© EuroFootball.com
As officially confirmed by the General Secretary of the Football Association of Wales (FAW), David Collins, Wales has decided to jointly bid with Scotland to host the 2016 European Football Championship.
According to D. Collins, the victory of Poland and Ukraine in the bid to host the 2012 tournament prompted the final decision to submit their candidacy, despite Scotland's failure, along with Ireland, to secure the right to host the best European national football teams in 2008. As we know, this right was granted to Austria and Switzerland.
"We will soon start working closely with the Scottish Football Association. If we find common ground, in the next few months we will present our clearly defined program. Then we will need to await official approval from the Welsh and Scottish authorities," said D. Collins.
Currently, the biggest obstacle for Wales is the lack of spacious stadiums. In order to host the European Championships, it is necessary to have at least eight stadiums with no less than 30,000 seats. If the tournament is hosted by two countries, there must be at least four such arenas in one country. However, Wales currently only has one stadium that meets these requirements - Cardiff's "Millenium" stadium (74,500 seats). Nevertheless, according to FAW, the "Swansea," "Wrexham," and "Cardiff City" stadiums will be expanded in the near future.
Meanwhile, in Scotland, there are already at least six arenas with a capacity of over 40,000 spectators.
Interestingly, the number of participating teams in the 2016 tournament could increase from 16 to 24.
France has also expressed a desire to host the 2016 European Championship.
