Boris Johnson has offered for the UK to host all ofEuro 2020 this summer.- The prime minister also revealed the nation's plans to launch a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup.
- "We want to see a bonanza of football in the years ahead," he said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has offered for the UK to host all of Euro 2020 and says the nation is also preparing a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup.
The European Championships, which were pushed back a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, are set to be staged across 12 countries from June 11 to July 11, with the semifinals and final being held in London.
But with COVID-19 restrictions still causing disruption throughout the continent, Johnson has stepped forward to offer UEFA a plan B.
Last week, Johnson announced that the UK planned to remove all COVID-19 restrictions by mid-June. The UK's quick vaccine rollout has put it well ahead of its European peers in terms of vaccination rates.
Over 20 million Brits had been given a first dose of a vaccine as of Monday, almost a third of the country's population. By contrast, just over 4 million Germans had their first dose, roughly 5% of the population, while only about 3 million people in France had been vaccinated.
"We are hosting the Euros. We are hosting the semis and the final," Johnson told The Sun.
"If there's, you know, if they want any other matches that they want hosted, we're certainly on for that, but at the moment that's where we are with UEFA."
On top of offering up the UK to host Euro 2020, Johnson also announced plans for the UK to launch a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup alongside Ireland.
According to The Sun, UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak will pledge £2.8 million, or $3.9 million, to kick-start the process Wednesday while announcing the nation's budget for the coming year.
"We are very, very keen to bring football home in 2030," Johnson said. "I do think it's the right place. It's the home of football, it's the right time. It will be an absolutely wonderful thing for the country."
Johnson added: "We want to see a bonanza of football in the years ahead."
A joint statement from the soccer associations of England, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland said they would "continue to undertake feasibility work to assess the viability of a bid before FIFA formally opens the process in 2022."