GENEVA UEFA confirmed on Wednesday its receipt of a request by Italy and Turkey to merge their individual bids into one to host the 2032 European Championship, leaving Britain and Ireland as the sole bidder for the 2028 tournament.

"The award of both tournaments still requires the approval of the Executive Committee at its meeting in Nyon on 10 October," European soccer's governing body said in a statement.

A joint bid to host Euro 2028 was placed by England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The bid Euro 2028 is unopposed after Turkey withdrew from the race and to focus on a joint bid with Italy for Euro 2032.

"We are looking forward to presenting our bid to UEFA on 10th October. These are exciting times, and we have a very compelling Euro 2028 proposal for UEFA," the Football Association of Ireland said.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Geneva and Padraic Halpin in Dublin; Editing by Christian Radnedge)