(Reuters) – The head of the Italian Football Federation said on Thursday that Italy is considering submitting a proposal to host the European Championship 2028 or the 2030 World Cup, but that it must upgrade its stadiums if it is to succeed.
Italy beat England on Sunday to win their second European title. The two countries could also be contenders to host the World Cup as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson backed plans for a British and Irish bid for the 2030 final.
Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay have announced they will bid, while Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Romania have said they plan a tournament together. Other countries that have expressed interest in hosting the 2030 World Cup are Spain and Portugal.
“We will evaluate Italy’s candidacy for the 2028 European Championship and the 2030 World Cup,” federation president Gabriele Gravina told a news conference. “Let’s try the euro first, and then we’ll think of the other.”
Some Italian stadiums have not been modernized since the 1990 World Cup, the last major football tournament hosted only by Italy.
“We must improve the conditions of the stadiums because if we do not start the path of investing in infrastructure, we will never be able to look forward to organizing such a big event,” Gravina said.
The bidding process officially begins in 2022 and FIFA will select the hosts in 2024.
(Reporting by Peter Hall. Editing in Spanish by Javier Lira)
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