Turkey hopeful to host championship for first time after bidding for 4 consecutive tournaments
Turkey's stadiums are ready ahead of UEFA picking the host association for the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship (EURO 2024).
The UEFA Executive Committee will make a choice Thursday between Turkey and Germany.
Turkey is hoping to host the championship for the first time after bidding for four consecutive tournaments.
According to the UEFA evaluation report, all the stadiums meet the minimal requirements regarding the net seating capacities. All seats indicated are covered by the stadium roofs. According to the proposed match schedule, the aggregate net capacity for 51 matches will be about 2,490,000.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) confirms a combined ticket system for free public transport for match ticket holders in all host cities and a tobacco-free environment at the stadiums.
"The Turkish bid proposes ten stadiums of which seven are existing and operational stadiums, requiring upgrades only. The stadiums in Istanbul [Ataturk Olympic Stadium] and Ankara will be rebuilt fully, and Antalya stadium will undergo major renovations," UEFA report said.
The report added, "Overall, seven stadiums in the Turkish bid offer existing infrastructure at a good level, while three stadiums will be rebuilt fully or will undergo major renovations. The existing stadiums are all fully operational and are hosting football matches regularly."
The TFF offers the ten stadiums, including the required outer areas for 51 matches, at no cost to the organizers.
The Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sports is subsidizing all stadium costs and has provided a full guarantee that all ten stadiums, all training facilities and operational personnel will be given to UEFA free of charge.
Servet Yardimci, a UEFA executive committee member, noted Turkey’s bid says 10 stadiums will be used during the tournament, with eight of them already completed.
"They’re an average of three years old. So they’re newer than the German stadiums," Yardimci told Anadolu Agency.
"The Turkish government has given financial and legal guarantees. We won’t charge any transportation fees for fans to travel around Turkey during the tournament. Turkey's financial benefits to UEFA would be better than Germany’s," he added.
Turkey's 2024 European Football Championship pitch features 10 stadiums in nine cities: Ataturk Olympic Stadium and Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex Turk Telekom Stadium in Istanbul; Metropolitan Municipality Stadium in Bursa; Antalya Stadium in Antalya; Eskisehir New Stadium in Eskisehir; Gaziantep Stadium in Gaziantep, Metropolitan Municipality Stadium in Konya; Senol Gunes Sports Complex in Trabzon, New Stadium in Kocaeli; and New Stadium in Ankara.
Here are Turkey's EURO 2024 hopeful stadiums:
