Celtic and Rangers to be snubbed for Murrayfield as part of Euro 2028 host bid

Celtic and Rangers are set to be snubbed in favour of Scottish Rugby if the UK and Ireland win their bid to host Euro 2028.

The five nations have got together to put forward their case to hold the tournament in six years rather than bid for World Cup hosting duties two years later.

According to the Daily Mail, the UK and Ireland are unlikely to face competition from either Turkey or Russia with UEFA understood to be keen to make a decision earlier than they normally would. In doing so would give the competition a degree of stability in what has been a difficult few years and with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The bid can be deemed as relatively risk-free and any snags are unlikely due to the infrastructure already in place in the countries, especially the number of stadiums which could be considered.

UEFA wants a minimum of 12 grounds which have a capacity of at least 30,000 fans.

It is understood 18 grounds are in the frame for what could be an expanded tournament. The European Championships is currently made up of 24 teams but it could be increased to 32 for the 2028 edition.

Two grounds have been pinpointed in Scotland to host matches.

Hampden Park, which hosted four matches at Euro 2020, is guaranteed as the home of Scottish football.

Celtic Park and Ibrox are unlikely to be considered with Scottish Rugby’s BT Murrayfield a proposed venue. It holds 67,500 fans and is used to hosting big events.

Such a decision would also mean Edinburgh is involved in hosting duties.