UEFA Euro 2020

While some countries such as Belgium,^[12] Bulgaria and Romania,^[13] Germany,^[14][15] Hungary and Romania,^[16] Ireland, Scotland, and Wales,^[17] the Netherlands,^[18] and Turkey^[19] had already expressed an interest in bidding to host the tournament, then-UEFA president Michel Platini suggested at a press conference on 30 June 2012, a day before the UEFA Euro 2012 Final, that instead of having one host country, or joint hosting by multiple countries, the tournament could be spread over "12 or 13 cities" across the continent, as was done for the UEFA European Under-17 Championship's elite round, where each of the seven groups was hosted by a different country.^[20]

European format decision

On 6 December 2012, UEFA announced the tournament would be held in multiple cities across Europe to mark the 60th anniversary of the tournament.^[21][22] The selection of the host cities did not guarantee an automatic qualifying berth to the national team of that country. UEFA reasoned that the pan-European staging of the tournament was the logical decision at a time of financial difficulty, such as the European debt crisis.^[23][24] Reaction to UEFA's plan was mixed across Europe.^[25] Critics cited the expanded format (from 31 matches featuring 16 nations to 51 featuring 24) and its associated additional costs as the decisive factor for only one nation (Turkey) having put forward a serious bid.^[26]

Bidding venues

The final list of bids was published by UEFA on 26 April 2014, with a decision on the hosts being made by the UEFA Executive Committee on 19 September 2014. There were two bids for the Finals Package (of which one was successful, marked with dark green for semi-finals and final) and 19 bids for the Standard Package (of which 12 were initially successful, marked with light green for quarter-finals and group stage, and yellow for round of 16 and group stage); Brussels, marked with red, were initially selected but removed from the list of venues by UEFA on 7 December 2017.^[27][11][28] Dublin, marked in red, was initially selected but removed from the list of venues by UEFA on 23 April 2021. On the same day, UEFA also announced the matches in Spain would be moved from Bilbao to Seville.^[10]

Country	City	Venue	Capacity	Package	Result	#
Azerbaijan	Baku	Olympic Stadium	68,700	Standard Package	Group stage and quarter-finals	4
Belarus	Minsk	Dinamo Stadium	34,000 (to be expanded to 39,000)	Standard Package	Rejected	0
Belgium	Brussels	Eurostadium (proposed new national stadium)	50,000 (62,613 potentially)	Standard Package	Group stage and round of 16 (later cancelled)	0
Bulgaria	Sofia	Vasil Levski National Stadium	43,000 (to be expanded to 50,000)	Standard Package	Rejected	0
Denmark	Copenhagen	Parken Stadium	38,065	Standard Package	Group stage and round of 16	4
England	London	Wembley Stadium	90,000	Finals Package (withdrawn Standard Package)	Semi-finals and final Group stage and two round of 16 (later added)	8
Germany	Munich	Allianz Arena	70,000	Standard Package, Finals Package	Group stage and quarter-finals	4
Hungary	Budapest	Puskás Aréna	56,000 (proposed new 67,215 stadium)	Standard Package	Group stage and round of 16	4
Israel	Jerusalem	Teddy Stadium	34,000 (to be expanded to 53,000)	Standard Package	Rejected	0
Italy	Rome	Stadio Olimpico	70,634	Standard Package	Opening match, group stage and quarter-finals	4
Macedonia[a]	Skopje	Philip II Arena[b]	33,460	Standard Package	Rejected	0
Netherlands	Amsterdam	Amsterdam Arena[c]	54,990 (to be expanded to around 56,000)	Standard Package	Group stage and round of 16	4
Republic of Ireland	Dublin	Aviva Stadium	51,700	Standard Package	Group stage and round of 16 (later cancelled)	0
Romania	Bucharest	Arena Națională	55,600	Standard Package	Group stage and round of 16	4
Russia	Saint Petersburg	Krestovsky Stadium	68,134	Standard Package	Group stage (a second group later added) and quarter-finals	7
Scotland	Glasgow	Hampden Park	51,866	Standard Package	Group stage and round of 16	4
Spain	Bilbao	San Mamés	53,289	Standard Package	Group stage and round of 16 (later moved to La Cartuja in Seville)	4
Sweden	Solna, Stockholm	Friends Arena	54,329	Standard Package	Eliminated	0
Wales	Cardiff	Millennium Stadium	74,500	Standard Package	Eliminated	0

Discover more about Bid process related topics

2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship elite round

2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship elite round

2012 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship elite round was the second round of qualifications for the final tournament of UEFA U-17 Championship 2012. The 28 teams advancing from the qualifying round were distributed into seven groups of four teams each, with each group contesting in a round-robin format, with one of the four teams hosting all six group games. The seven group-winning teams automatically qualified for the final tournament in Slovenia.

European debt crisis

European debt crisis

The European debt crisis, often also referred to as the eurozone crisis or the European sovereign debt crisis, is a multi-year debt crisis that took place in the European Union (EU) from 2009 until the mid to late 2010s. Several eurozone member states were unable to repay or refinance their government debt or to bail out over-indebted banks under their national supervision without the assistance of third parties like other eurozone countries, the European Central Bank (ECB), or the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Bilbao

Bilbao

Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the province of Biscay and in the Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the tenth largest city in Spain, with a population of 346,843 as of 2019. The Bilbao metropolitan area has 1,037,847 inhabitants, making it the most populous metropolitan area in northern Spain; with a population of 875,552 comarca of Greater Bilbao is the fifth-largest urban area in Spain. Bilbao is also the main urban area in what is defined as the Greater Basque region.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. Baku is the capital and largest city.

Baku

Baku

Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is 28 metres (92 ft) below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world and also the largest city in the world below sea level. Baku lies on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, on the Bay of Baku. Baku's urban population was estimated at two million people as of 2009. Baku is the primate city of Azerbaijan—it is the sole metropolis in the country, and about 25% of all inhabitants of the country live in Baku's metropolitan area.

Baku Olympic Stadium

Baku Olympic Stadium

Baku Olympic Stadium, is a stadium, designed and constructed to meet the international standards for stadiums set by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It is the largest stadium in Azerbaijan.

Belarus

Belarus

Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Covering an area of 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) and with a population of 9.2 million, Belarus is the 13th-largest and the 20th-most populous country in Europe. The country has a hemiboreal climate and is administratively divided into seven regions. Minsk is the capital and largest city.

Dinamo Stadium (Minsk)

Dinamo Stadium (Minsk)

Dinamo National Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Minsk, Belarus. It was reopened after a renovation project. Earlier it was used mostly for football matches and was the home ground of Dinamo Minsk, FC Minsk and the Belarus national football team. Previously the stadium officially held 40,000, but because part of the upper stand had been abandoned in the mid-1990s for safety reasons, the actual capacity before renovations was 34,000. After renovation the capacity is only 22,246.

Belgium

Belgium

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest. It covers an area of 30,528 km2 (11,787 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.5 million, making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe, with a density of 376/km2 (970/sq mi). Belgium is part of an area known as the Low Countries, historically a somewhat larger region than the Benelux group of states, as it also included parts of northern France. The capital and largest city is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.

Brussels

Brussels

Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country and is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region.

Eurostadium

Eurostadium

Eurostadium was a proposed stadium in Grimbergen, Belgium, just north of Brussels. It would have had a capacity of 62,613. In June 2015, the building deadline was set for 2019. It would have hosted matches for UEFA Euro 2020, and would have become the home ground of the national football team of Belgium.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. Bulgaria covers a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), and is the sixteenth-largest country in Europe. Sofia is the nation's capital and largest city; other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas.

Start of the pandemic and postponement

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe triggered concerns regarding its potential impact on players, staff and visitors to the twelve host cities of the tournament.^[29] At the UEFA Congress in early March, UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said the organisation was confident that the situation could be dealt with, while general secretary Theodore Theodoridis stated that UEFA was maintaining contact with the World Health Organization and national governments regarding the coronavirus.^[30] The impact on football grew later that month, as numerous domestic and UEFA competition matches began taking place behind closed doors. By 13 March 2020, upcoming UEFA competition fixtures were postponed, while major European leagues were suspended, including the Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1, Premier League, and Serie A.^[31]

UEFA held a videoconference on 17 March 2020 with representatives of its 55 member associations, along with a FIFPro representative and the boards of the European Club Association and European Leagues, to discuss the response to the outbreak for domestic and European competitions, including Euro 2020.^[32] At the meeting, UEFA announced that the tournament would be postponed to the following year, proposing that it take place from 11 June to 11 July 2021.^[33] The postponement allowed for pressure to be reduced on the public services in affected countries, while also providing space in the calendar for domestic European leagues that had been suspended to complete their seasons.^[34] On the following day, the Bureau of the FIFA Council approved the date change in the FIFA International Match Calendar. As a result, the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, due to take place in June and July 2021, was postponed.^[35] On 23 April 2020, UEFA confirmed that the tournament would still be known as UEFA Euro 2020.^[36][37]

Spectator plans and venue changes

In May 2020, Čeferin stated that in principle the tournament would take place in the twelve selected host cities. However, he did not rule out the possibility of reducing the number of cities, as three hosts were unsure if matches could be held under the new schedule.^[38] The tournament venues and match schedule was reviewed by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting on 17 June 2020.^[39] At the meeting, UEFA confirmed that all twelve original host venues would remain as hosts for the tournament in 2021, and approved the revised match schedule.^[40][41] However, Čeferin stated in October 2020 that it was still possible that the tournament could be played in fewer than the planned twelve host countries.^[42] The following month, UEFA stated that it "intends to hold Euro 2020 in the format and the venues confirmed earlier this year and we are working closely with all host cities on preparations".^[43] It was also announced that each host was discussing with UEFA and local health authorities on whether the venue could host matches at full capacity, between 100% and 50% capacity, at 33% capacity or behind closed doors. Each host city was asked to draw up two or three plans from the four options. The restrictions could also involve only local spectators to be permitted at matches. A final decision on which scenario would be applied individually at each venue was originally to be made on 5 March 2021.^[44][45] In October 2020, it was announced that UEFA matches would be suspended from taking place in Armenia and Azerbaijan until further notice due to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.^[46] However, this did not affect the planning of Euro 2020 matches to be held in Baku.^[47] This restriction was lifted in December 2020 following a ceasefire agreement between the countries.^[48]

