Are Bournemouth able to host European games at Vitality Stadium?

Are Bournemouth able to host European games at Vitality Stadium?ByJonty ColmanBBC Sport journalistPublished15 minutes agoBournemouth have qualified for European football for the first time in their history, and next season and will host a minimum of four European matches at the Vitality Stadium.The Cherries will feature in the league phase of either the Champions League or Europa League, with the exact competition to be decided on the final day of the Premier League season.At a capacity of around 11,300 people, the club's stadium is the smallest in the Premier League by more than 6,000 seats, meaning that it would rank among the smallest stadiums in recent history to host Champions League matches should they qualify for the tournament.While some speculation online suggests otherwise, Bournemouth have told BBC Sport that they have the necessary Uefa licence to host league phase matches in either competition.In circumstances where teams' home stadiums do not have the necessary licence to host matches, they will often use nearby grounds that do meet Uefa's requirements in order to fulfill fixtures.During the 2024-25 season, Welsh side The New Saints played their home Conference League fixtures at Shrewsbury Town's ground.A season earlier, German side Union Berlin had to play their Champions League matches at the home of city rivals Hertha Berlin for the same reason.Get in touchSend us your questionsContact formContact formWhat are Uefa's requirements to host European matches?Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium will host European football for the first time next seasonAll stadia are given a rating between category one and category four by Uefa, with four being the highest.From the play-off qualifying round onwards of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, venues must have category four status.Requirements for a category four stadium range from facilities for referees and media companie...