In what has become an increasingly popular - and necessary, for some smaller soccer nations that alone lack the proper stadium infrastructure - phenomenon, Sweden and Norway announced a joint bid to host the 2016 European Championship on Thursday, according to the AP. Pointing out that the two Scandinavian neighbors have organized championships together in the past, Swedish Soccer Federation president Lars-Ake Lagrell said they "cooperate very well."
Sweden has hosted the tournament before, but that was back in 1992 when the competition only featured eight teams and called for the use of four stadiums. With UEFA increasing the current field of national teams from 16 to 24 for Euro 2012, Sweden needed to call on Norway as co-host, with prospective cities and stadiums to be announced at a later date.
With the Netherlands and Belgium and Poland and Ukraine setting a precedent by co-hosting Euro 2000 and Euro 2012, respectively, the Sweden-Norway bid follows a two-country proposal from Hungary-Romania and appears to have an equal chance of being considered alongside singular bids from Italy, France, Greece, Russia and Turkey when the decision is made in May of 2010.
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