The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2016, will be the 15th European Championship for national football teams sanctioned by UEFA. It will be held in the summer of 2016. The host nation was announced to be France on 28 May 2010. The tournament will be expanded from 16 to 24 teams in 2016 after the plan was unanimously agreed by senior officials of all 53 UEFA member nations.

The winner of the tournament will earn the right to compete for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted by Russia.

Four bids came before the deadline at 9 March 2009 which were France, Italy and Turkey as single bids and Norway and Sweden as a joint bid. Norway and Sweden eventually withdrew their bid in December 2009.

The host was selected on 28 May 2010:^{[citation needed]}

There was controversy concerning the decision to give the Euro 2016 to France and not to Turkey. After the decision was announced, responding to the question "During Sepp Blatter's term Euro 2008 was awarded to Switzerland, during your term Euro 2016 is awarded to France, is this the new trend?" Michel Platini said "When there is a Turkish president, then you can host a major tournament".

Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Wales national team as a winger.

Bale began his professional career at Southampton, playing at left back, earning acclaim as a free kick specialist. Since transferring to Spurs in 2007, managerial and tactical shifts have seen him transform into a more offensively-oriented player. Recently, Bale has played an integral role in Tottenham's success domestically and in the Champions League.

Bale was born in Cardiff to parents Frank, a school caretaker, and Debbie, an operations manager; he attended Eglwys Newydd Primary School at Whitchurch. He is the nephew of former Cardiff City footballer Chris Pike. It was while at this school he first came to the attention of Southampton at age nine, when he was playing in a six-a-side tournament with his first club, Cardiff Civil Service Football Club. Growing up his football hero was fellow Welshman and Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.