In the summer of 2021, the European Football Championship, EURO 2021 will take place from June 11th to July 11th, and it will definitely have its place in the history books. Because for the first time in football history, a European Championship had to be postponed.
The EURO was supposed to take place from June 12th to July 12th, 2020, but the tournament had to be postponed by one year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, although the final round will only take place in 2021, UEFA decided to keep the name “EURO 2020”.
One of the reasons for this is the fact that the EURO would have celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2020. For the first time in football history, European Championships will be held across Europe. The game is played in 11 different countries and stadiums on the European continent.
Why is the EURO 2021 taking place all over Europe?
The idea of holding the EURO in 2021 across Europe came up in 2012. The then UEFA President Michel Platini made this proposal in order to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the European Championship in 2020 (due to the corona pandemic, the EURO had to be postponed to 2021). At first, it seemed as if UEFA had decided to hold the European Championship all over Europe from now on.
It was up to the former DFB General Secretary Helmut Sandrock to provide clarification in this regard. He made it clear that it was indeed a one-off decision. In 2024, EURO will only take place in one country, so Sandrock – probably not without ulterior motives, because Germany applied to host the tournament in 2024. In the end, Germany also won the bid and will host EURO 2024.
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As of 2016, 24 teams will compete at EURO 2021 (2020). The qualification contested 55 countries in 10 groups. The winners and the runners-up from all groups got the ticket. The four remaining places were awarded in the play-off games of the UEFA Nations League.
Stadiums of the EURO 2021 across Europe
For the first time, countries were able to propose 1 to 2 of their own stadiums. However, when the choice was made, everything had to be turned over again. There were two reasons for this. On the one hand, Brussels was completely deleted as a venue because security concerns could not be resolved. But, on the other hand, the number of stadiums has been reduced from the originally planned 13 to 12.
Second, Germany and England made an incredible deal. Germany withdrew the application from Berlin completely, and Munich also decided not to apply for a semi-final. Instead, Wembley Stadium in London got these games and thus will host both semi-finals and the final. In return, England supported the German EURO application in 2024 and also has the word that Germany will support the British if they apply for the European Championship in 2028.
In April 2021, shortly before the start of the EURO, Dublin and Bilbao were canceled as venues by UEFA. The reason for this was the lack of assurance from viewers at the European Championship games. The Olympic Stadium in Seville has replaced the venue in Bilbao. Dublin’s games went to St. Petersburg (group matches) and London (round of 16).
The EURO 2021 will take place in the following 11 venues:
- London (Wembley)
- Munich (Allianz Arena)
- Rome (Olimpico)
- Glasgow (Hamden Park)
- Amsterdam (Johann Cruyff Arena)
- Seville (Olympic Stadium)
- Saint Petersburg (Krestovsky Stadium)
- Budapest (New National Stadium)
- Copenhagen (Telia Parking)
- Baku (National Stadium)
- Bucharest (Arena Națională)
Postponement of EURO 2021
Due to the ongoing Corona crisis in March 2020, numerous games in Europe had to be canceled and interrupted. In order to make up for the missed game dates, leagues across Europe has to finish during the proposed EURO 2020 date. A postponement gave more flexibility and the likelihood that both the national leagues and the European Cup competitions in 2020 can be completed.
In addition, Italy cannot only host the EURO opening game and three other EURO games in Rome but is also the hotspot of COVID-19 as it is one of the most affected countries in Europe. If you had stuck to EURO 2020, you would have faced major safety concerns. The constant spread of the virus through the numerous trips would have been a danger for all Europeans.
Overall, the decision to have a European Championship in 2021 was made in spring 2020 due to the situation, very understandable and had numerous advantages. Defending champion Portugal is the reigning European champion for five years instead of the usual four. The winner of the EURO 2021 can then defend his title at the EURO 2024 in Germany.
Information about the EURO 2021 Qualifications
As part of the 2021 European Championship qualification, numerous qualifying matches were played from March to November 2019. In 10 groups, between 5 to 6 teams competed for a ticket for the 2021 finals. The winners and runners-up of the respective groups qualified directly for the EURO. The remaining four starting places were determined during the 2018/2019 UEFA Nations League play-off games.
Because of the new UEFA Nations League, which started in September 2018, the groups for the European Championship qualification were drawn later than usual this time. It used to be known at the respective world championships which teams would play against each other in the European Championship qualification. But this time, the European Championship qualification 2021 group draw did not take place until December 2nd, 2018, in Dublin.
The entire European Championship history at a glance
The European Football Championship has been held since 1960. In the beginning, however, it was a tournament that lasted for months. The actual finals consisted of only four teams. For the European Championship 1980, this mode was changed in order to expand the European Championship to a full tournament.
Only 16 teams took part over decades. However, this has changed since the 2016 finals in France, where 24 teams played in the tournament. A further expansion to 32 teams for the EURO 2024 is planned.
Record winners of the European Championship are Germany and Spain, who have each won the title three times. The record player in the competition is the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, who has appeared in a corresponding tournament 21 times. At the same time, Ronaldo is also the best goalscorer in the history of the competition with 11 goals, followed by Frenchman Michel Platini. The Portuguese may even become the top scorer in EURO 2021.
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