Saint-Etienne and Toulouse were the major losers in the announcement, with the two cities having been omitted from the list and instead named as reserve locations.
Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Marseille, Nancy, Nice, Paris and Saint-Denis were selected, as was Lyon, which took a major step forward last week in plans to build a new 60,000-seat stadium in the suburb of Decines-Charpieu when the project was put forward for public consultation.
Lyon’s stadium will be one of four new facilities built for the tournament, with stadia also set to be built in Bordeaux, Lille and Nice. The northern town of Lens was chosen for Euro 2016 matches despite its club being relegated to Ligue 2 this season.
“All the bids were of a very, very high standard, but the choice was very clear and decided at the first round of voting,” said FFF president Fernand Duchaussoy. Euro 2016 will be the first edition of the European Championships to feature 24 teams, increasing from 16 at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.
