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- Boris Johnson has offered for the UK to host all of Euro 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- The Prime Minister has also revealed the nation’s plans to launch a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup.
- “We want to see a bonanza of football in the years ahead,” he said.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has offered for the United Kingdom to host all of Euro 2020 and says the nation is also preparing a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup.
The European Championships, which were pushed back a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, are set to be staged across 12 countries between June 11 and July 11, with the semi-finals and final being held in London.
However, with COVID-19 restrictions still causing disruption throughout the continent, Johnson has stepped forward to offer UEFA a plan B.
Last week, Johnson announced that the UK plans to remove all COVID restrictions by mid-June such as been the success of its vaccine roll out. This puts the UK in a somewhat unique position in Europe, and it is well ahead of its peers in terms of vaccination rates.
Over 20 million Brits have been given a first dose of a vaccine as of March 1, almost a third of the country’s total population. By contrast just over four million Germans have had their first dose, roughly 5% of the population, while only around three million people in France have been vaccinated.
"We are hosting the Euros. We are hosting the semis and the final," Johnson told The Sun.
"If there's, you know, if they want any other matches that they want hosted, we're certainly on for that but at the moment that's where we are with UEFA."
On top of offering up the UK to host Euro 2020, Johnson also revealed the nation's plans to launch a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup alongside the Republic of Ireland.
According to The Sun, UK Chancellor Sunak Budget will pledge £2.8 million ($3.9 million) to kick-start the process when he announces the nation's budget for the coming year on Wednesday.
"We are very, very keen to bring football home in 2030," Johnson said. "I do think it's the right place. It's the home of football, it's the right time. It will be an absolutely wonderful thing for the country."
Johnson added: "We want to see a bonanza of football in the years ahead."
A joint-statement from the football associations of England, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland said: "The football associations and government partners of the UK and Ireland are delighted that the UK government has committed to support a prospective five-association bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
"The FAs will continue to undertake feasibility work to assess the viability of a bid before FIFA formally opens the process in 2022.
"Staging a FIFA World Cup would provide an incredible opportunity to deliver tangible benefits for our nations.
"If a decision is made to bid for the event, we look forward to presenting our hosting proposals to FIFA and the wider global football community."