Ceferin warns Italy could lose Euro 2032 role over stadium delays

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has said Euro 2032 will not be staged in Italy unless the country upgrades its football infrastructure, escalating pressure on clubs and public authorities to unblock long-running stadium projects.Italy are due to co-host the tournament with Turkey, a plan that relies on delivering five compliant venues and wider transport and event operations across multiple cities.Ceferin told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Euro 2032 is scheduled and will take place. I hope the infrastructure will be ready. Otherwise, the tournament will not be played in Italy.”Italy must submit a list of five stadiums to UEFA by October, turning the next six months into a de facto viability test for projects that have stalled amid permitting complexity and political disagreement.Major clubs including AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio and AS Roma have all faced obstacles in renovating or rebuilding their stadiums, with negotiations often involving public authorities that own the venues.That ownership model creates a recurring friction point on funding, land use, procurement and planning timetables, which can delay investment decisions even when clubs have identified commercial upside from modern matchday facilities.Ceferin defended outgoing Italian federation president Gabriele Gravina and said responsibility sat elsewhere.Ceferin said: “Perhaps it is Italian politicians who should be asking themselves why Italy has some of the worst football infrastructure in Europe.”The warning also lands amid wider instability in Italian football governance after the national team failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup for a third consecutive time, increasing political and media scrutiny on the sport’s leadership.From an event economics perspective, Euro 2032 is designed to drive capital investment, tourism and venue renewal, but hosting risk raises questions for suppliers, investors and cities that need clarity on stadium scope, timelines and contracting routes.Stadium modernisation is also central to club balance sheets, supporting higher hospitality yields, premium inventory, naming rights, non-matchday events and more predictable operating standards.Consultancy firm PwC data cited in the reporting showed only six Italian stadiums were built or redeveloped between 2007 and 2024, compared with 19 in Germany, 13 in England and 12 in France.Italy’s October submission is now the key near-term milestone, with UEFA’s position signalling that failure to demonstrate credible delivery plans could force a reallocation of matches away from Italian venues.