The bidding process of UEFA Euro 2016 ended on 28 May 2010 when France was announced to be the host. [1] [2] Four bids came before the deadline, 9 March 2009, which were France, Italy and Turkey as single bids and Norway and Sweden as a joint bid. [3] Norway and Sweden eventually withdrew their bid in December 2009. [4]
Joint bids of two member associations were permitted, and under exceptional circumstances, joint bids of three member associations also could be considered. The bidding process officially started on 11 December 2008. [1]
UEFA examined the bid regulations on 11 December 2008. [5] For the 2016 edition, nine stadia were required, with another three as optional contingency. [1]
The temporary suggestion of minimum stadia-requirements was:
These requirements were confirmed by UEFA in a letter to the applicants sent on 1 July 2009. The stadia had to be ready by 30 June 2014.
There were also 19 other sectors with requirements, and over 200 questions for documentation of the appliers statements.
| Date | Notes |
|---|---|
| 15 December 2008 | Applications formally invited |
| 9 March 2009 | Closing date for registering intention to bid |
| 3 April 2009 | Announcement of bidders |
| 15 February 2010 | Submission of detailed bids |
| 7–15 April 2010 | Bid visits |
| 28 May 2010 | Bid presentation and announcement of hosts |
Three European national associations signalled to UEFA their interest in staging UEFA Euro 2016:
The President of the French Football Federation (FFF), Jean-Pierre Escalettes, declared France's intention to bid on 18 April 2007. Frédéric Thiriez commented that they would be a favourable candidate, owing to the quality of the infrastructure already in place. On 11 December 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. [6]
The FFF officially confirmed the French bid on 13 February 2009. [7]
List of host cities/stadia proposed for 2016 bid (Three will later be nominated as back-ups): [8]
After months of speculation in the Italian media, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) decided to launch an official bid on 2 March 2009, with the FIGC President Giancarlo Abete saying that his country "cannot pull out of hosting major international events" following a Federal Council meeting in Rome. [9]
An Italian bid to stage the preceding tournament in 2012 was surprisingly beaten by a joint proposal from Poland and Ukraine in the final vote in April 2007. On 11 September 2009, during a UEFA workshop presentation on the subject of stadia and security, the Project Manager of the Italy Candidate for UEFA Euro 2016, Michele Uva, said: "Euro 2016 is a major goal for Italy, to this Federation and to the entire Italian sporting movement. Italy is preparing to draw up an application that can display and enhance the country's system. This process will involve all the excellence in Italy. We know we have the backing of all the political forces, the 42 million Italians who love football, the public authorities, football clubs and the business world." [10]
UEFA said they would require a minimum of nine stadia for the expanded 24-team and 51-match tournament in 2016 and the Italian bid confirmed on 20 September 2009 that it will propose in its bid dossier all twelve host cities it included in the 2012 bid. [11]
"Euro 2016 represents an historic opportunity to transform the quality, security and ambience of Italian stadia," Abete said in a statement after the Italian bid unveiled its official logo for the candidacy on the same national team into a ball with the geographic shape of Italy stamped in the centre.
List of host cities/stadia proposed for 2016 bid (Three were to be later be nominated as back-ups):
Following its unsuccessful bids for Euro 2008 (a joint bid with Greece) and 2012, Turkey's renewed intentions for hosting Euro 2016 were first declared by late Turkish Football Federation (TFF) president Hasan Doğan after Euro 2008. He also mentioned that there were "positive talks" between him and Michel Platini about this issue. [12]
On 7 February 2009, the TFF gave UEFA their official candidature brief to host UEFA Euro 2016. [13] Amongst the bidders, Turkey remained the only country that had not hosted any European Championship or the World Cup.
On 23 December 2009, Turkish Minister of Sport Faruk Nafız Özak announced Turkey's official candidature logo and the eight host cities (Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, Eskişehir, İstanbul, İzmir, Kayseri and Konya) and three backup cities (Adana, Şanlıurfa and Trabzon) for the country's bid. Turkey plan to host the tournament with nine stadia in eight cities with Istanbul hosting two stadia.
Turkey says it won't host any other games if they don't get the 2016 Euro.