In a New Year's interview, Čeferin said, "Vaccination has started and I think we will be able to have full stands in the summer. For now, the plan is to play in all twelve countries. Of course, there are backup options in case a country has a problem. We are ready to organise competitions in eleven, ten or nine cities... and even only in one country, if necessary. However, I am 99.9 percent sure that we will have the European Championship in all twelve cities, as planned."^[49][50] On 27 January 2021, UEFA met with the host associations to discuss operational matters, and reaffirmed the tournament would be held across twelve cities.^[51] The deadline for hosts to submit their venue capacity plans was moved to 7 April 2021,^[52] with a final decision on host cities and spectators to originally be made by the UEFA Executive Committee on 19 April 2021.^[53] UEFA announced on the following day that Daniel Koch, the former head of communicable diseases at Switzerland's Federal Office of Public Health, would serve as the tournament's medical advisor on matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[54] In February 2021, the Israel Football Association offered to stage some tournament matches in the country, which had a high rate of vaccination. However, this was turned down by UEFA, who reiterated their commitment to the twelve host cities.^[55] In a March 2021 interview, Čeferin said, "We have several scenarios, but the one guarantee we can make is that the option of playing any Euro 2020 match in an empty stadium is off the table. Every host must guarantee there will be fans at their games." UEFA subsequently stated that no host city would be automatically dropped should they decide to play matches behind closed doors. However, UEFA would need to consider whether it would make sense to play matches without spectators, or if these matches should be reallocated to other venues.^[56] That same month, British prime minister Boris Johnson offered UEFA to host additional tournament matches in England should any venues need to be reassigned.^[57]

On 9 April 2021, UEFA announced that eight of the original twelve tournament hosts confirmed their spectator plans, with stadium capacities ranging from 25% to 100%. Only Bilbao, Dublin, Munich and Rome had yet to submit their plans, with each host originally given an extension until 19 April 2021 to submit their venue capacities.^[58] On 14 April, UEFA announced that Rome had guaranteed spectators for the tournament, and was therefore confirmed as a venue.^[59] On 19 April, it was announced that another extension was given to the three remaining hosts until 23 April, when UEFA would make its final decision.^[60] Due to the need to finalise ticketing details, host cities would have until 28 April to decide on whether to leave their spectator limits unchanged, or to upscale their allowed capacities.^[61]

On 23 April, UEFA announced that Seville would replace Bilbao as tournament host, while the matches of Dublin would be reallocated to Saint Petersburg for the group stage and London for the round of 16.^[10] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, the Football Association of Ireland was unable to receive assurances from the Government of Ireland and the Dublin City Council to allow spectators into the stadium.^[62][63][64] Meanwhile, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said the sanitary conditions imposed by the Basque Government to host matches in Bilbao were "impossible to comply with", and thus would not allow for spectators to be present.^[65] After being removed as hosts, the Bilbao City Council stated they held UEFA and RFEF "directly responsible for us not staging this sporting event and the unilateral cancellation of our contractual relationships", and threatened legal action for financial compensation.^[66]

Also on 23 April, UEFA announced that local authorities had guaranteed "a minimum of 14,500 spectators" for the matches scheduled in Munich, which was therefore confirmed as host of four games.^[10] However, both the regional government of Bavaria and the German interior ministry subsequently reiterated their position that there was no such guarantee, and admittance of spectators would depend on the actual pandemic situation at the time of the tournament.^[67] A few days later, UEFA president Čeferin backtracked in an interview with a German newspaper, denying that UEFA had demanded guarantees for games with spectators, and conceding that "the local authorities will decide before the games whether spectators will be admitted or not."^[68][69]

Semi-final and final venue

Italian President Sergio Mattarella speaks with the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson before the final

Wembley Stadium's hosting of both the semi-finals and the final was threatened over quarantine restrictions in the United Kingdom that fans and 2,500 VIPs would be subject to. The Puskás Aréna in Budapest was considered as an alternative venue, as Hungary would have no entry restrictions for travel within the Schengen Area and could host the matches at full capacity.^[70] A spokesman for the Hungarian Football Federation said the organisation was "ready to host any high-level football event".^[71] However, UEFA remained confident that Wembley could host the final, as the organisation and the UK government discussed quarantine exemptions,^[72] but did not rule out a change in venue.^[73] Minister Kit Malthouse said the government was doing "as much as we possibly can" to host the final,^[74] while prime minister Boris Johnson stated they would try to make "sensible accommodations" for UEFA while still prioritising public health.^[75] Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the final should be held in Rome due to rising COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom.^[76] The following week, it was reported that officials and executives travelling for the matches would not need to self-isolate, though they would be subject to restrictions and required to remain in "football bubbles".^[77][78]

Rule changes

On 31 March 2021, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the use of a maximum of five substitutions in matches at the tournament (with a sixth allowed in extra time).^[7] However, each team are only given three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity allowed in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.^[79] The use of five substitutes has been permitted by IFAB during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the resulting fixture congestion, which has created a greater burden on players.^[80]

At the start of April 2021, UEFA also said they were considering allowing tournament squads to be expanded from the usual 23 players, following calls from national team managers in case of a possible COVID outbreak in a team, as well as to reduce player fatigue caused by the fixture congestion of the prior season.^[81] On 27 April, it was reported that the UEFA National Team Competitions Committee had approved the expansion of squads to 26 players, subject to confirmation by the UEFA Executive Committee.^[82] On 4 May 2021, the executive committee confirmed the use of 26-player squads. However, teams still may only name a maximum of 23 players on the match sheet for each tournament fixture (of which 12 are substitutes), in line with the Laws of the Game. These 23 must include three goalkeepers. It was also announced that after each team's first match, goalkeepers may still be replaced due to physical incapacity, even if the other goalkeepers from the squad are still available.^[83]

Water breaks were permitted so that players could drink from their own personal bottles.^[84] Cooling breaks, first seen at the 2014 FIFA World Cup were also permitted for games played in higher temperatures.^[85]

Special rules due to COVID-19

On 4 May 2021, the UEFA Executive Committee approved special rules for the final tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe:^[83][86]

• If a group of players of a team were placed into mandatory quarantine or self-isolation following a decision from national or local health officials due to positive SARS-CoV-2 tests, the match will go ahead as scheduled as long as the team had at least 13 players available (including at least one goalkeeper). If fewer than 13 players were available (including at least one goalkeeper), additional players could have been called up to meet the minimum of 13 players required. In such a case, an equivalent number of quarantined players must have been definitively withdrawn from the 26-player list.
• If a team cannot field the minimum required number of players due to positive SARS-CoV-2 tests, the match may be rescheduled within the next 48 hours of the original date of the match by the UEFA administration, subject to viable rescheduling options being available. Additionally, UEFA may reassign the rescheduled match to an alternative venue if deemed appropriate.
• If the match cannot be rescheduled, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body will decide on the matter. The team responsible for the match not taking place are considered to have forfeited the match and lost 3–0.
• If any member of the appointed referee team has to be replaced due to positive SARS-CoV-2 test, UEFA can exceptionally appoint a match official of the same nationality as one of the teams or not on the FIFA list.

Discover more about Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic related topics

COVID-19 pandemic in Europe

COVID-19 pandemic in Europe

The global COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Europe with its first confirmed case in Bordeaux, France, on 24 January 2020, and subsequently spread widely across the continent. By 17 March 2020, every country in Europe had confirmed a case, and all have reported at least one death, with the exception of Vatican City.

Aleksander Čeferin

Aleksander Čeferin

Aleksander Čeferin is a Slovenian lawyer and football administrator. Between 2011 and 2016, he was president of the Football Association of Slovenia. Since September 2016, he has been the president of UEFA.

Behind closed doors (sport)

Behind closed doors (sport)

The term "behind closed doors" is used in several sports, to describe matches played where spectators are not allowed in the stadium to watch. The reasons for this may include punishment for a team found guilty of a certain act in the past, stadium safety problems, public health concerns, or to prevent potentially dangerous clashes between rival supporters. In football, it is predicated by articles 7, 12 and 24 of FIFA's disciplinary code.

2019–20 Bundesliga

2019–20 Bundesliga

The 2019–20 Bundesliga was the 57th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football competition. It began on 16 August 2019 and concluded on 27 June 2020. Bayern Munich were the defending champions, and won their record-extending 8th consecutive title and 30th title overall on 16 June with two games to spare. With 100 goals scored in 34 matches, Bayern became the second side to reach this milestone in a Bundesliga season, after the record 101 goals the club previously managed to score in 1971–72.

2019–20 La Liga

2019–20 La Liga

The 2019–20 La Liga season, also known as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, was the 89th since its establishment. The season began on 16 August 2019 and was originally scheduled to conclude on 24 May 2020.

2019–20 Ligue 1

2019–20 Ligue 1

The 2019–20 Ligue 1 season, also known as Ligue 1 Conforama for sponsorship reasons, was a French association football tournament within Ligue 1. It was the 82nd season since its establishment. The season began on 9 August 2019 and ended abruptly on 28 April 2020.

2019–20 Premier League

2019–20 Premier League

The 2019–20 Premier League was the 28th season of the Premier League, the top English professional football league, since its establishment in 1992, and the 121st season of top-flight English football overall. The season started on 9 August 2019 and concluded on 26 July 2020. Manchester City were the defending champions for the second successive year, after picking up the domestic treble the previous season. Liverpool won their first league title since 1990, the club's first of the Premier League era and nineteenth overall.

