The chances of Northern Ireland hosting matches at the Euro 2028 football tournament appear to have gone. The UK government announced on Friday night that the estimated cost of rebuilding Casement Park stadium in Belfast has “risen dramatically” to more than £400m. The government said it will not be providing funding to redevelop the stadium in time for the tournament, adding that there was a “significant risk” the stadium would not be built in time.
Ulster GAA called the announcement “bitterly disappointing,” adding that it would provide a more detailed response in the coming days. A spokesperson for the Irish FA said it will “consider the implications of this with our bid partners and UEFA.”
The announcement was made in a joint letter from NI Secretary Hilary Benn and Sports Minister Lisa Nandy to Stormont Minister Gordon Lyons, who is in charge of sport in Northern Ireland. In the letter, Benn and Nandy said: “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.”
The Cost of a Dream
The decision is a major setback for Northern Ireland's hopes of hosting matches at Euro 2028. The derelict west Belfast GAA ground had been earmarked to host five matches at Euro 2028, being jointly hosted by the UK and Ireland. While the Irish Government and the GAA sporting body had said they would contribute to the redevelopment, delays and spiralling costs created a funding gap. The UK government's decision to pull out of funding the project is likely to put an end to those hopes.
The Escalating Costs and Lack of Progress
The cost of building Casement Park had risen “dramatically” from when the Euro 2028 bid was awarded in October 2023, according to Benn and Nandy. The cost has gone from £180 million to £400 million. They said the risk of the GAA stadium refurbishments not being completed in time was partly due to a lack of building progress made during that time period. The ministers also said that they were constrained by a Uefa requirement for all stadiums to be ready a year before the tournament starts for “essential test events”.
The original cost of the redevelopment in 2011 was £77.5m, it has since ballooned to be around £308m. Some £62.5m has been pledged by the Stormont Executive, while the Irish government has promised £42.8m The GAA has said it will put £15m towards the project. The government statement said that its decision is in part because that, in the period between the awarding of the tournament to the UK and Ireland and the new Labour administration, “almost no progress was made to deliver the stadium build”.
What's Next for Casement Park?
Despite the setback, the UK government has stated that it remains committed to ensuring that Northern Ireland could benefit from hosting the competition. “Following this announcement, I will engage with the UK Government and other partners to see how Northern Ireland can still benefit from hosting the competition and ensure that there is a lasting legacy for football in Northern Ireland,” said Gordon Lyons, the minister in charge of sport in Northern Ireland. The department “remains committed to the 2011 agreement with the GAA for a GAA stadium and we will engage with them in due course.”
A Missed Opportunity?
The decision has been met with disappointment from various stakeholders. First Minister Michelle O’Neill said the decision was “deeply disappointing” and represented a “missed opportunity for sport and our economy”. Tánaiste Micheál Martin, the Irish Deputy Prime Minister, said the new stadium “should be built”. The Irish government has already pledged more than £40m to the project. The UK government has said that it will continue to work together with partners and Uefa regarding Northern Ireland’s involvement in Euro 2028 moving forward, and remains fully committed to ensuring that the tournament positively impacts on the whole of the UK, providing a legacy for football and people across all four home nations.
The Future of Casement Park Remains Unclear
The future of Casement Park is now uncertain. While the UK government has stated that it remains committed to ensuring that Northern Ireland could benefit from hosting the competition, it is unclear what that will mean in practice. The government has said that it will engage with stakeholders on “the appropriate way forward” for Casement Park. While the stadium is unlikely to be ready for Euro 2028, it could still be rebuilt for the GAA. However, the GAA will be hoping that the UK government may still contribute to the redevelopment, even though it has said it will not be funding a Euro 2028-compliant stadium. The decision has dealt a major blow to Northern Ireland's hopes of hosting matches at Euro 2028. However, it does not mean that the stadium cannot be rebuilt for the GAA, which was the original purpose. The dream of Euro 2028 matches in Belfast appears to be over, with the stadium’s future still far from clear.
