Euro 2028: Gareth Bale wants Wales to stage opening tournament game

Gareth Bale hopes Wales will be given the chance to stage the opening game of Euro 2028 after the UK and Ireland were named hosts of the tournament.

Wales is preparing to co-host a major tournament for the first time following Uefa confirmation on Tuesday.

It is understood Cardiff's Principality Stadium is being lined up as the venue for Euro 2028's first game.

"As a Welshman, I would love for Cardiff to host the opening match," said ex-Wales captain Bale.

"I am sure that's something we will try to push for - we have the stadium and infrastructure for it."

As well as Wales, Euro 2028 matches will be played in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney is optimistic that both the Euro 2028 opener and a quarter-final will be played in Cardiff.

The final is expected to be played at Wembley.

The joint hosting bid ran unopposed after Turkey withdrew to focus on a bid with Italy for Euro 2032, which was also confirmed by Uefa, European football's governing body, at a meeting in Switzerland.

"We'd like the national stadium of Wales to host the opening game," Mooney said.

"It's a perfect venue for the opening match, and also a quarter-final as well is what we have proposed.

"But ultimately that's not up to us, that's up to Uefa to choose. We've put forward a schedule of matches.

"We think Cardiff is perfect for the opener, to welcome the world to Cymru, and we look forward to it."

• Euro 2028: What co-hosts Wales can expect with venues, qualification and more

Host nations are normally allocated places in the final tournament automatically, but that will not be the case at Euro 2028 because it is being played in five countries.

It is unlikely that Uefa will offer more than two automatic places for hosting teams, so three could potentially miss out.

There has been some talk of all five nations trying to qualify with two 'backstop' qualification spots available for those who miss out, with either the highest-ranking nations who failed to qualify going through, or the two sides that come closest to qualifying.

However, there are some reservations within Uefa about offering a 'backdoor' entry to nations who have failed to qualify, as well as its potential impact on the normal qualifying process.

Former Tottenham and Real Madrid forward Bale, who retired in January, helped Wales qualify for the last two European Championship as well as last year's World Cup.

Gareth Bale helped Wales reach the semi-finals of Euro 2016

He says the goal for Wales will be to guarantee they are involved at Euro 2028 by securing a place via the regular qualifying route.

"I think every team would love to qualify on merit," said Bale, who was in Nyon for the Uefa announcement.

"You want to go in playing well, coming through in a [qualifying] campaign, meaning the team's in a good space going into the tournament.

"Those two back up spots are [hopefully] there just in case as a safety net. I think it's important all teams try and qualify and do the best they can, and hopefully they all do it automatically anyway."

'Important to keep Wales on the map'

Bale believes the 2017 Champions League final, when he was part of the Real Madrid side who beat Juventus in Cardiff, is proof that Wales can successfully host football's biggest events.

"Having a major tournament in our country is massively important," Bale added.

"It's important for Wales to keep on the map, to keep pushing forward, to keep trying to better ourselves.

"Now we've had a taste of the Euros in 2016, and the success we had, being a part of Euro 2020 and the World Cup, I think the fans especially in Wales have an appetite.

"We are used to qualifying so hopefully we can do that again and give them some more happy times to cheer about."

Mooney said Wales "100% want to qualify" automatically for Euro 2028 and is confident they will have the squad to make that happen.

Wales have struggled for form since qualifying for the last World Cup - the nation's first since 1958 - and need to beat Croatia on Sunday to maintain hopes of reaching Euro 2024 via their qualifying group.

"We have qualified for last three out of four major tournaments," Mooney said.

"We have a lot of young players coming through. It's true that the team is in transition at the moment.

"When you lose players like Gareth you go through transition. But by 2028, we'll have a lot of players which will make us a force to be reckoned with."

First Minister Mark Drakeford said Wales has built a "strong global reputation" for staging major sporting events and is confident Euro 2028 will be a success.

"Securing Euro 2028 is another milestone for Welsh sport and I'm confident the UK and Ireland will host the best Uefa Euro ever," he said.

"Today's news is the next exciting opportunity for us to showcase what Wales has to offer."

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