Following the selection of the UK and Ireland for Euro 2028, Liverpool was picked as the host city, but Anfield won’t be hosting any games during the competition.
Merseyside will host games at the 2028 European Championship, according to a recent announcement from UEFA. To the dismay of many Liverpool supporters, Anfield will not be one of the locations.
Instead, the representative for Merseyside will be the new Everton stadium at Bramley Moore Dock. The historic home of Liverpool Football Club, Anfield, was left off of the final list, which has led to criticism regarding this choice.
After compiling a preliminary list of 14, the selection procedure for the host venues involves selecting a smaller group of 10 football stadiums. The final list included Everton’s under-construction stadium in addition to Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Principality Stadium in Cardiff, the Etihad, St. James’ Park, Villa Park, Hampden Park, Aviva Stadium in Dublin, and Casement Park in Belfast. It’s interesting to note that all four stadiums—Old Trafford, London Stadium, Stadium of Light, and Croke Park in Dublin—were abandoned.
The rules set forth by UEFA governing the dimensions of international tournament pitches are to blame for Anfield’s exclusion from the list. UEFA regulations state that “the field of play must have the standard dimensions of 105m by 68m.”
Unfortunately, Anfield’s pitch is just 101 metres long, falling short of these specifications. Therefore, it doesn’t satisfy the requirements for eligibility established by UEFA.
Due to the size of its field, Anfield has previously been denied the opportunity to host important competitions or championships. The stadium’s most recent tournament appearance was during Euro 1996, when it served as the site of games in Group C involving Italy, Russia, and the Czech Republic. The quarterfinal game between France and the Netherlands was also held there. Anfield, however, is ineligible to host the Champions League or Europa League finals due to its restricted pitch size.
Many people would be surprised that Anfield won’t be hosting Euro 2028 given its capacity of 53,394, which will rise to 61,000 after the renovation of the Anfield Road stand is finished. Nevertheless, in order to guarantee fair play and uniform playing conditions at all sites, UEFA’s stringent regulations give priority to conventional field measurements.
Liverpool.com says:
“It is a shame that Anfield won’t get to host any of Euro 2028. Never mind just England, it’s one of the world’s most iconic stadiums, and players would no doubt have relished the opportunity to play on the Reds’ hallowed turf.
“It does seem slightly silly that pitches have to adhere to a strict set of guidelines in terms of dimensions. With Anfield constantly improving and expanding, and Liverpool as a city proving to be an outstanding host for events including this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, it’s really UEFA’s loss that it’s limiting itself.”