Will Casement Park host Euro 2028 games?

Walking extracurricular nan locked gates of Casement Park, it is difficult to judge a awesome shot tourney could beryllium held astatine nan stadium successful little than 4 years.

Casement Park is 1 of 10 stadia included successful nan UK and Ireland's successful Euro 2028 bid, but activity has yet to statesman connected nan gaelic games stadium, which has been derelict since 2013.

The bid to redevelop nan westbound Belfast stadium has been group backmost by a number of ineligible and financial challenges.

With each passing day, nan imaginable of nan stadium hosting 5 matches astatine Euro 2028 fades distant pinch nan Belfast summer.

So what is nan latest arsenic nan timepiece continues to tick down? BBC Sport NI takes a look.

Opened successful 1953, Casement Park was nan long-time location of gaelic games successful Belfast and, on pinch Ulster rugby's Ravenhill ground, and Windsor Park, location of Northern Ireland's and Linfield's shot teams, was earmarked for redevelopment astatine nan commencement of nan past decade, leaving it unoccupied since 2013.

However, while Ravenhill and Windsor Park person agelong been redeveloped, Casement remains successful a authorities of disrepair aft galore financial, information and ineligible hurdles.

The original scheme for a 34,000 capacity stadium was successfully challenged by section residents successful 2014. An adjusted connection pinch a reduced capacity was put forward, and different objection by residents grounded successful 2022.

However, nan costs of nan task and, crucially, who is providing nan funding, has meant activity connected nan tract has yet to begin.

The value of nan task was primitively estimated to beryllium astatine £77.5m. Since then, nan costs has skyrocketed and successful March it was reported to person risen to much than £300m.

The Northern Ireland Executive has pledged to salary £62.5m towards nan task and nan Irish authorities has put guardant £43m.

The GAA - nan governing assemblage of gaelic games which owns nan crushed - has said it will not money immoderate much than nan £15m that it pledged to nan task anterior to nan galore delays.

In June, GAA president Jarlath Burns added he was "pessimistic" that Casement would beryllium constructed successful clip to big Euro 2028 matches.

A Uefa delegation visited nan tract successful February, but immoderate superior building activity has yet to return spot arsenic backing has not been finalised.

Casement Park is nan sole stadium successful Northern Ireland included successful nan bid for Euro 2028.

This is contempt nan location matches of Northern Ireland's shot squad taking spot astatine nan 18,500 capacity Windsor Park, which falls beneath Uefa's request for hosting matches astatine nan tournament.

The imaginable of Northern Ireland playing shot astatine Casement Park, which is successful a mostly nationalist area of Belfast, and distant from Windsor Park has been divisive amongst nan instrumentality base.

In October, Gary McAllister, president of nan Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs, questioned nan bequest that would beryllium near by hosting nan Euros astatine Casement Park, adding he felt it should beryllium held astatine shot stadia.

However, nan Irish FA has antecedently said that expanding nan capacity of Windsor Park, moreover temporarily, is not possible.

There has besides been vexation amongst section shot fans astir nan deficiency of backing for Irish League stadia and nan releasing of costs which had been earmarked for much than a decade. After governmental instability successful Northern Ireland, nan reformed NI Executive said successful May those costs would yet beryllium released.

At Northern Ireland's lucifer pinch Bulgaria astatine Windsor Park connected Thursday, and a number of erstwhile matches, location was a banner saying nary to nan developed stadium arsenic a number of fans highlighted their objections to nan project.

If Casement Park is not redeveloped successful clip for Euro 2028 and an replacement solution is not found, it besides would time off Northern Ireland's spot arsenic a 'host nation' successful question.

The noises coming retired Westminster, some successful nan erstwhile Conservative authorities and aft Labour's predetermination victory, is that Casement Park will beryllium redeveloped.

Whether it is built successful clip for Euro 2028, however, is different rumor altogether.

In July, Hilary Benn, caput for authorities for Northern Ireland, said Casement Park “will beryllium built”. However, erstwhile asked if that would beryllium successful clip for nan Euros, he could not springiness a definitive reply and said location were 2 issues.

"[The] first is costs and there’s a definite magnitude of money successful nan cookware but it’s not enough," said Benn, adding that group should "bear pinch him".

“The 2nd rumor is we’re into other clip successful trying to get it built successful clip for nan Euros."

Gordon Lyons, Communities curate successful nan NI Executive astatine Stormont, has said that nan determination is successful nan hands of nan Labour authorities astir really to proceed but his section still has "outstanding questions" complete nan "affordability and deliverability, and worth for money" of nan project.

With each passing time without an announcement astir nan project, nan likelihood of Casement Park hosting matches astatine Euro 2028 diminishes.

Of nan 10 stadiums included successful nan UK and Ireland's Euro 2028 bid, only Casement Park and Everton's caller crushed astatine Bramley Dock were successful request of being constructed.

However, Everton are group to move into their caller stadium up of nan 2025-26 Premier League season, leaving Casement arsenic nan sole chartless of nan bid.