The UEFA European Soccer Championship 2020, simply referred to as Euro 2020, was supposed to be the 16th edition of the tournament. The men’s quadrennial European soccer championship is organized and governed by UEFA.
The championship, initially scheduled in 2020, was postponed due to the widespread impacts of COVID-19 last year. UEFA officially announced, on 17 March 2020, that the championship would be delayed by one year. Later, on 17 June 2020, they confirmed that the tournament would be held in 2021, but it will retain its name ‘UEFA Euro 2020’.
Several other European and domestic leagues have also witnessed significant changes in their schedule, but all these campaigns are completed.
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Reschedule Euro 2020
The ruling body rightly postponed the tournament to reduce pressure on the public services. Considering the impacts of COVID-19 in Europe, UEFA held a video conference on 17 March 2020 with FIFPro, all 55 member associations, and European club and leagues association boards- to discuss the rescheduling operations of various tournaments.
In May 2020, Čeferin declared that the tournament would be held in the 12 host countries as it was decided. But at the same time, he did not rule out the chances of eliminating a few venues- as three hosts were not sure if they can organize the matches as per the new schedule.
The UEFA executive committee reviewed the match schedule and venues during the videoconference- where they confirmed that all the 12 countries, as initially decided, will host the tournament in 2021.
However, Čeferin mentioned that the tournament could be easily held in fewer countries. Still, UEFA made it clear that they intend to organize the tournament in the same venues and format as it was decided earlier. Besides, UEFA assured that they cooperate with the host nations and be ready to provide them with any help for preparations.You can find more information on this topic by following this link.
Moreover, UEFA, along with all other local health authorities and the host countries, discussed if they can host matches in total or half capacity or be behind closed doors.
Each host city needed to call whether they are ready to host matches in 100%, 50%, 33%, or 0 capacity. The restrictions may also allow only local audiences at the stadiums. The final decision on these issues was to be revealed on 5 March 2021.
In an interview, Čeferin stated that they are looking forward to having full stands during the summer as the vaccination has started. He also mentioned that it was too early to decide, and they will analyze all aspects before taking a final call.
Finally, eight of the twelve host countries confirmed their capacity, ranging between 25-100%, on 9 April 2021. On 19 April, the UEFA executive committee will confirm if the remaining four countries will host matches or not.
Final Schedule
Host Countries: 12
Dates: 11 June to 11 July 2021
Number of teams: 24
New Rules
The UEFA Executive Committee made some changes to the rules ahead of the tournament. On 31 March 2021, the committee announced that each team would be allowed up to five substitutions for every match, with an additional substitution for the extra time.
The IFAB approved this decision of increased substitution considering schedule congestion, which has risen significantly each player’s burden. This rule is, most probably, implemented only for the COVID-19 period.
The UEFA also suggested increasing the number of players in each squad that is usually 23. The national team managers can call extra players if a COVID outbreak occurs within a team. Besides, it will help fatigue reduction for players- that is a high possibility due to fixture congestion.
Qualification
The tournament does not involve any automatic qualifying berth. Each of the 55 UEFA countries had to participate in the qualifiers – including the 12 host countries.
The qualifying draw took place in December 2018 at the Convention Center in Dublin, Ireland.
The qualifiers were held between March and November 2019. The format of the qualifiers remained almost the same, but only 20 teams qualified for the final tournament instead of 24. The remaining four spots were yet to be decided.
The UEFA Nations League featuring 19 countries- that started in 2018 was linked to the Euro qualifiers, offering the disqualified teams a second chance to qualify. Each division winner of the Nations League joined the 20 qualified teams to play in Euro 2020.
Logo & Slogan
On 21 September 2016, the official logo of Euro 2020 was unveiled at the City Hall, London. The official logo includes the Henri Delaunay Trophy in the middle and a pool of celebrating fans surrounding the trophy. The UEFA believes that this logo is meant to signify how soccer unites people from all parts of the world.
All the participating countries have their own unique logo with ‘UEFA Euro 2020’ written on the top.
Match Ball
On 6 November 2019, The UEFA Executive Committee declared that Adidas’s Uniforia would be used in the tournament as the official match ball. The name Uniforia is derived from the blend of two different words- ‘euphoria’ & ‘unity.’ The white ball features bold strokes of black along with pink, neon, and blue stripes.
Conclusion
The Euro 2020 is what all the soccer fans had been waiting for over the last year, and the good news is finally here. The fixtures, venues, and teams have been decided, and the opening match is to be held on 11 June 2021, between Turkey and Italy.
We are all eager to watch this epic tournament and hoping for a thrilling season.
