Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium ‘set to be named ahead of Old Trafford in Euro 2028

Organisers of the British and Irish bid for Euro 2028 are set to name Manchester City’s Etihad stadium as one of the host venues for the proposed competition – but there is no room for Old Trafford, the home of the club’s crosstown rivals United, according to reports.

A longlist of 14 stadiums chosen to act as tournament venues will be cut this week to just ten as the bid organisers prepare to officially submit their bid to UEFA next week.

Six of those stadiums are in England, with Wembley earmarked for the final after playing host to the same fixture in the summer of 2021.

As per The Times, it is believed that the organisers’ decision to plump for the Etihad over United’s ground is in part due to its modernity, as well as plans afoot to convert the 53,400 spectator capacity to 60,000.

Other venues in contention to be included at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, St James’ Park, and Villa Park in England, as well as Casement Park in Belfast, the Principality Stadium, Hampden Park and the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Everton’s new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock, which is midway through construction, will be considered, with the London Stadium and Sunderland’s Stadium of Light set to be added to the reserve list.

Should the bid be successful, however, UEFA will have the ultimate decision over which stadiums are used during the tournament.

For example, should the Tottenham stadium secure a naming rights deal, it might be swapped for West Ham’s ground, due to UEFA’s ruling over the usage of unbranded stadiums.

The vote on the bid, which sees the British and Irish bid go toe-to-toe with a bid from Turkey.