Government pull plug on Euro 2028 stadium citing costs of more than £400m (original) (raw)

The government says it will no longer fund the redevelopment of Casement Park in Belfast for Euro 2028 because costs have spiralled and "almost no progress" has been made so far

Casement Park was supposed to be renovated for Euro 2028

The chances of Northern Ireland hosting matches at Euro 2028 appear to be over after the government pulled out of funding a rebuild of a derelict stadium in Belfast.

Casement Park had been earmarked for major redevelopment in order to satisfy UEFA’s demands for 30,000 seats. But after a prolonged and tetchy political process, the government said it would no longer be providing the money required to get it completed by the summer of 2027 – in part because "almost no progress" had been made since UEFA handed the tournament to the UK and Ireland 11 months ago.

Northern Ireland secretary Hilary Benn and sports minister Lisa Nandy have delivered the news to Stormont minister Gordon Lyons in a joint letter, which was made public on Friday night. It says the primary reason behind the decision was the spiralling of proposed costs, from the original estimate of £180million to over £400m.

The letter reads: “Having sought expert advice and analysis, we have concluded that there is a significant risk that the stadium would not be built in time (including to host essential test events well in advance of the tournament). This is in part because in the period between the awarding of Euro 2028 and the election of the new government, almost no progress was made to deliver the stadium build.

“The estimated build costs have risen dramatically – from £180m when the Euro 2028 bid was awarded in October 2023 to potentially over £400m – and there is a significant risk that it would not be built in time for the tournament.

“We have therefore, regrettably, decided that it is not appropriate for the UK government to provide funding to seek to build Casement Park in time to host matches at Euro 2028. This has been a very difficult decision to make, given our belief in the Euro 2028 partnership, but it is the only way forward in the circumstances.”

The UK and Ireland were announced as the host of the next Euros back in October 2023 after abandoning plans to bid for the 2030 World Cup. Dublin’s Aviva Stadium will host matches, but staging games north of the border was a problem because Windsor Park in Belfast only has a capacity of 18,500 – well short of UEFA’s required minimum of 30,000.

Casement Park hasn't been used for sport since 2013 (

Image:

PA)

The idea was therefore to redevelop Casement Park, which has stood unused since 2013, but it seems that things will now have to go back to the drawing board to find an alternative.

The other stadiums for Euro 2028 are: Wembley Stadium (London), the Principality Stadium ( Cardiff ), Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London), the Etihad Stadium (Manchester), Everton Stadium ( Liverpool ), St James' Park ( Newcastle ), Villa Park (Birmingham), Hampden Park (Glasgow) and the Aviva Stadium (Dublin).

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