France picks towns for Euro 2016 bid

THE 12 towns that will host matches if France wins its bid for the Euro 2016 football tournament have been selected.

Lens, Paris, Nancy, Strasbourg, Saint Etienne, Marseille and Toulouse will use their existing stadiums, although all of them will need renovation work.

Nice, Bordeaux, Lyon and Lille will have new stadiums built in time for the tournament.

The 12th location is the Stade de France in Saint Denis, to the north of Paris, which can hold 80,000 spectators and needs no further work.

Out of these 12 locations, nine will definitely be used for matches, while another three will sit on the subs' bench. A decision on this will be made in February.

Metz and Montpellier's applications to be host towns were rejected, while Rennes and Nantes ruled themselves out over financial concerns.

Football body Uefa is expected to announce the winning country to host the tournament on May 27. France is competing against Turkey, Italy and a joint bid by Norway and Sweden.