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The Scottish Football Association believe UEFA's decision to expand the European Championships to 24 teams will prohibit small nations from acting as hosts in future.

Scotland and Wales abandoned plans for a joint bid to host the 2016 European Championships on Sunday, with the Football Association of Wales attributing the decision to the economic downturn and the size of the event.

A statement on the FAW website read: "After careful consideration, the FAW and the SFA have decided not to make a joint bid to host the Euro 2016 Football Championships."

FAW secretary general David Collins explained: "The current economic downturn and the very considerable implications for infrastructure provision following UEFA's decision to expand the European Championship finals to 24 teams are key considerations."

A sole bid by Scotland had also been mooted, but that was never a possibility, according to SFA head of communications Rob Shorthouse.

"We always said as soon as the championship was expanded to 24 teams that would immediately rule us out of ever doing it of by ourselves and it would only ever be a joint bid," he told BBC Radio Five Live on Sunday night night.

"You do have to be realistic and be aware of the fact that sometimes you do have limitations as a small country.

"Even heading back to the World Cup in Germany, with over a million people in fan parks - that's a huge burden to put on cities in Scotland like Glasgow and Edinburgh and on Cardiff in Wales.

"The only country that's put their name forward so far to host the championships in 2016 is France, so it shows you that it's the big nations that are going to be bidding for these championships in future."

Only Cardiff's Millennium Stadium meets UEFA's stadia criteria in Wales and the establishment of other suitable venues was deemed "unaffordable" by deputy first minister and minister for economy and transport Ieuan Wyn Jones.

"The cost of bringing other venues up to this standard would run into tens of millions of pounds," he said.

France, Turkey, Russia or Italy - as well as a Sweden-Norway proposal - are now the likeliest to be successful.

The end of the road for the Wales-Scotland bid is sure to frustrate football supporters in those countries.

Wrexham Welsh Assembly Member Lesley Griffiths said: "I am very disappointed by this news.

"It is a huge opportunity missed for both our nations - an opportunity that will not present itself again for many years to come.

"If UEFA's demands on infrastructure requirements are so burdensome that smaller nations like Wales and Scotland are effectively excluded from ever becoming hosts, then I believe the rules need changing.

"There are huge economic benefits to be gained by hosting this competition - and UEFA, as the gatekeepers to that wealth, have a responsibility to ensure that countries such as Wales can realistically stake their claim in future years.

"At the moment, as demonstrated by the decision by the FAW and SFA, this is patently not the case."

Sporting Life / Eurosport