2019–20 Serie A

2019–20 Serie A

The 2019–20 Serie A was the 118th season of top-tier Italian football, the 88th in a round-robin tournament, and the 10th since its organization under an own league committee, the Lega Serie A. Juventus were the eight-time defending champions and they successfully defended their title following a 2–0 win against Sampdoria on 26 July 2020.

European Club Association

European Club Association

The European Club Association (ECA) is a body representing the interests of professional association football clubs in UEFA. It is the sole such body recognised by the confederation, and has member clubs in each UEFA member association. It was formed in 2008 after the merge between the G-14 and the European Club Forum, which comprised a small number of elite clubs and was unrecognised by UEFA. The ECA's mission statement is "to create a new, more democratic governance model that truly reflects the key role of the clubs". After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ECA suspended its seven Russian members - Zenit St Petersburg, FC Spartak Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow, CSKA Moscow, FC Krasnodar, Rubin Kazan, and FC Rostov.

European Leagues

European Leagues

European Leagues (EL) is a sports organisation within association football created for growth of professional football in Europe.

FIFA Council

FIFA Council

The FIFA Council is an institution of FIFA. It is the main decision-making body of the organization in the intervals of FIFA Congress. Its members are elected by the FIFA Congress. The council is a non-executive, supervisory and strategic body that sets the vision for FIFA and global football.

FIFA International Match Calendar

FIFA International Match Calendar

The FIFA International Match Calendar is an outline agreement between FIFA, the six continental football confederations, the European Club Association, and FIFPro, which sets out which dates can be used for "official" and "friendly" men's international matches.

  Team qualified for UEFA Euro 2020

  Team failed to qualify

There was no automatic qualifying berth, and all 55 UEFA national teams, including the twelve national teams whose countries were selected to stage matches, had to compete in the qualifiers for the 24 places at the finals tournament.^[87][88] As the host cities were appointed by UEFA in September 2014, before the qualifiers, it was possible for the national teams from the host cities to fail to qualify for the finals tournament. The qualifying draw was held on 2 December 2018 at the Convention Centre Dublin in Dublin, Ireland.^[89]

The main qualifying process started in March 2019, instead of immediately in September 2018 following the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and ended in November 2019. The format remained largely the same, although only 20 of the 24 spots for the finals tournament were decided from the main qualifying process, leaving four spots still to be decided. Following the admission of Kosovo to UEFA in May 2016, it was announced that the 55 members at the time would be drawn into ten groups after the completion of the UEFA Nations League (five groups of five teams and five groups of six teams, with the four participants of the UEFA Nations League Finals guaranteed to be drawn into groups of five teams), with the top two teams in each group qualifying. The qualifiers were played on double matchdays in March, June, September, October and November 2019.^[90]

With the creation of the UEFA Nations League starting in 2018,^{[91][90][92][93]} the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League was linked with Euro qualifying, providing teams another chance to qualify for the tournament. Four teams from each division that had not already qualified for the European Championship competed in the play-offs for each division. The winners of the play-offs for each division, which were decided by two one-off semi-finals (the best-ranked team vs. the lowest-ranked team, and the second-best-ranked team vs. the third-best-ranked team, played at home of higher-ranked teams) and a one-off final (with the venue drawn in advance between the two semi-finals winners), joined the 20 teams that had already qualified for the tournament.^[93]

Qualified teams

Of the 24 teams that qualified for the tournament, 19 were returning from the 2016 edition. Among them were Belgium and Italy, who both had recorded flawless qualifying campaigns (ten wins in ten matches),^[94][95] defending European champions Portugal and world champions France, with Germany also qualifying for a record 13th straight European Championship.^[96] Finland and North Macedonia made their European Championship debuts, having never previously qualified for a major tournament.^[97][98] Scotland, a co-host of the tournament, qualified for their first major international tournament since the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and their first European Championship since 1996.^[99] The Netherlands and Denmark returned after missing out in 2016, with the Dutch featuring in a major tournament for the first time since the 2014 FIFA World Cup.^[100][101] For the first time, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Wales reached successive European Championship tournaments.^[102][103] Greece, winners in 2004, were the only former champions that failed to qualify, missing their second straight European Championship and third consecutive major tournament.^[104] Albania, Iceland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Romania failed to qualify after appearing in the 2016 finals.^[105]

Nine out of eleven host countries managed to qualify for the final tournament. Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia and Spain all qualified directly, while Hungary and Scotland qualified only after winning their respective play-off path. Azerbaijan and Romania failed to qualify, with Azerbaijan failing to qualify from the group stage^[106] and Romania losing in the play-off.^[107]

Team[A]	Qualified as	Qualified on	Previous appearances in tournament[B]
Belgium	Group I winner	10 October 2019	5 (1972, 1980, 1984, 2000, 2016)
Italy	Group J winner	12 October 2019	9 (1968, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
Russia[C]	Group I runner-up	13 October 2019	11 (1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
Poland	Group G winner	13 October 2019	3 (2008, 2012, 2016)
Ukraine	Group B winner	14 October 2019	2 (2012, 2016)
Spain	Group F winner	15 October 2019	10 (1964, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
France	Group H winner	14 November 2019	9 (1960, 1984, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
Turkey	Group H runner-up	14 November 2019	4 (1996, 2000, 2008, 2016)
England	Group A winner	14 November 2019	9 (1968, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2012, 2016)
Czech Republic[D]	Group A runner-up	14 November 2019	9 (1960, 1976, 1980, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
Finland	Group J runner-up	15 November 2019	0 (debut)
Sweden	Group F runner-up	15 November 2019	6 (1992, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
Croatia	Group E winner	16 November 2019	5 (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
Austria	Group G runner-up	16 November 2019	2 (2008, 2016)
Netherlands	Group C runner-up	16 November 2019	9 (1976, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012)
Germany[E]	Group C winner	16 November 2019	12 (1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
Portugal	Group B runner-up	17 November 2019	7 (1984, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
Switzerland	Group D winner	18 November 2019	4 (1996, 2004, 2008, 2016)
Denmark	Group D runner-up	18 November 2019	8 (1964, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2012)
Wales	Group E runner-up	19 November 2019	1 (2016)
North Macedonia	Play-off Path D winner	12 November 2020	0 (debut)
Hungary	Play-off Path A winner	12 November 2020	3 (1964, 1972, 2016)
Slovakia[F]	Play-off Path B winner	12 November 2020	4 (1960, 1976, 1980, 2016)
Scotland	Play-off Path C winner	12 November 2020	2 (1992, 1996)

Discover more about Qualification related topics

Convention Centre Dublin

Convention Centre Dublin

The Convention Centre Dublin is a convention centre in the Dublin Docklands, Ireland. The Convention centre overlooks the River Liffey at Spencer Dock. It was designed by the Irish-born American architect Kevin Roche. Construction started in 1998 and the building opened in 2010. From June 2020 it acted as a temporary location for Dáil Éireann due to the necessity to implement social distancing because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dublin

Dublin

Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 census it had a population of 1,173,179, while the preliminary results of the 2022 census recorded that County Dublin as a whole had a population of 1,450,701, and that the population of the Greater Dublin Area was over 2 million, or roughly 40% of the Republic of Ireland's total population.

2018 FIFA World Cup

2018 FIFA World Cup

The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2010. It was the eleventh time the championships had been held in Europe, and the first time they were held in Eastern Europe. At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it was the most expensive World Cup ever held until it was surpassed by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Kosovo national football team

Kosovo national football team

The Kosovo national football team represents Kosovo in men's international football. The team is controlled by the Football Federation of Kosovo, the governing body for football in Kosovo, and is under the jurisdiction of FIFA globally.

2018–19 UEFA Nations League

2018–19 UEFA Nations League

The 2018–19 UEFA Nations League was the inaugural season of the UEFA Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. The league phase of the competition was played between September and November 2018, with the finals tournament for the group winners from League A taking place in Portugal in June 2019. Team performances in the league phase were used to seed teams for the qualifying group stage of UEFA Euro 2020, and awarded berths in the play-offs, which decided four of the twenty-four final tournament slots.

Belgium national football team

Belgium national football team

The Belgium national football team officially represents Belgium in men's international football since their maiden match in 1904. The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in Europe by UEFA—both of which were co-founded by the Belgian team's supervising body, the Royal Belgian Football Association. Periods of regular Belgian representation at the highest international level, from 1920 to 1938, from 1982 to 2002 and again from 2014 onwards, have alternated with mostly unsuccessful qualification rounds. Most of Belgium's home matches are played at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.

Italy national football team

Italy national football team

The Italy national football team has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing body for football in Italy, which is a co-founder and member of UEFA. Italy's home matches are played at various stadiums throughout Italy, and its primary training ground and technical headquarters, Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano, is located in Florence. Italy are the reigning European champions, having won UEFA Euro 2020.

France national football team

France national football team

The France men's national football team represents France in men's international football matches. It is governed by the French Football Federation, the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors and imagery reference two national symbols: the French red-white-blue tricolour and Gallic rooster. The team is colloquially known as Les Bleus. They play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and train at INF Clairefontaine in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.

Germany national football team

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team represents Germany in men's international football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association, founded in 1900. Between 1949 and 1990, separate German national teams were recognised by FIFA due to Allied occupation and division: the DFB's team representing the Federal Republic of Germany, the Saarland team representing the Saar Protectorate (1950–1956) and the East Germany team representing the German Democratic Republic (1952–1990). The latter two were absorbed along with their records; the present team represents the reunified Federal Republic. The official name and code "Germany FR (FRG)" was shortened to "Germany (GER)" following reunification in 1990.

Finland national football team

Finland national football team

The Finland national football team represents Finland in men's international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland, the governing body for football in Finland, which was founded in 1907. The team has been a member of FIFA since 1908 and a UEFA member since 1957.

