UEFA has sent a strong message to Italian football authorities, urging them to modernise their outdated stadiums before the Euro 2032 tournament.
Italy, set to co-host the competition with Turkey, must provide five venues, but many of its grounds remain old and poorly maintained.
The tournament is expected to take place between June and July 2032, and it will the fourth time Italy would be hosting this competition, after Euro 1968, Euro 1980, and four matches of the unique Euro 2020.
Italy and Turkey are expected to provide five stadiums each, and the selection will be decided in October 2026.
Some of the potential venues that could be selected in Italy include Rome's Stadio Olimpico, Bari's Stadio San Nicola, Florence's Stadio Artemio Franchi and three new stadiums in Milan, Naples and Cagliari.
Italy urged to reform infrastructure with golden opportunity
According to Football-Italia, UEFA executive director Michele Uva described the event as a “golden opportunity” for Italy to reform its infrastructure and approach stadium management, while speaking at a summit in Brussels.
“EURO 2032 is an opportunity we cannot waste,” Uva said, calling for “unity and a change of mentality” across the Italian football system.
Organiser Lara Magoni stressed that 90 percent of Italy’s stadiums are publicly owned and mostly built between the 1930s and 1960s, making redevelopment slow and bureaucratic.
“We need a national plan that allows clubs to invest and modernise their homes,” she warned.
Serie A president weighs in on the issue
Lega Serie A President Ezio Simonelli echoed those concerns, describing the stadium issue as an “atavistic problem.”
Simonelli urged Italy to follow the examples of Udinese and Atalanta, who successfully upgraded their grounds into modern, revenue-generating venues.
Italian giants, AC Milan and Inter, have recently moved to build a new San Siro, with the site already purchased and completion expected in 2030.
FGG Says
UEFA’s warning could be the wake-up call Italian football needs. With Euro 2032 approaching, the country has a rare chance to replace decades of inertia with real progress.
Failure to act could see Italy fall further behind Europe’s elite, both in infrastructure and in football’s wider economic growth. Other clubs must follow in the line of the Milan clubs by upgrading their facilities to catch up with the current standard across the world.