The Irish Times view on Ireland’s Euro 2028 bid: a win by default

The muted response to this week’s news that the Uefa European Football Championship finals will almost certainly be coming to Ireland in 2028 reflects a number of modern realities. The fact that the right to host the finals has been won by default suggests growing scepticism over the value of hosting sprawling events of this kind. The recent travails of the Football Association of Ireland and its failure to develop the domestic game are also a factor.

Assuming the joint bid by the five football associations on these islands is confirmed by Uefa on Tuesday, matches will take place in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as on both sides of the Border in Ireland. That, however, will be subject to the ability of each association to provide stadia that meet the required criteria, something which is still in doubt in the case of Northern Ireland, where the redevelopment of the GAA-owned Casement Park in west Belfast has been bogged down for years in planning delays, political wrangling and budget overruns. The Government has signalled its willingness to consider contributing to the cost of that project.

The picture is clearer in Dublin, where six matches are envisaged for the Aviva Stadium. No doubt these will contribute additional excitement and colour to the streets of the capital in the summer of 2028. But Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe is right to cast a cold eye over some of the more ebullient projections of additional revenues which the fixtures could generate for the tourism and hospitality sectors, in particular the suggestion that an influx of football fans would cause “zero displacement” of other potential visitors. He also cautions that costs could escalate if Casement Park requires funding.

Despite all this, there is still good reason to look forward to what will be one of the largest sporting occasions ever to come to these shores. And the cross-Border, intergovernmental nature of the project chimes well with Government aspirations to strengthen North-South co-operation and repair East-West relationships following the damage and disruption of the Brexit years.