Everton Stadium

3. London - London Stadium

4. London - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

5. London - Wembley Stadium

6. Manchester - City of Manchester Stadium

7. Newcastle - St James' Park

8. Sunderland - Stadium of Light

9. Trafford - Old Trafford

10. Dublin - Dublin Arena

11. Dublin - Croke Park

12. Belfast - Casement Park Stadium

13. Glasgow - Hampden Park

14. Cardiff - National Stadium of Wales"

The Women's Euros held in England last summer were a huge hit. Image: Alamy

That means that, as predicted by earlier reports, both Liverpool and Arsenal's home grounds will miss out, with Everton's new stadium preferred in Merseyside to Anfield.

In England's capital, Arsenal's rivals Tottenham have been preferred, along with West Ham's London Stadium, formerly the Olympic Stadium, and of course Wembley.

Stadium MK, home to MK Dons, was the only stadium left off the initial list shortlisted by the FA, ahead of the submitted list.

The FA calling for all the locations to be connected by "direct, quick and sustainable travel links," might cause a chuckle to those in the country.

Currently there are many strikes across the rail networks, with companies continuing not to pay the workers what they're asking for,

Even when the service is running, it's often subject to delays and extremely high prices, which is why one Sunderland fan travelled down to London via Menorca last season for the League One play off final, because the flight was cheaper.

Topics: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Wales, Liverpool, Arsenal, UEFA

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a journalist for SPORTbible with over eight years of experience. Passionate about all sports, he mainly covers football and F1 - Daniel Ricciardo once spent an entire interview referring to him as 'Ryan Gosling,' still his proudest moment.

@Sidler28