Abodi says EURO 2032 will change Italian football with €4.5 billion for stadiums | OneFootball

Italy’s Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi says co-hosting EURO 2032 with Türkiye will help change the face of Italian football, backed by €4.5 billion in private infrastructure investment. According to Football Italia, the tournament timeline is hoped to accelerate long-delayed stadium work.

It was confirmed today that 13 cities and 16 stadiums are in contention for what will become five Italian host cities, though several bids, including two in Rome, remain at the planning and permission stage.

Abodi said the scale of stadium activity over the last three and a half years is unprecedented. He added that the government and FIGC have moved to cut red tape, appointing a commissioner for arenas. He credited Giorgia Meloni’s government with promoting and coordinating the process.

The objective is to reach EURO 2032 with venues that are modern, welcoming, functional, accessible and sustainable, improving the host cities. In October, the FIGC will submit final candidates, including reserves, to UEFA, who will select the stadiums.

Bergamo and Udine are absent despite having two of the country’s more modern grounds. Rome has three candidate sites but only the Stadio Olimpico exists, with the others yet to secure planning permission.

Cagliari’s new ground still needs to be built, as does the stadium Inter and Milan plan to replace San Siro. Palermo could be a strong candidate, with the club owned by the same company that runs Manchester City and a drive to revamp infrastructure.

Source: Football Italia