Italy drops Women's Euro 2029 host bid leaving Germany to head 4-candidate race
England's Chloe Kelly celebrates with the trophy as goalkeeper Hannah Hampton at left looks on after winning the Women's Euro 2025 final soccer match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, Sunday, July 27, 2025. Credit: AP/Alessandra Tarantino
NYON, Switzerland — Italy withdrew from bidding to host the 2029 Women's European Championship, leaving four contenders for the 16-team tournament.
Germany, Poland, Portugal and a joint bid by Denmark and Sweden will compete in a Dec. 3 vote by the UEFA executive committee, UEFA said on Friday.
Italy will co-host the men’s Euro 2032 with Turkey, though is already under pressure to deliver five modern stadiums on time.
Germany appears favored to deliver a high-revenue, 31-game tournament in 2029 that would use the stadiums of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Those venues can seat about 70,000 people for international games.
A hugely successful Euro 2025 in Switzerland in July set a tournament-record total attendance of more than 650,000 fans.
England retained its title, beating Spain in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in Basel, and will seek a hat trick in 2029 if it qualifies.
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