Casement Park's status as a Euro 2028 host venue appears all but over after the UK government confirmed they would not provide the necessary funding for the stadium's redevelopment.
The Belfast stadium has laid derelict for a decade now but was included on the initial bid book for the successful UK-Ireland submission to host the European Championships.
Little if any movement has been made on the renovation of the GAA ground since the bid was first announced in 2022, with doubts pervading as to the feasibility of the stadium hosting games in four years.
The UK Government announced this week that they would be pulling funding support in light of the lack of progress at Casement Park.
In a statement on Friday, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said doubts that the stadium would be completed in time even for the required Euro 2028 test events had ultimately seen funding pulled.
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.
This has been a very difficult decision to make, given our belief in the Euro 2028 partnership, but it is the only way forward in the circumstances.
It now appears likely that Belfast will lose its games for the Euros in four years. The most likely solution is that the games slated to take place in Casement Park will be redistributed among the remaining host cities, with Dublin and Cardiff likely to benefit.
However, one Cork City Councillor has an outside-the-box suggestion that would see European Championship football travel Leeside.
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Casement Park: Cork councillor wants Euro 2028 games in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoímh
Newly-elected Labour councillor Peter Horgan initially tabled a motion to push for Euro 2028 games in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoímh in July, off the back of the stadium's successful hosting of Ireland's Euro 2025 qualifier against France.
16 July 2024; Jess Ziu of Republic of Ireland in action against Ève Périsset of France during the 2025 UEFA Women's European Championship qualifying group A match between Republic of Ireland and France at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The South-East councillor said that Cork should be considered should Belfast be unable to fulfil its hosting duties, an eventuality that now seems far more likely with the withdrawal of UK Government funding.
Fresh reports from Cork this weekend suggest that Horgan has not given up hope of bringing the Euros to the Rebel County, with the Labour man qutoed as saying:
We've shown that the stadium is fit for purpose for big events,Pairc Ui Chaoimh would be a wonderful opportunity for Euro 2028.
Time is of the essence now. We need this to happen for Cork.
The Munster games and women’s International showed we can have the big ticket events. Why not include that stadium? Temporary seating is doabale.
Casement not being funded is a pity but we cannot countenance games simply being redirected to Dublin stadia. Cork deserves to have these games to showcase the island.
There are a few issues which immediately leap to mind with the proposal.
For one, Cork was not initially submitted as part of the successful bid, presenting potential technical issues with tournament organisers UEFA.
Perhaps the most glaring is the fact that over half of the stadium's 45,000 capacity is held on the terraces at either end, with standing outlawed in UEFA competition.
For July's WNT qualifier against France, only the 21,000 current seats were used - a capacity that would have SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoímh as comfortably the smallest stadium in the tournament. However, temporary seating similar to that previously utilised on Hill 16 in Croke Park could be a potential solution to this.
In truth, it's extremely unlikely that Cork will end up hosting any Euro 2028 games but, if any stadium on this island were to take Casement Park's place, it's hard to argue that the Páirc would be an excellent replacement.
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