Will Northern Ireland host Euro 2028 matches?

An artist's impression of the planned 34,500-seat Casement Park stadium in Belfast

Northern Ireland's hopes of hosting matches at Euro 2028 have suffered a big setback.

It comes after the UK government said it would not pay for the redevelopment of Casement Park for the tournament.

They said that said their decision not to fund the work had been taken because there was a "significant risk that it would not be built in time".

The Belfast venue was one of ten stadiums included in the UK and Ireland's successful bid to host the men's tournament in four year's time.

What's the latest with Casement Park?

There have been plans to build a new stadium at Casement Park since 2011, but construction has yet to begin

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced the decision in a joint letter to Northern Ireland's Sports Minister, Gordon Lyons.

The letter said they had "regrettably decided that it is not appropriate for the UK government to provide funding to seek to build Casement Park in time to host matches at EURO 2028."

They added that the estimated cost of building Casement Park had risen dramatically from £180million to £400million and that there was "a significant risk that it would not be built in time for the tournament."

Casement Park was due to host five matches at Euro 2028.

The decision means that Northern Ireland's hopes of hosting fixtures appears to be over, making it the only nation in the UK where matches would not take place during the tournament.

Stadiums in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland have already been confirmed for the 2028 event.

A spokesperson for the Irish FA said it will "consider the implications of this with our bid partners and Uefa.”

Mr Lyons said he would talk to the government to see how Northern Ireland "can still benefit from hosting the competition".

It's hoped that Northern Ireland could still have a role as a training base or host warm-up matches at Belfast's existing Windsor Park stadium.