France to host Euro 2016
Friday, 28 May, 2010
Decision made over UEFA European Championship Finals host.
France has been chosen to host the UEFA European Championship Finals in 2016 UEFA's Executive committee decided on Friday.
The nation staged, and won, a successful World Cup Finals in 1998, and will welcome the best nations in Europe back to their shores 18 years later.
The French bid was given the nod ahead of rival candidates from Turkey and Italy at the ceremony in Geneva, and the decision was announced by UEFA President Michel Platini, who lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy with France in 1984.
That tournament was also played in France, which will become the first country to stage the Euros for the third time after also hosting the inaugural tournament in 1960.
"For us it is a moment of intense emotions, given that in 2016 we will welcome European football to France," said French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes. "We will fulfil our promises and we thank our friends on the Executive Committee at UEFA.
"They have put their trust in us and that's what counts for us. This is a beautiful day for us."
The French bid included 12 stadiums in eleven cities: Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Nancy, Nice, Marseille, Paris (Stade de France and Parc des Princes), Saint-Etienne, Strasbourg and Toulouse.
But before England can start thinking of Euro 2016, we first have a World Cup Finals this summer followed by qualifying for the Euro 2012 Finals in Poland/Ukraine, which begins in September.