GAA president Jarlath Burns admits Casement Park unlikely to be ready for Euro 2028

GAA president Jarlath Burns had admitted Casement Park is unlikely to be ready to host Euro 2028 matches, describing his outlook as 'pessimistic'.

The ground - set to have a seated capacity of 34,578 upon completion – had been scheduled to be among the venues for the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

When it was first envisaged €88 million was the projected bill, but that has increased over time.

The Irish government allocated €50m for the redevelopment back in February.

However with the UK government not giving specific promises amid an election period and Stormont funding is also up in the air, an air of uncertainty remains.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has insisted their government will make a "substantial contribution" but refused to say exactly how much or if it would happen quickly to ensure the tournament comes to Northern Ireland.

A total of €17.5m of the build is due to be funded by the GAA, although rising costs could require a greater contribution.

"It’s not looking as if we’re going to get the Euros," he told the Belfast Telegraph, while revealing the project would proceed as a provincial GAA venue.

"The whole project is being run by the Strategic Investment Board and they have been telling us that in order to get the tenders in and to find out what it’s going to cost, it’s going to take six weeks.

"And then there’s going to have to be another four weeks for appeals to that. We’re working away, we’re clearing the site and that. But at the end of the day, it’s UEFA and their timelines are important.

"It has to be up and running for almost a year before you can actually say that it’s properly functional, so I’m now pessimistic that the