Turkey officially applied to host the 2024 Union of European Football Association (UEFA) European Championship on Thursday, state-run Anadolu Agency reported, according to China's Xinhua news agency.

Turkish Football Federation (TFF) chief Yildirim Demiroren handed over the application to UEFA's General Secretary in Switzerland on Thursday, just before the March 3rd deadline for application.

The TFF announced it was bidding to host EURO 2024 on Feb 15.

Demiroren said Turkey "deserves" to host the event after three failed bids for previous football championships.

In the bid for EURO 2024, Turkey will face competition from 2006 World Cup hosts Germany, as well as a combination of Nordic countries including Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

The 17-member UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) executive committee selects the hosts for the tournament, and the winner would be announced in September 2018. -- Bernama