Turkey's proposed cities and stadia for Euro 2016 were as follows: [14]
Turkey's bid planned for seven new stadia, while five existing stadia would be improved. The TFF expected costs of 1.65 billion euros for new investments and improvements for the stadia, infrastructure (transportation and accommodation) and tourism. [19]
The exact details about the stadia bids and projects were revealed to the general public on 15 February 2010 when the ban over the country promotions were lifted by UEFA.
| Country | Results [20] | |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Round 2 | |
 France | 43 | 7 |
 Turkey | 38 | 6 |
 Italy | 23 | Eliminated |
| Total votes | 104 | 13 |
Norway and Sweden had announced their intention to co-host the championship. [21] The bid was confirmed by the Football Association of Norway and the Swedish Football Association at a press conference in Oslo on 26 February 2009. [22] However, it was eventually withdrawn in December 2009, due to lack of political support in both countries. Sweden, the 1992 hosts, and Norway had previously been part of an unprecedented "Nordic bid" for Euro 2008. This was along with Finland and Denmark. [23]
In December 2006, the Football Association of Wales announced it was tentatively considering the possibility of jointly hosting the tournament, with the Scottish Football Association. Scotland, along with the Republic of Ireland, bid for Euro 2008 and there was much discussion over whether the nation should consider a solo bid for Euro 2016. The entrance into government of the Scottish National Party (SNP) boosted the hopes of such an outcome.
Comments by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond suggested that a Scotland–Wales bid may be considered, but a solo Scotland bid would be preferential if logistically possible. [24] In June 2008, both Salmond and Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan became supportive of a joint Scotland–Wales bid, particularly when the increase in size of the tournament was announced. [25] The two countries announced on 1 March 2009, however, that they had cancelled their plans owing to the economic downturn. [26]
In December 2002, after a failed bid with Scotland for Euro 2008, the Football Association of Ireland were unable to bid. This was because they did not have sufficient stadia to mount a solo bid, and no joint bid partner was forthcoming.
Speculation surrounded a potential Russian bid to host Euro 2016; the president of the Russian Football Union, Vitaliy Mutko, had said that "Russia has a good chance to become host of this championship". However, Russia did not bid before the deadline, instead deciding to focus on their bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which they later won. [27]
There was controversy concerning the decision to give the Euro 2016 to France and not to Turkey. After the decision was announced, responding to the question "During Sepp Blatter's term, Euro 2008 was awarded to Switzerland, during your term Euro 2016 is awarded to France, is this the new trend?" Platini said "When there is a Turkish president, then you can host a major tournament". [28]
Guus Hiddink was also highly critical of the decision, stating: "This proves once again that in top-flight football the game is run by politics", and "UEFA gave the Euro 2016 finals to France, who have already had the tournament twice and they also had the World Cup finals in 1998. This does not feel right. I get the feeling that the actual bid was about other things. Otherwise the choice for France as hosting nation, the country of UEFA president Michel Platini, cannot be explained".[ citation needed ]
Another highly controversial remark came from the French national player Marc Planus: "We learned that last night (Thursday night). We're really excited, it will boost the French football". The bidding and the decision process took place on Friday, one day after the French player suggested that "they have already known". [29] [30] [31]
Before the bidding process, Michel Platini introduced the French president Nicolas Sarkozy to every member of the decision committee in person, while he did not do the same for the Turkish president Abdullah Gül. After the decision Platini concluded:
"I think the fact that the president of the Republic was here was important. I think it was good he decided to come. If he hadn't come, Turkey would almost certainly have won".
"I'm happy because France has won, and I'm French — let's not forget it". [32]
The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contested by UEFA members' senior men's national teams, determining the continental champion of Europe. It is the second-most watched football tournament in the world after the FIFA World Cup. The Euro 2012 final was watched by a global audience of around 300 million. The competition has been held every four years since 1960, except for 2020, when it was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, but kept the name Euro 2020. Scheduled to be in the even-numbered year between FIFA World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the European Nations' Cup before changing to its current name in 1968. Since 1996, the individual events have been branded as "UEFA Euro [year]".
The 1984 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in France from 12 to 27 June 1984. It was the seventh UEFA European Championship, a competition held every four years and endorsed by UEFA.
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is used by the French national football and rugby union teams for international competitions. It is the largest in Europe for track and field events, seating 78,338 in that configuration. During other events, the stadium's running track is mostly hidden under the football pitch.
The Stade Vélodrome, known for sponsorship reasons as the Orange Vélodrome since June 2016, is a multi-purpose stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1 since it opened in 1937, and has been a venue in the 1938 and 1998 FIFA World Cups; the 1960, 1984 and 2016 editions of the UEFA European Championship; and the 2007 and 2023 Rugby World Cup. It occasionally hosts RC Toulon rugby club of the Top 14. It is the largest club football ground in France, with a capacity of 67,394 spectators. The stadium is also used regularly by the France national rugby union team.
The Stadio Olimpico is the largest sports facility in Rome, Italy, seating over 70,000 spectators. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex, north of the city. The structure is owned by the Italian National Olympic Committee and it is used primarily for association football. The Stadio Olimpico is the home stadium of the Roma and Lazio football clubs, and also hosts the Coppa Italia final. The Italian Rugby Union team also use the stadium for their home matches. It was rebuilt for the 1990 FIFA World Cup and it hosted the tournament final.
