Courtesy of JSK/MSiT; Gdańsk City Hall, Wrocław 2012; Modern Construction Systems

Warsaw

Warsaw, as the Polish capital and home to a population of two million, was the most obvious choice. Preliminary construction work has begun on the city’s new 55,000-capacity National Stadium. But Warsaw also has a number of infrastructural shortcomings, such as a lack of ring road or major motorway leading to it. Public transportation during Euro 2012 may also prove challenging, as the city is served by just one subway line and plans to construct of a second line could cause some disruptions.

Wrocław and Gdańsk are also building stadiums from scratch, but their preparations and intrinsic qualities impressed UEFA.

Gdańsk

Gdańsk, located on the Baltic Sea, may be struggling with its moribund shipbuilding industry, but the city was also the birthplace of the legendary Solidarity movement.

Wrocław

Wrocław, meanwhile, is one of the fastest developing cities in Poland. It’s a strong university city, attracting IT and innovative companies thanks to its special economic zone and a mayor known for his tireless promotion of the city.

Poznań

Poznań, for its part, is an important commercial and industrial hub in west Poland. It will host Euro 2012 matches at the Lech Poznań stadium, which is currently undergoing expansion.

Across the border

As for Ukraine – co-host of Euro 2012 – only Kiev was confirmed as a host city. Lviv, Donetsk and Kharkiv are still awaiting UEFA confirmation, with the decision to be announced in November. In fact, it was Ukrainian officials that persuaded UEFA to delay the decision in the matter. Since the three Ukrainian cities are seen as trailing Poland in terms of preparedness to host the event, hope remains in Kraków that the Polish city could ultimately replace one of the Ukrainian bidders.

Kiev itself could still lose the right to host the Euro 2012 final. “The final match will be held in Kiev only if specific conditions with regard to the stadium, airport infrastructure, regional transport and accommodation are met by November 30,” UEFA head Michel Platini said last week.

“Kiev is okay according to UEFA’s criteria for all matches leading up to the semi-final. If it’s not Kiev it could be Warsaw,” he added, causing excitement in Poland’s capital.