Major Aston Villa update as 32-year-wait confirmed to be over

Aston Villa will host a major international football tournament at Villa Park, after it was suggested the United Kingdom and Ireland had been successful in their bid to host EURO 2028.

The United Kingdom and Ireland are to be confirmed as hosts for the 2028 edition of the UEFA European Championships after their challenger Turkey withdrew.

All five countries; England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales came together to launch a five-way bid to host the tournament, but they faced competition.

Turkey had been their only other challenger, and now according to talkSPORT they have withdrawn from the process, and so confirmation that the tournament will come soon. It is understood they will launch a joint-bid with Italy for the 2023 edition.

The decision will be ratified by UEFA in Nyon next Tuesday, and that means all five countries can now begin preparations to host the tournament in five-years time.

It was revealed in April that Villa Park were one of the 10 stadiums that have been chosen for the competition. It would be the first time in 32-years that Villa Park will have played a part in hosting a major football tournament. It was one of the host grounds during EURO 1996, and was used up until the quarter-final stage when Czech Republic beat Portugal 1-0.

Villa Park was chosen ahead of some of English football’s historic stadiums. A notable omission was Manchester United's Old Trafford, and instead their inter-city rivals Manchester City had been named.

The home of English football - Wembley Stadium - was an obvious inclusion and that will likely host the final whilst Wales' national stadium the Millennium Stadium, as well as Hampden Park (Scotland) and the Aviva Stadium (Ireland) are also chosen venues.

Everton's Bramley Moore Dock Stadium is included, despite still being a work in progress. Casement Park meanwhile will need to go under serious renovation work if Northern Ireland are to stage any matches.

EURO 2028 host stadiums

• Wembley Stadium (London)
• Principality Stadium (Cardiff)
• Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London)
• Etihad Stadium (Manchester)
• Everton Stadium (Liverpool)
• St James’ Park (Newcastle)
• Villa Park (Birmingham)
• Hampden Park (Glasgow)
• Aviva Stadium (Dublin)
• Casement Park (Belfast)