GAA approves Croke Park and Casement Park inclusion in Euro 2028 bid

The venues have traditionally been restricted for use in Gaelic sports until a relaxation of the rules in recent years

Croke Park could host games if a combined British and Irish bid for Euro 2028 is successful (Niall Carson/PA) (PA Archive)

The Gaelic Athletic Association has granted permission for Croke Park and Casement Park to be included in the UK and Ireland Euro 2028 bid.

The GAA has historically not allowed non-Gaelic sports to take place at Croke Park, though Ireland rugby matches and Republic of Ireland football games have occasionally been played there since that rule was amended temporarily in 2005, during the redevelopment of Dublin’s Lansdowne Road, with the change adopted permanently in 2010.

“At a meeting of GAA Central Council today permission was granted to allow Croke Park and Casement Park to be included in a formal bid for the 2028 European Soccer Championship,” the GAA said.

Casement Park is a Gaelic sports venue in Belfast which is in the process of being redeveloped.

The redevelopment of the 34,000-plus capacity venue in the west of the city has been mired in controversy.

The last projected build cost for Casement Park stadium was £110million, having originally been estimated at £77.5million when the plan was first drawn up.

However, it is expected the delay caused by a court challenge combined with soaring inflation rates could see the final cost reach well in excess of £110million.

Fourteen venues across the five countries have been shortlisted by the UK and Ireland bid team to host matches at Euro 2028.

Nine English stadia are on the list, which has been submitted in a preliminary bid dossier to tournament organiser UEFA, while there are two in the Republic of Ireland and one each in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The Aviva Stadium and Croke Park are the shortlisted venues in Dublin, while the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and Hampden Park in Glasgow complete the list.

The final list of 10 stadia is to be submitted to UEFA in April.