October 3 – Italy have entered the race to host the 2029 UEFA European Championships. The Italians will now be competing with Germany, Poland, Portugal, and a joint Denmark-Sweden bid to compete for the right to host Europe’s marquee international women’s tournament.
A compelling reason for this interest in hosting rights is to look at the statistics of the last women’s Euro held by England in 2022. The total attendance was 574,865 across 31 matches giving an average attendance of 18,544 per match. The tournament also set new attendance records and each venue was at least at 96% capacity throughout the tournament.
The Italian Football Association (FIGC) which will co-host the men’s Euros in 2032 with Turkey, has told UEFA that they will not use stadiums for the women’s Euros that have been identified for the men’s tournament in a clear sign that the view the women’s tournament as a chance to stand alone.
The tournament will be the 15th edition of the UEFA women’s championship and will be the fourth tournament since it was expanded to 16 teams. Eight venues are expected to host matches, however, minimum capacity has yet to be established, which was one major complaint of Euro 2022.
Hosting this event is seen as a huge opportunity to develop women’s football in Italy. While Germany Denmark and Sweden have a strong presence in the women’s game, Portugal, Poland, and Italy are seen as relative backwaters. Should one of these three countries win the right to host Euro 2029, it will provide a huge boost to the infrastructure and interest in the women’s game in their domestic markets.
The bidding process is still in the early stages woth more details expected to emerge over the coming year. The decision for who will host this tournament is due in December of next year when UEFA’s executive committee meet.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1727941970labto1727941970ofdlr1727941970owedi1727941970sni@o1727941970fni1727941970