Anfield Not Eligible to Host Euro 2028 Games Despite Being Among Largest Stadiums

Tuesday brought the news that Euro 2028 will be played across the UK and Ireland, with fixtures to be played in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Their project was successful despite a rival bid from Turkey, while Portugal and Spain, six Scandinavian countries, Italy and Russia all saw proposed bids aborted.

But while fixtures will be played in the city of Liverpool itself, none will be played at Anfield. After an initial 14-stadium shortlist, the UK and Ireland bid cut that down to 10, with Old Trafford, the London Stadium, the Stadium of Light and Dublin’s Croke Park all omitted.

The stadiums chosen are: Wembley, the Principality Stadium, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Etihad, St James’ Park, Villa Park, Hampden Park, the Aviva Stadium, Casement Park and Everton‘s new stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock. Notable in its absence from both the preliminary list and the final submission is Anfield.

However, Liverpool’s stadium was never eligible for consideration due to the size of the pitch not meeting UEFA regulations. UEFA’s guidelines stipulate that for a stadium to host tournament games, “the field of play must have the standard dimensions of 105m by 68m.” Anfield’s pitch is 101m long, which falls short of UEFA’s parameters.

This is despite the stadium soon becoming the fifth-largest in England when the expansion of the Anfield Road Stand is complete, bringing its capacity over 61,000. It would, therefore, be the fourth-largest among the list of stadiums submitted by the UK and Ireland, behind only Wembley (90,652), Cardiff’s Principality Stadium (73,952) and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadum (62,322).

Anfield is unable to host Champions League or Europa League finals for the same reason, while it was also not in the running for Euro 2018.

Anfield’s Pitch Size Prohibits it from Hosting Euro 2028 Games

The UK and Ireland have been named hosts of Euro 2028, but despite being among the largest stadiums in England, Anfield will not host games at the tournament. This is due to UEFA regulations which require a pitch size of 105m by 68m – Anfield’s pitch is 101m long, falling short of UEFA’s parameters.

Despite soon becoming the fifth-largest in England when the expansion of the Anfield Road Stand is complete, bringing its capacity over 61,000, Anfield was never eligible for consideration for Euro 2028. The UK and Ireland bid cut their initial 14-stadium shortlist down to 10, with Old Trafford, the London Stadium, the Stadium of Light and Dublin’s Croke Park all omitted.

The stadiums chosen are: Wembley, the Principality Stadium, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Etihad, St James’ Park, Villa Park, Hampden Park, the Aviva Stadium, Casement Park and Everton‘s new stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock. Anfield is unable to host Champions League or Europa League finals for the same reason, while it was also not in the running for Euro 2018.

Anfield Expansion Will Not Help it Meet UEFA Requirements

The expansion of Anfield’s Road Stand will bring its capacity over 61,000 and make it the fourth-largest among the list of stadiums submitted by the UK and Ireland. However, this will not help it meet UEFA’s requirements as pitch size is determined by length rather than capacity. The pitch must have standard dimensions of 105m by 68m – Anfield’s pitch is 101m long and therefore falls short of UEFA’s parameters.

This means that despite being one of England’s largest stadiums, Anfield will not be able to host any games at Euro 2028. It is also unable to host Champions League or Europa League finals for the same reason, while it was also not in the running for Euro 2018.

Conclusion

The UK and Ireland have been named hosts of Euro 2028 but Anfield will not be able to host any games at the tournament due to its pitch size not meeting UEFA regulations. Despite soon becoming England’s fifth-largest stadium when its expansion is complete, Anfield’s pitch size of 101m falls short of UEFA’s requirements of 105m by 68m.

This means that despite being one of England’s largest stadiums, Anfield will not be able to host any games at Euro 2028. It is also unable to host Champions