Turkish stadium boom challenges Italy in the race for Euro 2032

In the heart of Ankara, the spotlight beams illuminate the futuristic "19 May" while in Bari workers lay the first stone of the new San Nicola; on September 28, 2026 the FIGC announced that Italy will change venues and Turkey is ready to challenge the bid for Euro 2032.

The Turkish route to Euro 2032

The Turkish federation has already invested nearly €10 billion, with 29 stadiums built in the last ten years, according to Corriere della Sera. The crocodile arena, the Timsah of Bursa, where the match against the Azzurri will be played, risks not making the five selected venues. Among the most ambitious projects stand out the renovated Ataturk in Istanbul, a candidate for the final, and the "19 May" in Ankara, still under completion but already described as futuristic for its ball shape.

The joint dossier foresees five stadiums per nation, which UEFA will assess after the presentation in the coming days; Turkey will have to await compliance checks by March 2027, aiming to have all venues ready by June 2031.

Italian ambitions and projects under construction

By Thursday the FIGC will transmit the documentation of the venues deemed suitable, with a total investment of €6 billion, of which €4.5 billion comes from private sources and the rest from local authorities. Twelve or thirteen possible stadiums are being considered, excluding Udine due to its limited capacity and Juventus’s Allianz Stadium, already ready.

Among the candidates emerge the new San Siro, the Roman facility in Pietralata (with the Olimpico as a backup plan), the Maradona in Naples to be modernised, and the municipal projects of Florence, Salerno, Cagliari, Genoa and perhaps Bologna. In the South, Lecce has been ruled out, while Palermo and Bari are focusing on expansions: €300 million from the City Group for the new Favorita and a possible €250 million refurbishment for San Nicola.

Italy seeks revival in Turkey under a Klopp-style revolution

Capacity challenges and possible candidates

The main difference between the two countries is the amount of work required: Turkey already boasts 29 recent stadiums, whereas Italy still has to build or renovate many facilities. Cities historically distant from top‑level football, such as Trebizond, Konya, Gaziantep, Eskisehir and Adalia, would have little to modify to become Euro venues.

The final decision will rest with UEFA, which will assess capacity, infrastructure and sustainability; the outcome will determine whether Bari, with its ambitious projects, can become a strong candidate for Euro 2032.

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As the deadline approaches, Italy and Turkey show different approaches but share the goal of providing state‑of‑the‑art venues for the Euro 2032, a project that could reshape the continent’s sporting landscape.