1998 FIFA World Cup

1998 FIFA World Cup

The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the second time in the history of the tournament, defeating Morocco in the bidding process. It was the second time that France staged the competition and the ninth time that it was held in Europe. Spanning 32 days, it is the longest World Cup tournament ever held.

Netherlands national football team

Netherlands national football team

The Netherlands national football team has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the governing body for football in the Netherlands, which is a part of UEFA, under the jurisdiction of FIFA. They were sometimes regarded as the greatest national team of the respective generations. Most of the Netherlands home matches are played at the Johan Cruyff Arena, De Kuip, Philips Stadion and De Grolsch Veste.

The 13 original venues were selected and announced by UEFA on 19 September 2014.^[108] However, the UEFA Executive Committee removed Brussels as a host city on 7 December 2017 due to delays with the building of Eurostadium. The four matches (three group stage, one round of 16) initially scheduled to be held in Brussels were reallocated to Wembley Stadium in London.^[9] On 23 April 2021, UEFA announced that due to a lack of guarantees regarding spectators caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Aviva Stadium in Dublin was removed as a tournament host. Their four matches were reallocated to Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg for the three group stage matches, and Wembley Stadium in London for the round of 16 fixture. Similarly, UEFA reassigned the four matches in Spain elsewhere in the country, with La Cartuja in Seville replacing San Mamés in Bilbao.^[10]

On 7 December 2017, it was also announced that the opening match would take place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, chosen ahead of Amsterdam, Glasgow and Saint Petersburg. UEFA decided that if they qualified, the opening match would feature Italy.^[9][109]

Of the eleven selected cities and countries, seven cities and six countries had never hosted a European Championship finals match before. Seville was not a venue when Spain hosted the 1964 European Nations' Cup, and none of Azerbaijan, Denmark, Hungary, Romania, Russia or Scotland had hosted the tournament previously. Of the eleven selected stadiums, only two had hosted a European Championship match before: the Stadio Olimpico (1968 and 1980) and the Johan Cruyff Arena (2000). The original Wembley stadium hosted games and the final in UEFA Euro 1996, but although it stood on the same site, this was classified as a different stadium to the current Wembley Stadium.

London	Rome	London Rome Munich Baku Saint Petersburg Budapest Seville Bucharest Amsterdam Glasgow Copenhagen		Munich
Wembley Stadium	Stadio Olimpico			Allianz Arena
Capacity: 90,000	Capacity: 70,634			Capacity: 70,000
Baku	Saint Petersburg			Budapest
Olympic Stadium	Krestovsky Stadium			Puskás Aréna
Capacity: 68,000	Capacity: 68,134			Capacity: 67,215
Seville	Bucharest	Amsterdam	Glasgow	Copenhagen
La Cartuja	Arena Națională	Johan Cruyff Arena	Hampden Park	Parken Stadium
Capacity: 57,600	Capacity: 55,600	Capacity: 54,990	Capacity: 51,866	Capacity: 38,065

Each city hosted three group stage matches and one match in the round of 16 or quarter-finals, with the exception of Saint Petersburg, which hosted six group stage matches, and London, which hosted host two matches in the round of 16. The match allocation for the eleven stadiums is as follows:

• Group stage, round of 16, semi-finals and final: London (England)
• Group stage and quarter-finals: Baku (Azerbaijan), Munich (Germany), Rome (Italy), Saint Petersburg (Russia)
• Group stage and round of 16: Amsterdam (Netherlands), Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Copenhagen (Denmark), Glasgow (Scotland), Seville (Spain)

Group stage hosts

The host cities were divided into six pairings, established on the basis of sporting strength (assuming all host teams qualify), geographical considerations and security/political constraints. The pairings were allocated to groups by means of a random draw on 7 December 2017. Each qualified host country played a minimum of two matches at home. The following group venue pairings were announced:^[9]

• Group A: Rome (Italy) and Baku (Azerbaijan)
• Group B: Saint Petersburg (Russia) and Copenhagen (Denmark)
• Group C: Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Bucharest (Romania)
• Group D: London (England) and Glasgow (Scotland)
• Group E: Originally Bilbao (Spain) and Dublin (Republic of Ireland)
  • Later changed to Seville (Spain) and Saint Petersburg (Russia)^[a]
• Group F: Munich (Germany) and Budapest (Hungary)

The following criteria applied to define the home matches of host teams within the same group:^[110]

• If both host teams qualified directly or both advanced to the play-offs, a draw determined which team would play all three group stage matches at home (including the head-to-head match), and which one played only two matches at home.
• If one host team qualified directly, and the other failed to also directly qualify, the directly qualified host team played all three group stage matches at home, and the other host, if qualified, would play only two.
• If one host team advanced to the play-offs, and the other was eliminated entirely, the host team in the play-offs, if qualified, had played all three group stage matches at home.
• No action was necessary should both host teams failed to have qualified.

If a host team in the play-offs failed to qualify, the path winner would take the spot of the host in the match schedule and therefore would play the two or three matches based on the above criteria in the host city of the respective host that failed to qualify. The draw took place on 22 November 2019, 12:00 CET, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland (along with the draw for the play-offs).^[111] In the draw, which was only necessary for Group B (Denmark and Russia), two balls were prepared, with the first drawn hosting the three matches.^[112]

Allocation of group stage home matches to host countries

Group	Host	Status of host	Draw	Number of home matches
				Three	Two
A	Azerbaijan	Eliminated in qualifying group stage	No	Italy	None
	Italy	Qualified directly to finals
B	Denmark	Qualified directly to finals	Yes	Denmark	Russia
	Russia	Qualified directly to finals
C	Netherlands	Qualified directly to finals	No	Netherlands	None
	Romania	Eliminated via play-offs
D	England	Qualified directly to finals	No	England	Scotland
	Scotland	Qualified via play-offs
E	Republic of Ireland[a]	Eliminated via play-offs	No	Spain	None
	Spain	Qualified directly to finals
F	Germany	Qualified directly to finals	No	Germany	Hungary
	Hungary	Qualified via play-offs

Spectator limits

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions on public gatherings, many of the venues at the tournament were unable to operate at full capacity. UEFA asked each host to devise a spectator plan in conjunction with their local/national government and health authorities. The hosts were given a deadline of 7 April 2021 to communicate their plans with UEFA. On 9 April, UEFA announced that eight of the tournament hosts had confirmed their stadium capacities, ranging from 25% to 100%. The remaining four hosts (Bilbao, Dublin, Munich and Rome) were given an extension until 23 April to submit their venue capacities.^[58] On 14 April, UEFA announced that Rome had also confirmed its venue capacity.^[59] On 23 April, the venue capacity for Munich was also confirmed, while Bilbao was replaced by Seville, which could guarantee spectators. In addition, Dublin was removed as a host, as it was unable to ensure spectators could attend.^[10]

Many of the matches did not see stadiums filled to their allowed capacity, with only Netherlands group stage matches that were played at the Johan Cruyff Arena seeing the stadium come within less than a thousand seats of being full. The match between England and Croatia saw an attendance of 18,497, compared to the allowed capacity of 22,500, with UEFA suggesting quarantine restrictions as the cause for the smaller attendance.^[113]

Team base camps

Each team chose a "team base camp" for its stay between the matches. The teams trained and resided in these locations throughout the tournament, travelling to games staged away from their bases. Unlike previous tournaments, each team could set up their base camp anywhere due to the pan-European format, without any obligation of staying in any of the host countries.^[123]

The base camps selected by the 20 directly qualified teams were announced by UEFA on 27 January 2020.^[124] The base camps of the remaining teams qualified via the play-offs were announced in 2021.^[125]

Team	Base camp
Austria	Seefeld in Tirol, Austria
Belgium	Tubize, Belgium
Croatia	Rovinj, Croatia[a]
Czech Republic	Prague, Czech Republic[b]
Denmark	Helsingør, Denmark
England	Burton upon Trent, England
Finland	Repino, Saint Petersburg, Russia
France	Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France
Germany	Herzogenaurach, Germany
Hungary	Telki, Hungary
Italy	Coverciano, Florence, Italy
Netherlands	Zeist, Netherlands
North Macedonia	Bucharest, Romania
Poland	Sopot, Poland[c]
Portugal	Budapest, Hungary
Russia	Novogorsk, Khimki, Russia
Scotland	Hurworth-on-Tees, England[128]
Slovakia	Saint Petersburg, Russia[d]
Spain	Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain
Sweden	Gothenburg, Sweden[e]
Switzerland	Rome, Italy
Turkey	Baku, Azerbaijan
Ukraine	Bucharest, Romania
Wales	Baku, Azerbaijan

Discover more about Venues related topics

Brussels

Brussels

Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country and is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region.

Eurostadium

Eurostadium

Eurostadium was a proposed stadium in Grimbergen, Belgium, just north of Brussels. It would have had a capacity of 62,613. In June 2015, the building deadline was set for 2019. It would have hosted matches for UEFA Euro 2020, and would have become the home ground of the national football team of Belgium.

London

London

London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for two millennia. The City of London, its ancient core and financial centre, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and retains its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has for centuries hosted the national government and parliament. Since the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the metropolis around this core, historically split between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire, which since 1965 has largely comprised Greater London, which is governed by 33 local authorities and the Greater London Authority.

Aviva Stadium

Aviva Stadium

Aviva Stadium is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, with a capacity for 51,711 spectators. It is built on the site of the former Lansdowne Road Stadium, which was demolished in 2007, and replaced it as home to its chief tenants: the Irish rugby union team and the Republic of Ireland football team. The decision to redevelop the stadium came after plans for both Stadium Ireland and Eircom Park fell through. Aviva Group Ireland signed a 10-year deal for the naming rights in 2009.

