Rome, Jul 29 (IANS): Italy has announced that it would jointly bid to host the 2032 UEFA European Football Championship with Turkey.

Pending approval of the joint bid, which is very likely by all indications, it means the two countries would be virtually assured to host the 2032 event, while UK and Ireland are now all but guaranteed to host the 2028 edition of the tournament.

The hosts for both editions will be announced on October 10, Xinhua reported.

Italy announced its candidacy for the 2032 tournament in April, followed soon after by Turkey, who submitted its candidacy for both the 2028 and 2032 events. Turkey and the joint bid from the four United Kingdom federations and Ireland were the main two candidates for the 2028 tournament, while Italy and Turkey were the main candidates for the 2032 championship.

The agreement between Italy and Turkey implies Turkey will withdraw its candidacy for the 2028 tournament, leaving one remaining bid for each of the two events.

In a statement, UEFA said it would collaborate with football associations from both countries to make sure their bid meets technical requirements.

"UEFA will now work with the FIGC (Italian Football Federation) and TFF (Turkish Football Federation) to ensure that the documentation to be submitted for their joint bid is compliant with the bidding requirements," read the UEFA statement on Friday.

Referring to the unusual decision for two candidates to merge their bids, FIGC president Gabriele Gravina said the move was "a historic turning point" in the effort to enhance football in Europe.