A UEFA delegation will visit Casement Park in Belfast on Wednesday to assess whether the venue can host games at Euro 2028 amid concerns over the cost of redevelopment. The European Championship in 2028 will be staged jointly between England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Five fixtures have been allocated to a redeveloped Casement Park, a former Gaelic football venue in a traditional Nationalist area of west Belfast which closed in 2013.
Windsor Park, which hosts Northern Ireland internationals, is based in Belfast’s traditional Loyalist area but isn’t big enough to meet UEFA requirements with little capacity for expansion. There is widespread opposition among Northern Ireland supporters over the decision to play games there. The stadium is named after the Irish revolutionary Roger Casement.
At present, there is insufficient funding available to pay for the rebuild of Casement Park, which would cost at least £200million and would have to be completed by mid-2027. If the stadium isn’t completed on time, UEFA would be forced to move the five fixtures to other host countries, leaving Northern Ireland without any games.
According to news the UEFA delegation would be shown around the Casement Park site by leading members of the Irish Football Association and the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association). They are also expected to speak with officials from some Stormont department, the police and Belfast City Council. An Irish FA spokesperson said: ‘We are looking forward to hosting UEFA to share more details about plans to host UEFA Euro 2028.
Clearance work to prepare Casement Park for reconstruction got underway last week in the hope the funding will be secured. DUP MP Jim Shannon has said he estimated the cost at £220m – three times the original estimate made a decade ago. ‘These are exciting times. Being part of this unique UK and Ireland tournament will benefit not just football, but all sections of our society, and we look forward to sharing the compelling story of Northern Ireland and Belfast.’
Last week, the Irish government announced it is prepared to pay more than £40m to help the project. The Stormont executive has pledged £62.5m. The GAA has pledged £15m but their new president Jarlath Burns said on Monday that is the limit.
Six of the 10 proposed Euro 2028 venues are in England Wembley Stadium, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, the City of Manchester (Etihad) Stadium, St James’ Park in Newcastle and Villa Park in Birmingham. The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Hampden Park in Glasgow and the Aviva Stadium in Dublin are the others.
