LONDON: The European Football Association (UEFA) has officially announced the bidding process to host the 2028 European Championship.

But England seem to have met all the necessary stadium criteria. Through a tournament featuring 24 teams and 51 matches, potential hosts will have to provide 10 stadiums.

That includes at least one of them with a capacity of 60,000 seats or two stadiums with a capacity of 50,000 seats. Four venues will have to exceed the capacity of 40,000 seats and three of them can accommodate more than 30,000 supporters.

With the Football Association of England (FA) currently conducting a ‘feasibility study’ in preparation for bidding for the right to host the 2030 World Cup, meeting UEFA’s criteria may be an important factor.

But the proposal may have to be forgotten if the International Football Association’s (FIFA) proposal to host the World Cup every two years is agreed.

English football already has eight venues that can accommodate more than 50,000 fans, namely Wembley, Emirates and Tottenham in London, two in Manchester besides Anfield, Villa Park and Newcastle.

Everton’s new Stadium in Bramley Moore could be the ninth venue while the Stadium of Light, Middlesbrough, Derby, Leicester, Stoke, Southampton and Wolverhampton are also among the venues that meet the minimum criteria.

So far, no more bidders have announced their intention to host but several countries are also seen to be interested, including Russia, Italy, Turkey and Finland.

There is also a proposal for a joint organization involving four Balkan countries, namely Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia.