Outdated stadiums: "Among the worst in Europe," the UEFA boss threatens to strip Italy of Euro 2032

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin warned in the press on Thursday that Italy, co-host of Euro 2032 with Turkey, might no longer host the tournament due to the state of its stadiums, which he considers "among the worst in Europe".

"Euro 2032 is scheduled and will take place, that's a certainty. I hope the (Italian) infrastructure will be ready. If not, the tournament will not be played in Italy," Ceferin said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

As he had already done last May, the head of European football lamented the state of Italian stadiums. "Italian political leaders should perhaps ask themselves why Italian football infrastructure is among the worst in Europe," he emphasized.

Also addressing the poor performance of the Nazionale, eliminated on Tuesday for the third consecutive time in the World Cup playoffs, Mr. Ceferin stated that "Italy is one of the most important footballing nations and will return to the top." However, he cautioned, "the most significant problem in Italian football is the relationship between football politics and 'normal' politics."

Italy was originally due to designate in October 2026 the five stadiums that will host matches of Euro 2032. Eleven cities/stadiums have submitted bids: Rome, Florence, Bologna, Verona, Milan, Genoa, Bari, Naples, Turin (Juventus stadium), Cagliari and Palermo.

Among these bids, two are for stadiums that have yet to be built. In Milan, Inter and AC Milan have launched a project to build a new San Siro. Last month, the Rome city council gave the green light for AS Roma to begin construction in 2027 of a stadium in the Pietralata district, in the northeast of the Italian capital.

However, these projects can be delayed by a lengthy administrative process, criticized by Serie A clubs and presented as a hindrance to the modernization of a stadium system that has become obsolete.