LONDON - Ireland, Scotland and Wales are considering mounting a joint bid to host the 2020 European Championship.
The British Isles nations have expressed a formal declaration of interest to UEFA but don't have to decide until next year whether to submit a formal bid. They'll face competition from Turkey, which had already announced its interest, and the former Soviet republic of Georgia, which also announced its candidacy on Tuesday.
Football Association of Wales chief executive Jonathan Ford says they will now obtain the information from UEFA to "fully assess and determine, independently and together, whether we should submit a bid."
Turkey had been the only candidate so far for the 24-team tournament. UEFA is to announce the host in late 2013 or early 2014.
Istanbul is also bidding for the 2020 Olympics, although the IOC and UEFA have indicated Turkey can't host both events.
Georgia's Sports Minister Lado Vardzelashvili said officials had considered submitting a bid to co-host the championships with Azerbaijan, but that the neighbouring country decided to concentrate its efforts on bidding to hold the 2020 Olympics in its capital Baku.