The Stade de la Beaujoire – Louis Fonteneau, mostly known as Stade de la Beaujoire, is a stadium in Nantes, France. It is the home of French football club FC Nantes.
The Stadio San Nicola is a multi-use all-seater stadium designed by Renzo Piano in Bari, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of S.S.C. Bari. The stadium's design resembles a flower. To create this particular design, the stadium consists of 26 'petals' and upper tiers of the higher ring separated by 8-metre empty spaces, sufficient to guarantee satisfactory security conditions.
Stadio Ennio Tardini, commonly referred to as just Il Tardini, is a football stadium in Parma, Italy, located near the centre of Parma, between the town centre and the city walls. It is the home of Parma Calcio 1913. The stadium was built in 1923 and was named after one of Parma's former presidents, Ennio Tardini. The stadium is the nineteenth largest football stadium in Italy and the second largest in Emilia–Romagna with a capacity of 22,352 spectators. The stadium is the sixth oldest Italian football ground still in use.
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard is a multi-purpose stadium in Saint-Étienne, France. It is used primarily for football matches, and tournaments such as the UEFA Euro 1984 and 2016, the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. It is also used for rugby union, and was a venue at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. It is nicknamed "le Chaudron", or "l'enfer vert", an allusion to the colours worn by the local football team, AS Saint-Étienne, given during the team's heyday when it drew particularly large crowds. More recently, its current capacity was 35,616 before the current renovations, which began in 2011 and temporarily reduced this figure to 26,747. Since the renovations finished, the stadium holds 42,000 seated spectators.
The Stade de la Meinau, commonly known as "La Meinau", is a football stadium in Strasbourg, France. It is the home ground of RC Strasbourg and has also hosted international matches, including one game of the 1938 World Cup, two games of Euro 1984 and the final of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1988. La Meinau has also been used as a venue for concerts and a mass by John Paul II in 1988. The stadium is owned by the Strasbourg municipality and is rented by the RC Strasbourg.
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe organised by UEFA. It was held in France from 10 June to 10 July 2016. Spain were the two-time defending champions, having won the 2008 and 2012 tournaments, but were eliminated in the round of 16 by Italy. Portugal won the tournament for the first time, following a 1–0 victory after extra time over the host team, France, in the final played at the Stade de France.
Alain Courtois, a Belgian Member of Parliament, announced in October 2006 that a formal bid would be made on behalf of the three Benelux countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg to host either the 2018 FIFA World Cup or 2022 version, but later decided to concentrate solely on the 2018 version . In June 2007 the three countries launched their campaign not as a joint bid in the manner of the Korea-Japan World Cup in 2002, but emphasizing it as a common political organization. Luxembourg would not host any matches or automatically qualify for the finals in a successful Benelux bid, but would host a FIFA congress.
The bidding process for the UEFA Euro 2020 is the process by which the location for the 16th European Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2020, was selected. The process officially began on 21 March 2012 with the intent to announce the hosts in late 2013 or early 2014. Despite interest from Turkey, a joint bid from Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales and a proposal from Georgia and Azerbaijan, UEFA announced on 6 December 2012 that it had made the unprecedented decision to host the tournament in multiple cities across Europe.
The bidding process for UEFA Euro 2012 ended on 18 April 2007, when a joint bid from Poland and Ukraine was selected as the host.
The bidding process for UEFA Euro 2008 ended on 12 December 2002 when a joint bid from Austria and Switzerland was selected as the host.
The UEFA European Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA. Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current name in 1968. Starting with the 1996 tournament, specific championships are often referred to in the form "Euro 2008" or whichever year is appropriate. Prior to entering the tournament, all teams other than the host nations compete in a qualifying process.
The bidding process of UEFA Euro 2024 ended on 27 September 2018 in Nyon, Switzerland, when Germany was announced to be the host. Two bids came before the deadline, 3 March 2017, which were Germany and Turkey as single bids.
Scotland–Ireland '08 was an unsuccessful bid by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to host the 2008 UEFA European Championships. In February 2002, the Scottish FA and the FA of Ireland officially confirmed a joint bid for Scotland and the Republic of Ireland to host the 2008 UEFA European Championships. Had the bid been successful, it would have been the first major competition hosted by both nations and the first held on the British Isles since UEFA Euro 1996, hosted by England.
The bidding process for UEFA Euro 2028 was the process by which the location for the 18th European Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2028, has been selected.
The bidding process for the UEFA Euro 2032 was the process by which the location for the 19th European Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2032, was selected.
| Tournaments |
|
|---|---|
| Qualifying | |
| Finals | |
| Squads | |
| Bids | |
| Statistics | |
| Broadcasting rights | |
| Overall records | |
| Miscellaneous | |
