‘Football for all, for good, for the future’? Euro 2028 and the competing political discourses of multi-nation sporting events

Abstract

The United Kingdom and Ireland will play host to the men’s UEFA Euro 2028 championships, with its intended hosting across the five different footballing nations of England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales a cornerstone of the successful bidding process. The Euro 2028 event thus represents a symbolic opportunity to emphasize the opportunities for collaboration: primarily between the UK and Ireland, but also within the ‘home nations’ of the UK itself. This article examines the emergent political debates regarding the hosting of Euro 2028 in each of the five host nations, allowing for an analysis of the contrasting discourses that emerge regarding the benefits and challenges of co-hosting the event. Comparative analysis of political discourses from each nation was conducted by capturing empirical data in the form of parliamentary transcripts occurring at the respective parliaments and assemblies in each of the five proposed host nations.