Italy faces stadium race against time to secure Euro 2032 hosting role
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) is pressing the government for urgent action on stadium infrastructure, with the country's role as co-host of UEFA Euro 2032 now under serious threat. According to a report in La Gazzetta dello Sport, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has issued a stark warning, stating that the tournament will not be held in Italy if the nation's football facilities, which he described as "among the worst in Europe," do not improve. Currently, only Juventus's Allianz Stadium in Turin is considered certain to host matches for the tournament, which Italy is scheduled to co-host with Turkey in six years' time.
The FIGC has long sought government support to modernize the country's aging stadiums, but progress has stalled. The federation had expected the recognition of a percentage of revenue from football betting to fund a dedicated investment pool for youth development and infrastructure, estimated at between 150 and 200 million euros per season. Additional requests included tax breaks for investments in stadiums and sports centers, and the creation of a private equity fund to help clubs transform sports facilities into profitable commercial assets without needing bank guarantees. While a public fund of 100 million euros for new Euro 2032 stadiums has been promised by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the FIGC notes that, unlike other major sporting events held in Italy, football has so far received no direct public funding.
The contrast with co-host Turkey is particularly stark. Turkey boasts a series of modern stadiums built or renovated over the past 15 years, including venues in Istanbul, Kayseri, Trabzon, and Izmir, with further new builds or renovations planned in Ankara and Antalya for 2032. In Italy, bureaucratic hurdles have complicated projects in nearly every major city, including Rome, Milan, Naples, Florence, and Genoa. While plans in Rome and Cagliari have recently seen some acceleration, the judicial investigation in Milan risks delaying the proposed new San Siro. No project outside of Turin has broken ground.
A critical deadline now looms. Local municipalities have until July to provide the FIGC with documentation showing positive progress on their stadium projects. The federation must then give UEFA an indication of the proposed host venues by September. According to the report, construction on all selected stadiums must begin by March 2027 at the latest. Massimo Sessa, the newly appointed extraordinary commissioner for the 2032 project, faces the immense task of accelerating a process that has been mired in political and administrative delay. The coming months will be decisive in determining whether Italy can upgrade its facilities in time to fulfill its co-hosting duties or face an embarrassing withdrawal from the tournament it was awarded.
