Euro 2028 games in Cork?

Kylian Mbappé mightn’t be great with a hurley but he could still hit the net at Páirc Uí Chaoimh as Ireland and the UK look set to host the 2028 UEFA European Football Championship.

With Russia’s bid ended by UEFA and with Turkey and Italy having dropped out of the bidding war, Ireland and the UK are clean through on goal in their bid to host the games in five years’ time.

It is understood that the staging of Euro 2028 could attract up to 150,000 visitors and as much as €600 million in spending, depending on how many matches would be played in Ireland.

It has yet to be decided by UEFA whether Euro 2028 will be a 32 or 24 team competition, with more games likely to be played in Irish stadiums if the former is agreed upon.

The main venues to be considered in the Republic of Ireland are the 51,700 seater Aviva Stadium and the 82,300 seater Croke Park, both in Dublin.

It is hoped on Leeside that Páirc Uí Chaoimh, being Ireland’s fourth largest stadium in terms of capacity, may be in with a shout of staging a match.

The bid was made by the football associations of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England with a final bid due to be submitted in spring next year.