Villa Park among host venues for EURO 2028 bid
Villa Park - the home of Aston Villa football club - has been selected as one of the venues as part of the UK and Ireland bid for UEFA EURO 2028.
The UK and Ireland yesterday submitted the final bid to host the European Championships - a key milestone in the bidding process to host one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world.
And Villa Park has been chosen ahead of a several other globally renowned football grounds including Manchester United 's Old Trafford and Liverpool 's Anfield.
The famous Birmingham stadium was previously one of the venues for EURO 96 - the last time England solely hosted a major men 's international football tournament - and the 1966 World Cup.
Following an extensive process of assessing stadia against UEFA 's requirements, the final 10 stadia and host cities for the EURO 2028 bid are:
- Wembley Stadium, London
- National Stadium of Wales, Cardiff
- Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
- City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester
- Everton Stadium, Liverpool
- St James ' Park, Newcastle
- Villa Park, Birmingham
- Hampden Park, Glasgow
- Dublin Arena, Dublin
- Casement Park, Belfast
Cllr Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We are delighted Birmingham and Villa Park have been selected to be a host city and stadia as part of the UK & Ireland UEFA EURO 2028 Bid.
“Over many years we have demonstrated we are a city that can proudly host major events of this type and scale - and the people of Birmingham and indeed the entire nation have proven time and time again their huge appetite for sport.
“Attracting and hosting major events, as outlined in our 10-year Major Sporting Events Strategy, delivers positive, economic and environmental impact for our residents, businesses and regional economy.
“The exciting redevelopment of Villa Park, one of the world 's most iconic football stadiums, will further enhance Birmingham as one of the world 's leading sport cities. ”
Christian Purslow, CEO Aston Villa, said: “We are immensely proud that Villa Park, one of the most renowned and historic football stadiums in the UK, has been selected as part of the UEFA EURO 2028 Bid.
“This is tremendously exciting not just for our football club to be included in such a unique undertaking but also for Birmingham and the wider West Midlands region.
“Alongside plans to redevelop the North Stand end of the stadium in time for the tournament, which will provide a multi-faceted boost to the immediate vicinity and the surrounding areas as well as turning Villa Park into a world-class arena, our home and the city will have the honour of hosting elite level sport again that it so richly deserves. ”
The host for UEFA EURO 2028 will be announced in autumn this year.
Pictured: Ravinder Singh Ubhi (representing Punjabi Villains), Steve Lovell (representing Villa and Proud), Shabana Mahmood (Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood), Christian Purslow (CEO of Aston Villa), Ian Ward (leader of Birmingham City Council) and Daniella Casey (representing Villa Bellas)