Dublin

Dublin

Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 census it had a population of 1,173,179, while the preliminary results of the 2022 census recorded that County Dublin as a whole had a population of 1,450,701, and that the population of the Greater Dublin Area was over 2 million, or roughly 40% of the Republic of Ireland's total population.

Krestovsky Stadium

Krestovsky Stadium

Krestovsky Stadium, known as Gazprom Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof stadium with a retractable pitch in the western portion of Krestovsky Island in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which serves as home for FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. The stadium was opened in 2017 for the FIFA Confederations Cup. It is called Saint Petersburg Stadium during major international tournaments, including the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2018 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2020. It was to host the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final, but as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, UEFA moved the final out of Russia and to the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris.

Estadio de La Cartuja

Estadio de La Cartuja

Estadio La Cartuja, formerly Estadio Olímpico de Sevilla, officially known as Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla, is a multi-purpose stadium situated in the Isla de la Cartuja in Seville, Spain. It is used mostly for football and it is commonly referred to as simply 'La Cartuja'. It was completed in 1999 for the World Championships in Athletics. With a capacity of 57,619 seats, La Cartuja is the 5th-largest stadium in Spain and the 2nd-largest in Andalusia. It was the venue for the 2003 UEFA Cup Final between Celtic and Porto.

Bilbao

Bilbao

Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the province of Biscay and in the Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the tenth largest city in Spain, with a population of 346,843 as of 2019. The Bilbao metropolitan area has 1,037,847 inhabitants, making it the most populous metropolitan area in northern Spain; with a population of 875,552 comarca of Greater Bilbao is the fifth-largest urban area in Spain. Bilbao is also the main urban area in what is defined as the Greater Basque region.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 921,402 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the urban area and 2,480,394 in the metropolitan area. Located in the Dutch province of North Holland, Amsterdam is colloquially referred to as the "Venice of the North", for its large number of canals, now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 635,640. The city was made a county of itself in 1893, prior to which it had been in the historic county of Lanarkshire. The city now forms the Glasgow City Council area, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and is governed by Glasgow City Council. It is situated on the River Clyde in the country's West Central Lowlands.

Italy national football team

Italy national football team

The Italy national football team has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing body for football in Italy, which is a co-founder and member of UEFA. Italy's home matches are played at various stadiums throughout Italy, and its primary training ground and technical headquarters, Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano, is located in Florence. Italy are the reigning European champions, having won UEFA Euro 2020.

1964 European Nations' Cup

1964 European Nations' Cup

The 1964 European Nations' Cup was the second edition of the UEFA European Championship. The final tournament was held in Spain. It was won by the hosts 2–1 over the defending champions, the Soviet Union.

The draw for the final tournament was held on 30 November 2019, 18:00 CET (19:00 local time, EET) at Romexpo in Bucharest, Romania.^{[131][132][133][106]} The 24 teams were drawn into six groups of four. The identity of the four play-off teams were not known at the time of the draw and were identified as play-off winners A to D.^[134] Should there have been groups that could not be finalised at the time of the final tournament draw, another draw would have been held after the play-offs on 1 April 2020,^[1] but UEFA confirmed the additional draw was not necessary after the identity of the 20 directly qualified teams and the 16 play-offs teams was known.^[112]

The teams were seeded in accordance with the European Qualifiers overall ranking based on their results in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying. The following was the standard composition of the draw pots:^[135]

• Pot 1: Group winners ranked 1–6
• Pot 2: Group winners ranked 7–10, group runners-up ranked 1–2 (11–12 overall)
• Pot 3: Group runners-up ranked 3–8 (13–18 overall)
• Pot 4: Group runners-up ranked 9–10 (19–20 overall), play-off winners A–D (identity unknown at the time of the draw)

As two host teams from the same group could not be in the same seeding pot, the UEFA Emergency Panel would have either switched one host team with the lowest-ranked team of the higher pot, or switched one host team with the highest-ranked team of the lower pot (based on the principle that the move would have minimal impact on the original seeding). However, no seeding adjustments were necessary.

The draw started with Pot 1 and completed with Pot 4, from where a team was drawn and assigned to the first available group. The position in the group (for the determination of the match schedule) was then drawn. In the draw, the following conditions applied (including for teams that could still qualify via the play-offs):^[136]

• Automatic group assignments: Host teams were automatically assigned to their group based on the host city pairings.
• Prohibited clashes: For political reasons, UEFA set pairs of teams that were considered prohibited clashes. In addition to being unable to be drawn into the same group, non-host teams were prevented from being drawn into a group hosted by a country they clash with, even should the host not qualify. Only one prohibited clash, Russia / Ukraine, applied during the group stage draw. Other prohibited clashes among qualified and play-off teams were Kosovo / Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo / Serbia, but the teams in these pairs were all in the play-offs and in Pot 4 for the draw, and would not be in the same group; Kosovo / Russia was also prohibited,^[137] but they also would not be in the same group due to play-off path pairings necessary for host allocation. However, these prohibited clashes are not excluded for the knockout phase.

Play-off path group allocation

Due to the format of the play-offs, which made anticipating all possible scenarios impossible, the UEFA administration had to wait to solve issues relating to the final tournament draw until the completion of the qualifying group stage.^[110] It was not possible for UEFA to prevent one of the play-off paths from containing two host teams, resulting in Romania (Group C hosts) and Hungary (Group F hosts) being drawn together in Path A. Therefore, the winner of this play-off path needed to be assigned two groups in the final tournament draw. To allow for this, Path A was paired with Path D (which does not contain a host), therefore providing a clear scenario for each possible qualified team. A draw took place on 22 November 2019, 12:00 CET, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland (along with the play-offs draw), which decided on the order of priority for the allocation of Path A to the final tournament groups.^[112]

Two balls were prepared containing the names of the two groups hosted by the teams in question (Group C and Group F for Romania and Hungary, respectively). The first ball drawn determined the group ("priority group") that was allocated to Path A, with the exception of the host team of the second ball drawn ("non-priority group") winning Path A. In the draw, Group F was selected as the priority group, resulting in the following possible outcomes:

• Path A is won by Bulgaria, Hungary or Iceland: The winner of Path A will enter Group F, and the winner of Path D will enter Group C. (As Romania lost in the semi-finals of the play-offs, this was the resulting group assignment.)
• Path A is won by Romania: Romania will enter Group C, and the winner of Path D will enter Group F.

Seeding

The following was the composition of the pots, with teams divided and seeded as per their European Qualifiers overall ranking:^[138]

Pot 1

Team	Host	Rank
Belgium[a]		1
Italy	Group A	2
England	Group D	3
Germany	Group F	4
Spain	Group E	5
Ukraine[a]		6

Pot 2

Team	Host	Rank
France		7
Poland		8
Switzerland		9
Croatia		10
Netherlands	Group C	11
Russia	Group B	12

Pot 3

Team	Host	Rank
Portugal		13
Turkey		14
Denmark	Group B	15
Austria		16
Sweden		17
Czech Republic		18

Pot 4^[b]

Team	Host	Rank
Wales		19
Finland		20
Play-off winner A	Group C & F[c]	—
Play-off winner B	Group E[d]
Play-off winner C	Group D[e]
Play-off winner D[f]

Draw results and group fixtures

The draw resulted in the following groups (teams in italics are play-off winners whose identity was not known at the time of the draw):

Group A

Pos	Team
A1	Turkey
A2	Italy[a]
A3	Wales
A4	Switzerland

Group B

Pos	Team
B1	Denmark[a]
B2	Finland
B3	Belgium
B4	Russia[b]

Group C

Pos	Team
C1	Netherlands[a]
C2	Ukraine
C3	Austria
C4	North Macedonia

Group D

Pos	Team
D1	England[a]
D2	Croatia
D3	Scotland[b]
D4	Czech Republic

Group E

Pos	Team
E1	Spain[a]
E2	Sweden
E3	Poland
E4	Slovakia

Group F

Pos	Team
F1	Hungary[b]
F2	Portugal
F3	France
F4	Germany[a]

The fixtures for the group stage were decided based on the draw results, as follows:

Note: Positions for scheduling did not use the seeding pots, and instead used the draw positions, e.g. Team 1 was not necessarily the team from Pot 1 in the draw.

Discover more about Final draw related topics

Central European Time

Central European Time

Central European Time (CET) is a standard time of Central- and parts of Western Europe which is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The time offset from UTC can be written as UTC+01:00. It is used in most parts of Europe and in a few North African countries. CET is also known as Middle European Time and by colloquial names such as Amsterdam Time, Berlin Time, Brussels Time, Madrid Time, Paris Time, Rome Time, Warsaw Time or even Romance Standard Time (RST).

Eastern European Time

Eastern European Time

Eastern European Time (EET) is one of the names of UTC+02:00 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. The zone uses daylight saving time, so that it uses UTC+03:00 during the summer.

Romexpo

Romexpo

Romexpo, also known as Romexpo Dome or Romexpo Town, is a large exhibition center and indoor arena in Bucharest, Romania. It is primarily used for exhibitions, concerts, and sporting events. The complex also hosts more than 140 other exhibits and trade shows every year. It is 303,234 square metres (3,263,980 sq ft), houses 100,000 square metres (1,100,000 sq ft) under roof, spread throughout 11 pavilions.

Bucharest

Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital and largest city of Romania. It is described as the cultural, financial, entertainment, and media center in the country with a significant influence in Eastern and Southeastern Europe as well. It is also a city with a significant influence in terms of education, tourism, research, technology, health care, art, fashion, sports, and politics. It is located in the south-east of Romania, on the banks of the Dâmbovița river, less than 60 km (37.3 mi) north of the Danube River and the border with Bulgaria. It is also one of the most populated cities of the European Union (EU) within city limits and the most populated capital in Southeastern Europe. It was the capital of Wallachia from 1659 to 1859 and the capital of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia from 1859 to 1881.

UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying

UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying

The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from March 2019 to November 2020 to determine the 24 UEFA member men's national teams that advanced to the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament, played across Europe in June and July 2021. The competition was linked with the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, giving countries a secondary route to qualify for the final tournament. For the first time since 1976, no team automatically qualified for the UEFA European Championship as the host country.

Russo-Ukrainian War

Russo-Ukrainian War

The Russo-Ukrainian War is an international conflict between Russia and Russian-backed separatists, against Ukraine, which began in February 2014. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and supported pro-Russian separatists fighting the Ukrainian military in the Donbas war. The first eight years of conflict also included naval incidents, cyberwarfare, and heightened political tensions. In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Bosnia and Herzegovina–Kosovo relations

Bosnia and Herzegovina–Kosovo relations

Bosnia and Herzegovina relations with Kosovo are unofficial because Bosnia and Herzegovina's central government has not recognized Kosovo as an independence state, essentially through the veto of Bosnian Serb-dominated Republika Srpska.

Kosovo–Serbia relations

Kosovo–Serbia relations

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move which Serbia rejects. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as an independent state and continues to claim it as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. Initially there were no relations between the two; however, in the following years there has been increased dialogue and cooperation between the two sides.

UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs

UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs

The play-offs of the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying tournament decided the last four teams that qualified for the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament, to be staged across Europe in June and July 2021. Unlike previous editions, the participants of the play-offs were not decided based on results from the qualifying group stage. Instead, 16 teams that failed to qualify through their group were selected based on their performance in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League. The sixteen teams were then divided into four paths, each containing four teams, with each play-off path featuring two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final. The four play-off path winners joined the twenty teams that had already qualified for UEFA Euro 2020. The matches were originally scheduled for March 2020, but were postponed to 8 October and 12 November 2020 by UEFA due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.

Romania national football team

Romania national football team

The Romania national football team represents Romania in international men's football competition and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation, also known as FRF. They are colloquially known as Tricolorii.

Hungary national football team

Hungary national football team

The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in men's international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation. The team has made 9 appearances in the FIFA World Cup and 4 appearances in the European Championship, and plays its home matches at the Puskás Aréna, which opened in November 2019.

Nyon

Nyon

Nyon is a municipality in Nyon District in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilometers north east of Geneva's city centre, and since the 1970s it has become part of the Geneva metropolitan area. It lies on the shores of Lake Geneva and is the seat of Nyon District. The town has a population of 21,718 and is famous in the sporting world for being the headquarters of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the European Club Association (ECA). It is connected to the rest of Switzerland by way of the Route Suisse, the A1 Motorway and the railways of the Arc Lémanique.

To lessen the load on players due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in case of an outbreak within a team, squad sizes were increased from 23 (used at every European Championship since 2004) to 26. However, the maximum number of players permitted on the match sheet for each tournament fixture remained 23.^[83] Each nation's squad, which had to include three goalkeepers, was submitted at least ten days before the opening match of the tournament (by 1 June 2021). If a player became injured or ill severely enough to prevent his participation in the tournament before his team's first match, he could be replaced by another player;^[1] however, goalkeepers could still be replaced after their team's first match due to physical incapacity.^[83]

On 27 September 2018, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the use of the video assistant referee (VAR) system for the first time at the UEFA European Championship.^[8] On 12 February 2020, UEFA and CONMEBOL signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance collaboration, including the possibility of a team of South American match officials appointed for the group stage of the tournament.^[139]

On 21 April 2021, UEFA announced the 19 refereeing teams for the tournament.^[140] This included Argentine referee Fernando Rapallini and his assistants, who were the first South American officials to be selected for the European Championship as part of UEFA's referee exchange programme with CONMEBOL. A group of Spanish officials were similarly selected for the 2021 Copa América.^[141]

A refereeing team of nine officials was appointed for each match. The team of five at the stadium consisted of a referee, two assistant referees, a fourth official and a reserve assistant referee.^[141] In addition, four video match officials were located at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. This team consisted of a video assistant referee (the lead video official who was the main point of contact with the referee), an assistant video assistant referee (AVAR 1, who concentrated on following the match), an offside VAR (AVAR 2, who reviewed all potential offside situations) and a support VAR (AVAR 3, who acted in a coordination capacity).^[142] The tournament used the 2021 Laws of the Game, which came into force on 1 July but could be introduced in competitions that began immediately beforehand.^[143]

Refereeing teams

Country	Referee	Assistant referees	Matches assigned[144]
Germany	Felix Brych	Mark Borsch Stefan Lupp	Netherlands–Ukraine (Group C) Finland–Belgium (Group B) Belgium–Portugal (Round of 16) Ukraine–England (Quarter-finals) Italy–Spain (Semi-finals)
Turkey	Cüneyt Çakır	Bahattin Duran Tarık Ongun	Hungary–Portugal (Group F) Ukraine–Austria (Group C) Croatia–Spain (Round of 16)
Spain	Carlos del Cerro Grande	Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez Roberto Alonso Fernández	France–Germany (Group F) Croatia–Czech Republic (Group D)
Sweden	Andreas Ekberg	Mehmet Culum Stefan Hallberg	Austria–North Macedonia (Group C)
Israel	Orel Grinfeld	Roy Hassan Idan Yarkoni	Netherlands–Austria (Group C)
Romania	Ovidiu Hațegan	Radu Ghinguleac Sebastian Gheorghe	Poland–Slovakia (Group E) Italy–Wales (Group A)
Russia	Sergei Karasev	Igor Demeshko Maksim Gavrilin	Italy–Switzerland (Group A) Germany–Hungary (Group F) Netherlands–Czech Republic (Round of 16)
Romania	István Kovács	Vasile Marinescu Ovidiu Artene	North Macedonia–Netherlands (Group C)
Netherlands	Björn Kuipers	Sander van Roekel Erwin Zeinstra	Denmark–Belgium (Group B) Slovakia–Spain (Group E) Czech Republic–Denmark (Quarter-finals) Italy–England (Final)
Netherlands	Danny Makkelie	Hessel Steegstra Jan de Vries	Turkey–Italy (Group A) Finland–Russia (Group B) England–Germany (Round of 16) England–Denmark (Semi-finals)
Spain	Antonio Mateu Lahoz	Pau Cebrián Devís Roberto Díaz Pérez del Palomar	Belgium–Russia (Group B) England–Scotland (Group D) Portugal–France (Group F)
England	Michael Oliver	Stuart Burt Simon Bennett	Hungary–France (Group F) Sweden–Poland (Group E) Switzerland–Spain (Quarter-finals)
Italy	Daniele Orsato	Alessandro Giallatini Fabiano Preti	England–Croatia (Group D) Spain–Poland (Group E) Sweden–Ukraine (Round of 16)
Argentina	Fernando Rapallini	Juan Pablo Belatti Diego Bonfá	Ukraine–North Macedonia (Group C) Croatia–Scotland (Group D) France–Switzerland (Round of 16)
Germany	Daniel Siebert	Jan Seidel Rafael Foltyn	Scotland–Czech Republic (Group D) Sweden–Slovakia (Group E) Wales–Denmark (Round of 16)
Portugal	Artur Soares Dias	Rui Tavares Paulo Soares	Turkey–Wales (Group A) Czech Republic–England (Group D)
England	Anthony Taylor	Gary Beswick Adam Nunn	Denmark–Finland (Group B) Portugal–Germany (Group F) Italy–Austria (Round of 16)
France	Clément Turpin	Nicolas Danos Cyril Gringore	Wales–Switzerland (Group A) Russia–Denmark (Group B)
Slovenia	Slavko Vinčić	Tomaž Klančnik Andraž Kovačič	Spain–Sweden (Group E) Switzerland–Turkey (Group A) Belgium–Italy (Quarter-finals)

In addition, UEFA announced 22 video match officials and twelve support match officials (who acted as fourth official or reserve assistant referee).^[140] This included support referee Stéphanie Frappart, the first female official at the UEFA European Championship finals.^[141]

Video match officials

Country	Video assistant referees	Offside VAR
England	Stuart Attwell Chris Kavanagh	Lee Betts
France	Jérôme Brisard François Letexier	Benjamin Pagès
Germany	Bastian Dankert Christian Dingert Marco Fritz	Christian Gittelmann
Italy	Marco Di Bello Massimiliano Irrati Paolo Valeri	Filippo Meli
Netherlands	Kevin Blom Pol van Boekel
Poland	Paweł Gil
Portugal	João Pinheiro
Spain	Alejandro Hernández Hernández Juan Martínez Munuera José María Sánchez Martínez	Íñigo Prieto López de Cerain

Support match officials

Country	Fourth official	Reserve assistant referee
Bulgaria	Georgi Kabakov	Martin Margaritov
France	Stéphanie Frappart	Mikaël Berchebru
Italy	Davide Massa	Stefano Alassio
Poland	Bartosz Frankowski	Marcin Boniek
Serbia	Srđan Jovanović	Uroš Stojković
Switzerland	Sandro Schärer	Stéphane De Almeida

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CONMEBOL

CONMEBOL

The South American Football Confederation is the continental governing body of football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations. The oldest continental confederation in the world, its headquarters are located in Luque, Paraguay, near Asunción. CONMEBOL is responsible for the organization and governance of South American football's major international tournaments. With 10 member soccer associations, it has the fewest members of all the confederations in FIFA.

Memorandum of understanding

Memorandum of understanding

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) is a type of agreement between two (bilateral) or more (multilateral) parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used either in cases where parties do not imply a legal commitment or in situations where the parties cannot create a legally enforceable agreement. It is a more formal alternative to a gentlemen's agreement.

Fernando Rapallini

Fernando Rapallini

Fernando Andrés Rapallini is an Argentine football referee who officiates in the Argentine Primera División. He has been a FIFA referee since 2014.

