The UK and Ireland are poised to host Euro 2028 with their bid now unopposed due to Turkey’s withdrawal. The joint bid between England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, which was up against Turkey ahead of next week’s Uefa announcement, will secure hosting rights subject to final approval from the governing body’s executive committee. Turkey will now join forces with Italy to host Euro 2032 instead, with Germany the hosts for next year’s Euro 2024. Uefa officials are yet to confirm how the hosts would qualify for Euro 2028, with discussions over the prospect of teams participating in qualification to secure competitive preparation for the tournament. However some teams could still qualify even if knocked out. The Independent reported in July that Uefa were unlikely to grant all five nations a place in the 24-team tournament. While Uefa sees benefits to the joint bid in terms of commercial potential and most of the infrastructure already in place, the number of teams hosting brings an unprecedented element. Issues related to sporting integrity as regards qualification may now emerge, with Uefa likely to award a maximum of three guaranteed places. The anticipated expansion of the tournament to 32 teams is not expected to happen until 2032. The prospect of a mini-tournament before qualification officially starts is thought to be on the table. While the Independent understands there is a very minor possibility the tournament could have just four hosts if Northern Ireland's planned stadium of Casement Park in Belfast isn't reconstructed in time. But that isn't currently seen as a challenge, given five years until the competition. There is no confirmation on who would host the final, though Wembley Stadium would seem the likely favourite, meaning a second European final in three editions of the competition. England lost to Italy in the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley, which took place in 2021 after its postponement due to Covid. Wembley is one of 14 venues across the five countries to have been shortlisted in the bid, with nine English stadia in total, two in the Republic of Ireland and one each in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The inclusion of Casement Park, a Gaelic sports venue which is in the process of being redeveloped, means Belfast is set to host matches should it remain when the final list of 10 stadia is submitted to Uefa in April. The nine English stadia include three in London – Wembley, the London Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium are on the provisional list, as are Newcastle’s St James’ Park and Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. Everton’s new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock is on the shortlist, as is Villa Park in Birmingham. The Aviva Stadium and Croke Park are the shortlisted venues in Dublin, while the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and Hampden Park in Glasgow complete the list. Gareth Bale was due to help the bid by joining a Welsh delegation in Geneva this month. The legendary winger, who is Wales' most capped player and record goalscorer, retired from football in January, but the 34-year-old offered to help Wales secure joint-hosting rights. Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney said: “We are hoping for a successful bid and Gareth is very much part of the FAW and what we do. He has been identified as one of the faces of the bid presentation. Gareth is globally famous. You can get into a taxi in Sydney or Peru and if you mention you are from Wales they will say ‘Gareth Bale’. It is an instant reaction. “When I go home to the west of Ireland the first thing people say to me is ‘how is Gareth Bale?’ Gareth is so good for us. We went to him and asked him if he would get involved in the Euro ’28 bid and he just said: ‘What can I do for Wales?’ It was instant – ‘how can I help you get the bid over the line?'” Turkey now looks set to host the major tournament in 2032, eight years after falling short in the race to host Euro 2024, with Germany outpointing them 12-4 in the voting. The Uefa Executive Committee will officially appoint host associations on 10 October at the governing body’s headquarters, the House of European Football, in Nyon, Switzerland. Read More UK and Ireland’s Euro 2028 bid unlikely to secure five automatic places Gareth Bale part of Welsh delegation to help UK and Ireland Euro 2028 bid UK and Ireland shortlist 14 stadiums for Euro 2028 bid Gareth Bale part of Welsh delegation to help UK and Ireland Euro 2028 bid UK and Ireland bid for Euro 2028 to be unopposed after Turkey withdraw interest Ed Sheeran and Ipswich players celebrate win with dressing room sing-along

By Suzanne McGee As many as 18 new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are scheduled to launch in the United

Three new game modes have been announced for Halo Infinite season 2: King of the Hill, Land Grab, and Last Spartan Standing. Alex Wakeford speaks with Zach Boyce about changes and design.

The Women’s World Cup continues as the defending champions USA face the Netherlands in a rematch of the final four years ago. Last week, the US kicked off their bid for a third World Cup in a row as they defeated tournament debutants Vietnam 3-0, but the Netherlands are set to be their biggest test in Group E. The Dutch, who opened their campaign with a 1-0 win against Portugal, come into the World Cup without star forward Vivianne Miedema but remain one of the top contenders for the title. Four years ago, the US won their fourth World Cup crown in Paris as they defeated the Netherlands 2-0 four years ago, with Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle on target, but the defending champions have a new-look squad this time around. There are 14 players in the US group who are playing at the World Cup for the first time, including forward Sophia Smith, who scored twice in the 3-0 win against Vietnam. Follow the latest World Cup scores, updates and news in today’s live blog Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? Ireland ‘heartbroken’ as Canada comeback reveals World Cup lesson Megan Rapinoe: The legendary US attacker and LGBT+ rights activist in profile

By Marc Jones LONDON An increasing number of countries are repatriating gold reserves as protection against the sort

European airline passengers risk another summer of travel chaos as destinations including Budapest, Marseille and Athens face an

Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" took in $70.5 million in North American theaters Friday, including the Thursday pre-shows. That set the movie on track to bring in roughly $150 million for its domestic opening weekend, a stunning achievement for what has become a pop culture sensation.

MLB Rumors: Let's take a spin around Major League Baseball and look at some of the latest MLB rumors surrounding the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals.MLB rumors: Boston Red Sox tried to trade Raimel TapiaPrior to a series of roster moves that eventually led to t...

Jaafar Jackson was recently spotted rehearsing for the upcoming biopic 'Michael' where he portrays his uncle, Michael Jackson

A woman on TikTok has gone viral for redecorating rooms with a "sad millennial beige" colour, and harshly being accused of "stripping every spec of character." TikTok user Emma Ganzarain (@emmaganzarain) innocently turned to the platform to showcase a series of before and after photos. "All men need a woman in their life," she wrote, along with the hashtags 'transformation,' 'interior' and 'living room inspo'. Despite her efforts, over 50,000 fellow TikTokers flocked to the clip with their brutal takes. "His soul is no longer in that space," one wrote. "Stop trying to fix the men in your life and learn to love them for who they are and the way they want to decorate." Another added: "Sis he has STYLE. the before was SOO cute and had so much character." A third wrote: "Not me liking all the before better because it’s not just sad beige." One person even suggested they were saving the 'before' photos for inspiration. Meanwhile, in other interior design news, one decor trick can reportedly make your wine taste better. It turns out that vibrant and high-energy interior environments have a significant effect on how we perceive and enjoy wine, according to a new wine-tasting study commissioned by the renowned Spanish wine brand, Campo Viejo. Energetic space appeared to enhance participants' sensory experiences, with higher scores for taste and enjoyment than the other rooms. The Dopamine Décor environment also increased the participants' estimated value of the wine being served. "We’ve seen in previous published studies how environmental cues, such as music and colour, have influenced sensory experiences," Lee Chambers said. "It’s no surprise that interior environments, with their ability to infuse colour, textures and different lighting - could amplify our senses and enhance what we consume." How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Kelvin Teo, Barclays Plc’s head of equity capital markets for Asia Pacific, is departing from the firm after

Perfect starts by Texas and Oklahoma have setup the 43rd meeting between the Red River Rivals where both teams will be ranked