The Spanish city of Bilbao has been dropped as a venue for this year’s European Championship after it was unable to guarantee organisers it could host fans in the stadium for matches, but local officials say they will now seek compensation.
Authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the city would miss out on the June 11-July 11 tournament, having been due to host Spain’s Group E games against Poland, Sweden and Slovakia.
UEFA are scheduled to make a final decision on the hosting rights of Bilbao, Munich and Dublin, three of 12 proposed venues for the tournament, on Friday as they seek assurances that the trio will allow fans into their stadiums for the games.
But Bilbao authorities say they have already received a letter from UEFA informing them of the decision to move the matches elsewhere.
The strict health protocols in the Basque region that have been set out as a pre-requisite by the local government to allow supporters in the stands have been described by the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) as unrealistic.
Photo: Flickr
via Reuters
5th July 2026
NATO leaders gather next week in Ankara, where Europeans aim to set aside strife with U.S. President Donald Trump over Iran and Greenland and show they are stepping up to defend the con...
4th July 2026
Albanian organised crime groups have significantly expanded their presence across Europe in recent years and, according to anti-mafia researcher Professor Vincenzo Musacchio, have become...
3rd July 2026
Updated 1020
Benna Raises Milk Prices Again as Production Costs Climb: Malta Dairy Products Ltd has increased the prices of several Benna dairy products for the second time in a year,...
2nd July 2026
Morning Briefing
Yorgen Fenech trial over Daphne Caruana Galizia murder begins
The long-awaited trial by jury of Yorgen Fenech over the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia ...
25th June 2026
The European Commission has unveiled an ambitious package of tax reforms aimed at simplifying tax rules across the European Union, reducing compliance burdens for businesses and strength...
10th June 2026
The European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc's migration framework in years and placing renewed em...
3rd July 2026
Microsoft said it is creating a new company that will help customers select AI technologies that work for their businesses and generate returns on their investment.
Microsoft Frontie...
2nd July 2026
Malta Public Transport will be organising special bus services for the BBC Concert taking place on 4th July 2026, at the Granaries in Floriana.
In order to provide a more convenient t...
8th June 2026
The European Parliament has approved a major new initiative aimed at reducing workplace accidents and strengthening worker protection across the European Union, as concerns continue to g...
8th June 2026
The European Union has approved new rules aimed at tightening the screening of foreign investments in strategic sectors, marking a major shift in Europe’s approach towards economic secur...
2nd July 2026
Malta Public Transport will be organising special bus services for the BBC Concert taking place on 4th July 2026, at the Granaries in Floriana.
In order to provide a more convenient t...
30th June 2026
One month after Gozo’s public transport service has been fully electrified, Gozo’s bus service has recorded more than 332,000 passenger journeys across more than 16,220 trips, demonstrat...
18th June 2026
The U.S. and Iran released the text of an interim agreement their presidents have signed to end their war on Wednesday, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to resume attacks and...
15th June 2026
U.S. and Iranian officials said they had reached an agreement to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Te...
25th June 2026
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 injured after two powerful earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 — struck central Venezuela seconds apart, causing widespread destruct...
25th February 2026
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
2nd July 2026
Kyiv will observe a day of mourning on Friday after a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack killed at least 13 people and injured about 90 others, according to city officials.
...
2nd July 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cut short his visit to Dublin on Wednesday, warning that the Kremlin would soon launch a new large-scale attack on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy was atten...