2021 Copa América

2021 Copa América

The 2021 Copa América was the 47th edition of the Copa América, the international men's football championship organised by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament took place in Brazil from 13 June to 10 July 2021. The tournament was originally scheduled to take place from 12 June to 12 July 2020 in Argentina and Colombia as the 2020 Copa América. On 17 March 2020, CONMEBOL announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic in South America, the tournament had been postponed for a year, in conjunction with UEFA's decision to also postpone UEFA Euro 2020 to 2021. This was the first time since 1991 where no guest nation took part in the tournament.

Referee (association football)

Referee (association football)

In association football, the referee is the person responsible for interpreting and enforcing the Laws of the Game during a match. The referee is the final decision-making authority on all facts connected with play, and is the match official with the authority to start and stop play and impose disciplinary action against players and coaches during a match.

Assistant referee (association football)

Assistant referee (association football)

In association football, an assistant referee is an official empowered with assisting the referee in enforcing the Laws of the Game during a match. Although assistants are not required under the Laws, at most organised levels of football the match officiating crew consists of the referee and at least two assistant referees. The responsibilities of the various assistant referees are listed in Law 6, "The Other Match Officials". In the current Laws the term "assistant referee" technically refers only to the two officials who generally patrol the touchlines, with the wider range of assistants to the referee given other titles.

Nyon

Nyon

Nyon is a municipality in Nyon District in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilometers north east of Geneva's city centre, and since the 1970s it has become part of the Geneva metropolitan area. It lies on the shores of Lake Geneva and is the seat of Nyon District. The town has a population of 21,718 and is famous in the sporting world for being the headquarters of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the European Club Association (ECA). It is connected to the rest of Switzerland by way of the Route Suisse, the A1 Motorway and the railways of the Arc Lémanique.

Laws of the Game (association football)

Laws of the Game (association football)

The Laws of the Game are the codified rules of association football. The laws mention the number of players a team should have, the game length, the size of the field and ball, the type and nature of fouls that referees may penalise, the offside law, and many other laws that define the sport. During a match, it is the task of the referee to interpret and enforce the Laws of the Game.

German Football Association

German Football Association

The German Football Association is the governing body of football, futsal, and beach soccer in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB has jurisdiction for the German football league system and is in charge of the men's and women's national teams. The DFB headquarters are in Frankfurt am Main. Sole members of the DFB are the German Football League, organising the professional Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga, along with five regional and 21 state associations, organising the semi-professional and amateur levels. The 21 state associations of the DFB have a combined number of more than 25,000 clubs with more than 6.8 million members, making the DFB the single largest sports federation in the world.

Felix Brych

Felix Brych

Felix Brych is a German football referee. He referees for SV Am Hart München of the Bavarian Football Association. He is a former FIFA referee and was ranked as a UEFA elite category referee.

UEFA Euro 2020 Group C

UEFA Euro 2020 Group C

Group C of UEFA Euro 2020 took place from 13 to 21 June 2021 in Amsterdam's Johan Cruyff Arena and Bucharest's Arena Națională. The group contained host nation the Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia.

UEFA Euro 2020 Group B

UEFA Euro 2020 Group B

Group B of UEFA Euro 2020 took place from 12 to 21 June 2021 in Copenhagen's Parken Stadium and Saint Petersburg's Krestovsky Stadium. The group contained host nation Denmark, Finland, Belgium and host nation Russia. The head-to-head match between the hosts took place at Denmark's Parken Stadium.

The opening ceremony took place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on 11 June 2021 at 20:35 (CEST) prior to the first match of the tournament. Italian opera tenor Andrea Bocelli performed the song "Nessun dorma".^[145] Martin Garrix, Bono and the Edge also featured, performing the tournament's official anthem, "We Are the People". The performance was a virtual one amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and was filmed at motion-control studios in London and at the Stadio Olimpico to recreate the stadium environment in 3D.^[146]

Discover more about Opening ceremony related topics

Stadio Olimpico

Stadio Olimpico

The Stadio Olimpico is the largest sports facility in Rome, Italy, seating over 70,000 spectators. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex, north of the city. The structure is owned by the Italian National Olympic Committee and it is used primarily for association football. The Stadio Olimpico is the home stadium of the Roma and Lazio football clubs, and also hosts the Coppa Italia final. The Italian Rugby Union team also use the stadium for their home matches. It was rebuilt for the 1990 FIFA World Cup and it hosted the tournament final.

Central European Summer Time

Central European Summer Time

Central European Summer Time (CEST), sometimes referred to as Central European Daylight Time (CEDT), is the standard clock time observed during the period of summer daylight-saving in those European countries which observe Central European Time during the other part of the year. It corresponds to UTC+02:00, which makes it the same as Eastern European Time, Central Africa Time, South African Standard Time, Egypt Standard Time and Kaliningrad Time in Russia.

Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli is an Italian tenor. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting from a football accident. After performing evenings in piano bars and competing in local singing contests, Bocelli signed his first recording contract with the Sugar Music label. He rose to fame in 1994, winning the newcomer’s section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing "Il mare calmo della sera".

Nessun dorma

Nessun dorma

"Nessun dorma" is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot and one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, il principe ignoto, who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot. Any man who wishes to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles; if he fails, he will be beheaded. In the aria, Calaf expresses his triumphant assurance that he will win the princess.

Martin Garrix

Martin Garrix

Martijn Gerard Garritsen, known professionally as Martin Garrix and also as Ytram and GRX, is a Dutch DJ and record producer who was ranked number one on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs list for three consecutive years—2016, 2017, and 2018. He is best known for his singles "Animals", "In the Name of Love", and "Scared to Be Lonely".

Bono

Bono

Paul David Hewson, known by his stage name Bono, is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2.

The Edge

The Edge

David Howell Evans, better known as the Edge or simply Edge, is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist of the rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 14 studio albums with them as well as one solo record. His understated style of guitar playing, a signature of U2's music, is distinguished by chiming timbres, use of rhythmic delay, drone notes, harmonics, and an extensive use of effects units.

We Are the People (Martin Garrix song)

We Are the People (Martin Garrix song)

"We Are the People" is a song by Dutch DJ Martin Garrix, featuring Bono and the Edge from Irish rock band U2. It was officially released on 14 May 2021 as the official song for the UEFA Euro 2020. It was first performed in full at a virtual opening ceremony at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

COVID-19 pandemic in Europe

COVID-19 pandemic in Europe

The global COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Europe with its first confirmed case in Bordeaux, France, on 24 January 2020, and subsequently spread widely across the continent. By 17 March 2020, every country in Europe had confirmed a case, and all have reported at least one death, with the exception of Vatican City.

London

London

London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for two millennia. The City of London, its ancient core and financial centre, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and retains its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has for centuries hosted the national government and parliament. Since the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the metropolis around this core, historically split between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire, which since 1965 has largely comprised Greater London, which is governed by 33 local authorities and the Greater London Authority.

3D film

3D film

3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of special glasses worn by viewers. They have existed in some form since 1915, but had been largely relegated to a niche in the motion picture industry because of the costly hardware and processes required to produce and display a 3D film, and the lack of a standardized format for all segments of the entertainment business. Nonetheless, 3D films were prominently featured in the 1950s in American cinema, and later experienced a worldwide resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s driven by IMAX high-end theaters and Disney-themed venues. 3D films became increasingly successful throughout the 2000s, peaking with the success of 3D presentations of Avatar in December 2009, after which 3D films again decreased in popularity. Certain directors have also taken more experimental approaches to 3D filmmaking, most notably celebrated auteur Jean-Luc Godard in his film Goodbye to Language.

Result of teams participating in UEFA Euro 2020

Winner   Runner-up

Semi-finals   Quarter-finals

Round of 16   Group stage

UEFA announced the original tournament schedule on 24 May 2018, which only included kick-off times for the opening match and quarter-finals onward.^[147][148] The kick-off times of the remaining group stage and round of 16 matches were announced on 30 November 2019 following the final draw.^[149] On 17 June 2020, UEFA announced the revised match schedule for the tournament in 2021.^[150][151] All match dates, kick-off times and venues remained identical, but shifted one day earlier so matches would remain on the same day of the week (i.e. from 12 to 11 June for the opening match to remain on a Friday). On 23 April 2021, UEFA revised the venue assignments of the match schedule after one stadium was removed from the tournament and another was replaced.^[152]

Group winners, runners-up, and the best four third-placed teams advanced to the round of 16.

Times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA. If the venue was located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.

Tiebreakers

If two or more teams were equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following tie-breaking criteria were applied:^[1]

1. Higher number of points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
2. Superior goal difference resulting from the matches played between the teams in question;
3. Higher number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
4. If, after having applied criteria 1 to 3, teams still had an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 3 were reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams who were still level to determine their final rankings.^[a] If this procedure did not lead to a decision, criteria 5 to 10 applied;
5. Superior goal difference in all group matches;
6. Higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
7. Higher number of wins in all group matches;^[b]
8. If on the last round of the group stage, two teams were facing each other and each had the same number of points, as well as the same number of goals scored and conceded, and the score finished level in their match, their ranking was determined by a penalty shoot-out. (This criterion was not used if more than two teams had the same number of points.);
9. Lower disciplinary points total in all group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
10. Higher position in the European Qualifiers overall ranking.

