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The UK Government announced that they would not provide funding to redevelop Casement Park for the tournament, stating costs had “risen dramatically” to more than £400m. Northern Ireland will not host matches at Euro 2028, leaving Irish FA chiefs looking to salvage a football legacy from the showpiece when it comes to these shores. Windsor Park, with its smaller capacity, was never considered to be a viable option by the Irish FA while Casement was a NI Executive commitment that had UK Government backing — until the plug was pulled.
The Irish FA have indicated they will hold talks with Uefa regarding what role Northern Ireland could still play in the tournament. Former Cliftonville chairman Boyce always felt Casement was a long shot given the time and funding pressures but he hopes the Irish FA can still contribute to some Euros magic. “I hope the Irish FA can still play a major part in the Euros,” said Boyce, a former Fifa Vice-President and Uefa committee member.
“We can go to Uefa and perhaps host a draw, the Uefa Congress as well as warm-up games. “If we qualify for the Finals, preparation games at Windsor Park would be fantastic. “I hope the Irish FA can still play a role in the Championships.
” Former Irish FA chief Boyce was involved in the discussions around a potential new multi-sport stadium at the site of the former Maze prison in 2006 but like the Casement Park project, there was opposition from Northern Ireland supporters. The Casement plan has been controversial with several legal, safety and financial challenges delaying construction work. Back in March 2022 Boyce told the Belfast Telegraph he didn’t expect the ambitious plan to come to fruition.
“I could not believe what they were trying to do and people said I was talking sense,” he added. “I make no apology for backing the Irish FA being supportive of the bid but they should have ensured before they nominated a ground to host matches that everything was in place for that ground to be ready.”.
