Ministers make case for Cork to host Euro 2028 game after Belfast venue axed

The Government is pressing the case for Cork to host a Euro 2028 game originally earmarked for Belfast.

Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said GAA stadium Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork was being “seriously looked at” as a potential alternative venue.

Mr Martin’s party colleague, Minister of State Thomas Byrne, has contacted the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to ask that both Páirc Uí Chaoimh and the Gaelic Athletic Association’s flagship stadium at Croke Park in Dublin are put “into the mix” when it comes to reallocating the ill-fated Belfast games.

The move comes after the UK government announced on Friday that it would not be providing funding to rebuild Casement Park in Belfast in time for the Euros.

The derelict west Belfast GAA ground had been due to stage five games in Uefa’s showpiece tournament, which is being jointly hosted by the UK and Ireland in 2028.

The Aviva stadium in Dublin, the home of Ireland’s international football team, is already set to host six games in the tournament.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has indicated a desire to host some of the games that Belfast is set to miss out on.

There is anticipation that the Northern Ireland matches will be shared out among the other hosting nations.

Stormont’s Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has said while it is unlikely that Northern Ireland will now host any matches he said he would ask if Uefa might be prepared to make an exception in regard to its criteria to enable the 18,500-seater football stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast to stage one fixture.

Mr Martin confirmed the GAA was still interested in the potential of hosting games elsewhere on the island despite Casement Park now being ruled out as a venue.

The Tánaiste, a TD