Notes

Group A

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Italy (H)	3	3	0	0	7	0	+7	9	Advance to knockout phase
2	Wales	3	1	1	1	3	2	+1	4[a]
3	Switzerland	3	1	1	1	4	5	−1	4[a]
4	Turkey	3	0	0	3	1	8	−7	0

11 June 2021 (2021-06-11)

21:00

Turkey	0–3	Italy
	Report	Demiral 53' (o.g.) Immobile 66' Insigne 79'

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Attendance: 12,916^[153]

Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)

12 June 2021 (2021-06-12)

15:00 (17:00 UTC+4)

Wales	1–1	Switzerland
Moore 74'	Report	Embolo 49'

Olympic Stadium, Baku

Attendance: 8,782^[154]

Referee: Clément Turpin (France)

16 June 2021 (2021-06-16)

18:00 (20:00 UTC+4)

Turkey	0–2	Wales
	Report	Ramsey 42' C. Roberts 90+5'

Olympic Stadium, Baku

Attendance: 19,762^[155]

Referee: Artur Soares Dias (Portugal)

16 June 2021 (2021-06-16)

21:00

Italy	3–0	Switzerland
Locatelli 26', 52' Immobile 89'	Report

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Attendance: 12,445^[156]

Referee: Sergei Karasev (Russia)

20 June 2021 (2021-06-20)

18:00 (20:00 UTC+4)

Switzerland	3–1	Turkey
Seferovic 6' Shaqiri 26', 68'	Report	Kahveci 62'

Olympic Stadium, Baku

Attendance: 17,138^[157]

Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)

20 June 2021 (2021-06-20)

18:00

Italy	1–0	Wales
Pessina 39'	Report

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Attendance: 11,541^[158]

Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (Romania)

Group B

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Belgium	3	3	0	0	7	1	+6	9	Advance to knockout phase
2	Denmark (H)	3	1	0	2	5	4	+1	3[a]
3	Finland	3	1	0	2	1	3	−2	3[a]
4	Russia (H)	3	1	0	2	2	7	−5	3[a]

12 June 2021 (2021-06-12)

18:00

Denmark	0–1	Finland
	Report	Pohjanpalo 60'

Parken Stadium, Copenhagen

Attendance: 13,790^[159]

Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)

12 June 2021 (2021-06-12)

21:00 (22:00 UTC+3)

Belgium	3–0	Russia
Lukaku 10', 88' Meunier 34'	Report

Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg

Attendance: 26,264^[160]

Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)

16 June 2021 (2021-06-16)

15:00 (16:00 UTC+3)

Finland	0–1	Russia
	Report	Miranchuk 45+2'

Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg

Attendance: 24,540^[161]

Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)

17 June 2021 (2021-06-17)

18:00

Denmark	1–2	Belgium
Poulsen 2'	Report	T. Hazard 55' De Bruyne 70'

Parken Stadium, Copenhagen

Attendance: 23,395^[162]

Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)

21 June 2021 (2021-06-21)

21:00

Russia	1–4	Denmark
Dzyuba 70' (pen.)	Report	Damsgaard 38' Poulsen 59' Christensen 79' Mæhle 82'

Parken Stadium, Copenhagen

Attendance: 23,644^[163]

Referee: Clément Turpin (France)

21 June 2021 (2021-06-21)

21:00 (22:00 UTC+3)

Finland	0–2	Belgium
	Report	Hrádecký 74' (o.g.) Lukaku 81'

Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg

Attendance: 18,545^[164]

Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

Group C

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Netherlands (H)	3	3	0	0	8	2	+6	9	Advance to knockout phase
2	Austria	3	2	0	1	4	3	+1	6
3	Ukraine	3	1	0	2	4	5	−1	3
4	North Macedonia	3	0	0	3	2	8	−6	0

13 June 2021 (2021-06-13)

18:00 (19:00 UTC+3)

Austria	3–1	North Macedonia
Lainer 18' Gregoritsch 78' Arnautović 89'	Report	Pandev 28'

Arena Națională, Bucharest

Attendance: 9,082^[165]

Referee: Andreas Ekberg (Sweden)

13 June 2021 (2021-06-13)

21:00

Netherlands	3–2	Ukraine
Wijnaldum 52' Weghorst 58' Dumfries 85'	Report	Yarmolenko 75' Yaremchuk 79'

Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam

Attendance: 15,837^[166]

Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

17 June 2021 (2021-06-17)

15:00 (16:00 UTC+3)

Ukraine	2–1	North Macedonia
Yarmolenko 29' Yaremchuk 34'	Report	Alioski 57'

Arena Națională, Bucharest

Attendance: 10,001^[167]

Referee: Fernando Rapallini (Argentina)

17 June 2021 (2021-06-17)

21:00

Netherlands	2–0	Austria
Depay 11' (pen.) Dumfries 67'	Report

Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam

Attendance: 15,243^[168]

Referee: Orel Grinfeld (Israel)

21 June 2021 (2021-06-21)

18:00

North Macedonia	0–3	Netherlands
	Report	Depay 24' Wijnaldum 50', 58'

Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam

Attendance: 15,227^[169]

Referee: István Kovács (Romania)

21 June 2021 (2021-06-21)

18:00 (19:00 UTC+3)

Ukraine	0–1	Austria
	Report	Baumgartner 21'

Arena Națională, Bucharest

Attendance: 10,472^[170]

Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)

Group D

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	England (H)	3	2	1	0	2	0	+2	7	Advance to knockout phase
2	Croatia	3	1	1	1	4	3	+1	4[a]
3	Czech Republic	3	1	1	1	3	2	+1	4[a]
4	Scotland (H)	3	0	1	2	1	5	−4	1

13 June 2021 (2021-06-13)

15:00 (14:00 UTC+1)

England	1–0	Croatia
Sterling 57'	Report

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 18,497^[171]

Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy)

14 June 2021 (2021-06-14)

15:00 (14:00 UTC+1)

Scotland	0–2	Czech Republic
	Report	Schick 42', 52'

Hampden Park, Glasgow

Attendance: 9,847^[172]

Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)

18 June 2021 (2021-06-18)

18:00 (17:00 UTC+1)

Croatia	1–1	Czech Republic
Perišić 47'	Report	Schick 37' (pen.)

Hampden Park, Glasgow

Attendance: 5,607^[173]

Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain)

18 June 2021 (2021-06-18)

21:00 (20:00 UTC+1)

England	0–0	Scotland
	Report

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 20,306^[174]

Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)

22 June 2021 (2021-06-22)

21:00 (20:00 UTC+1)

Croatia	3–1	Scotland
Vlašić 17' Modrić 62' Perišić 77'	Report	McGregor 42'

Hampden Park, Glasgow

Attendance: 9,896^[175]

Referee: Fernando Rapallini (Argentina)

22 June 2021 (2021-06-22)

21:00 (20:00 UTC+1)

Czech Republic	0–1	England
	Report	Sterling 12'

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 19,104^[176]

Referee: Artur Soares Dias (Portugal)

Group E

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Sweden	3	2	1	0	4	2	+2	7	Advance to knockout phase
2	Spain (H)	3	1	2	0	6	1	+5	5
3	Slovakia	3	1	0	2	2	7	−5	3
4	Poland	3	0	1	2	4	6	−2	1

14 June 2021 (2021-06-14)

18:00 (19:00 UTC+3)

Poland	1–2	Slovakia
Linetty 46'	Report	Szczęsny 18' (o.g.) Škriniar 69'

Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg

Attendance: 12,862^[177]

Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (Romania)

14 June 2021 (2021-06-14)

21:00

Spain	0–0	Sweden
	Report

La Cartuja, Seville

Attendance: 10,559^[178]

Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)

18 June 2021 (2021-06-18)

15:00 (16:00 UTC+3)

Sweden	1–0	Slovakia
Forsberg 77' (pen.)	Report

Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg

Attendance: 11,525^[179]

Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)

19 June 2021 (2021-06-19)

21:00

Spain	1–1	Poland
Morata 25'	Report	Lewandowski 54'

La Cartuja, Seville

Attendance: 11,742^[180]

Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy)

23 June 2021 (2021-06-23)

18:00

Slovakia	0–5	Spain
	Report	Dúbravka 30' (o.g.) Laporte 45+3' Sarabia 56' F. Torres 67' Kucka 71' (o.g.)

La Cartuja, Seville

Attendance: 11,204^[181]

Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)

23 June 2021 (2021-06-23)

18:00 (19:00 UTC+3)

Sweden	3–2	Poland
Forsberg 2', 59' Claesson 90+4'	Report	Lewandowski 61', 84'

Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg

Attendance: 14,252^[182]

Referee: Michael Oliver (England)

Group F

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	France	3	1	2	0	4	3	+1	5	Advance to knockout phase
2	Germany (H)	3	1	1	1	6	5	+1	4[a]
3	Portugal	3	1	1	1	7	6	+1	4[a]
4	Hungary (H)	3	0	2	1	3	6	−3	2

15 June 2021 (2021-06-15)

18:00

Hungary	0–3	Portugal
	Report	Guerreiro 84' Ronaldo 87' (pen.), 90+2'

Puskás Aréna, Budapest

Attendance: 55,662^[183]

Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)

15 June 2021 (2021-06-15)

21:00

France	1–0	Germany
Hummels 20' (o.g.)	Report

Allianz Arena, Munich

Attendance: 13,000^[184]

Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain)

19 June 2021 (2021-06-19)

15:00

Hungary	1–1	France
Fiola 45+2'	Report	Griezmann 66'

Puskás Aréna, Budapest

Attendance: 55,998^[185]

Referee: Michael Oliver (England)

19 June 2021 (2021-06-19)

18:00

Portugal	2–4	Germany
Ronaldo 15' Jota 67'	Report	Dias 35' (o.g.) Guerreiro 39' (o.g.) Havertz 51' Gosens 60'

Allianz Arena, Munich

Attendance: 12,926^[186]

Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)

23 June 2021 (2021-06-23)

21:00

Portugal	2–2	France
Ronaldo 31' (pen.), 60' (pen.)	Report	Benzema 45+2' (pen.), 47'

Puskás Aréna, Budapest

Attendance: 54,886^[187]

Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)

23 June 2021 (2021-06-23)

21:00

Germany	2–2	Hungary
Havertz 66' Goretzka 84'	Report	Ád. Szalai 11' Schäfer 68'

Allianz Arena, Munich

Attendance: 12,413^[188]

Referee: Sergei Karasev (Russia)

Ranking of third-placed teams