Italy’s role as co-host of Euro 2032 is under serious threat after UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin warned the tournament could be moved unless the country urgently upgrades its football infrastructure.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Ceferin made it clear that the tournament set to be jointly hosted with Turkey will go ahead, but not necessarily in Italy if stadium standards are not met.
“Euro 2032 is scheduled and will take place. I hope the infrastructure will be ready. Otherwise, the tournament will not be played in Italy,” he said.
Italy must submit a list of five stadiums to UEFA by October, but progress has been slow due to bureaucratic delays and disputes involving clubs and public authorities.
Top clubs such as AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio and AS Roma have struggled to modernise or rebuild stadiums, with many venues still owned by local governments.
A report by PwC highlights the scale of the problem. Only six stadiums were built or renovated in Italy between 2007 and 2024, compared to 19 in Germany, 13 in England and 12 in France.
Despite the concerns, Ceferin defended outgoing Italian football federation president Gabriele Gravina, placing blame squarely on political leadership.
“Perhaps it is Italian politicians who should be asking themselves why Italy has some of the worst football infrastructure in Europe,” he said.
Gravina resigned following mounting criticism after Italy’s latest international disappointment, a playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ended their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup for a third consecutive time.
Ceferin also hit back at critics of the national team, insisting the blame should not fall on players or coaches.
“This is football. Even with the best players, anyone can lose,” he added.
