Football FanCast updates you with all the latest news surrounding EURO 2032.
As Germany prepares to host next year's European Championships, the focus will quickly turn to the following two tournaments and UEFA have today announced the winning hosts.
FFC will takes a detailed look at the 2032 host and their plans for the showpiece tournament.
Who is hosting EURO 2032?
Italy and Turkey will co-host EURO 2032, ending the Turkish Football Federation's five-time bid failure.
UEFA have rejected Turkey's last five attempts to host the European Championship, but with Italy joining forces, their sixth endeavour will finally bear fruit.
Italy, on the other hand, have hosted the showpiece event in recent times, staging four EURO 2020 fixtures, including the opening game between themselves and Turkey, ironically.
Interestingly, before the two federations teamed up to submit a joint bid, Turkey were thought to be leading the race to land the tournament.
Prior to the announcement, when speaking to Italian-based news outlet Gazzetta, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said: “Türkiye is a big competitor for Euro 2032 and is currently the favourite over Italy."
The reason is unclear as to why both nations ditched their individual attempts, particularly Turkey, who looked in good stead to have their bid accepted. Nevertheless, doing it this way removes any risk of missing out, and allows fans to experience two cultures.
Who was bidding to host EURO 2032?
Initially, Italy and Turkey were two separate bidders hoping to host EURO 2032.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) was planning to bid for EURO 2028, but decided against doing so, instead opting to submit their dossier for the 2032 edition to allow more time to redevelop facilities.
TFF's bid was planned for either EURO 2028 or 2032, however, UEFA confirmed that the TFF and the FIGC requested for their bids to be merged, leaving the UK and Ireland's 2028 proposal unopposed for the former, with Turkey unable to host both events.
Russia's proposed bid was declared ineligible by UEFA.
Italy: Which stadiums are potential EURO 2032 venues?
As part of the requirements to host EURO 2028 (which presumably are the same as 2032), nations must have a minimum of one stadium with a net seating capacity of at least 60,000, one (preferably two) with at least 50,000, four stadiums with at least 40,000 and three stadiums with at least 30,000.
As such, the potential venues in Italy are:
Stadium
Capacity
San Siro
75,817
Stadio Olimpico
70,634
Stadio San Nicola
58,270
Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
54,726
Stadio Artemio Franchi
43,147
Juventus Stadium
41,507
Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi
39,371
Stadio Renato Dall'Ara
38,371
Stadio Luigi Ferraris
36,205
Unipol Stadium
25,000 expandable to 30,000
The average capacity across the 10 stadiums stands at 44,458.
Turkey: Which stadiums are potential EURO 2032 venues?
The potential venues in Turkey are:
Stadium
Capacity
Atatürk Olympic Stadium
74,753
Nef Stadium
53,611
Ülker Stadium
47,834
19 Mayis Stadium
45,000
Bursa Metropolitan Stadium
43,331
Konya Büyüksehir Arena
42,000
Senol Gunes Sports Complex
40,782
Conerdon Airlines Park
32,537
Kalyon Stadium
33,502
Atatürk Stadium
32,500
The average stadium capacity stands at 44,585, which is almost identical to that of Italy.
UEFA will select 10 stadiums, five per country, to stage EURO 2032. They have confirmed this process will conclude by October 2026.
What are the positives of Italy & Turkey hosting?
As previously mentioned, this was the Turkish Football Federation's (TFF) sixth consecutive attempt to host a European Championship.
That in itself shows the federation's continued hunger and desire to deliver a premier tournament. Additionally, the experience gained from each process will no doubt have been beneficial in their planning, with years of careful due diligence already conducted.
Sports Minister Muharrem Kasapoglu – prior to the announcement – said Turkey's facilities and infrastructure could add value to the tournament.
"The quality of our facilities, infrastructure, accommodation, young population.
"When you put it all together, we can say that our country shines like a star and is one of the most important sports destinations in the world. I think that Türkiye can add important value to Euro 2028 and Euro 2032.
"By becoming a candidate for the fifth time in a row to organize Europe’s biggest tournament at the national team level, our federation has once again shown its determination to the entire world.
"We have always prided ourselves on our modern stadiums and facilities, the passion for football in our country and our high level of organization," Kasapoglu said.
Turkey have also hosted multiple European finals, including last season's Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
Whilst there were negative experiences faced by fans at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, it's worth considering that there will be key lessons learned from the organisers, which can be put in place ahead of 2032 to avoid a recurrence of any issues raised.
Meanwhile, FIGC President Gabriele Gravina believes Italy and Turkey's joint bid promotes the values of friendship.
"In addition to bringing two consolidated entities in the European football scene closer together, this project promotes the values of friendship and cooperation, involving two worlds characterised by deep historical roots and two cultures which, over the millennia, have mutually influenced each other, helping to shape the history of Mediterranean Europe in the process.
"Football aims to be a gateway for sharing the passions and emotions related to sport," Gravina said.
Having two host nations also presents fans with the opportunity to experience two different countries, along with their respective cultures and communities, further promoting a diverse tournament.
Both nations are rich in footballing history and have tremendously passionate fans, which will be beneficial in creating a captivating atmosphere.
What are the drawbacks of Italy & Turkey's hosting?
Last month's Champions League final in Istanbul exposed several flaws that will need addressing ahead of the European Championships in 2032.
The NGTC Group, who are experts in crowd management, released a report citing the many problems match goers faced leading up to, during and after the match.
Firstly, some of the supporters were reportedly left waiting for up to three hours in the midday sun for their transport to the stadium. When able to board the shuttle buses, they were overcrowded, with poor air conditioning and no available toilets.
The journey was initially expected to take an hour but stretched up to two and a half hours, to much of the fans' frustration.
Further, there were some complaints regarding the fan park, with issues relating to catering, toilets and seats for the less-able. The stadium also had sharp edges around the rim of the seating, which caused injury for some.
Following the match, many who were returning to the buses discovered unstable rubble walkways, lack of lighting and absent staff members, causing confusion and distress.
The NGTC closed their report with a few areas to focus on, ahead of the next major event held at the stadium:
"Ensuring adequate transport facilities, equipping fan parks with sufficient amenities, and maintaining ethical conduct among all staff members are some of the crucial areas to focus on. Perhaps most importantly, a dedicated and well-qualified security team."
Italy, on the other hand, have a great deal of renovating work to do on their stadia ahead of 2032, as most of their proposed venues fail to meet UEFA's criteria.
The governing bodies President Ceferin claims none of the stadiums are fit for purpose to even host the Champions League final.
Speaking to Italian-based news outlet Gazzetta, Ceferin said: "At the moment, there is not even a stadium in Italy that can host the Champions League final. This is something incredible. The UEFA needs more stadium guarantee."
It shouldn't, however, be an issue by the time the tournament comes around, as the FIGC do intend to redevelop much of the proposed venues. Across the 10 possible stadiums named, six are expected to undergo renovation.
The final drawback of the joint bid is travel. With two countries scheduled to host the event, it will mean fans will need to travel between countries, making it far more costly and inconvenient.
Further, the likely increase in flights between Turkey and Italy isn't exactly promoting an environmentally friendly tournament. The average flight time between the two nations is 3 hours and one minute, which is something worth noting.