Euro 2020 postponed a year by Covid-19

The tournament to determine the champion of Europe in soccer will be delayed one year as Euro 2020 will now become Euro 20201, taking place from June 11 to July 11 next year instead.

UEFA today announced the postponement of its flagship national team competition, UEFA EURO 2020, due to be played in June and July this year. The health of all those involved in the game is the priority, as well as to avoid placing any unnecessary pressure on national public services involved in staging matches. The move will help all domestic competitions, currently on hold due to the COVID-19 emergency, to be completed.

All UEFA competitions and matches (including friendlies) for clubs and national teams for both men and women have been put on hold until further notice. The UEFA EURO 2020 play-off matches and international friendlies, scheduled for the end of March, will now be played in the international window at the start of June, subject to a review of the situation.

The Union of European Football Associations has 55 member federations, with 24 scheduled to compete in the month-long championship, won by Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal last in 2016. It’s the first delay in the history of the tournament, which was to take place under an unusual hosting format for the first time.

Amsterdam, Baku, Bilbao, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome and St. Petersburg were all to hold matches instead of the one or two countries that normally play host for the entire month of games. The tournament expanded to 24 teams for the first time in 2016, giving more opportunities to countries that aren’t traditional powers in FIFA’s most competitive region a chance to compete on the largest stage.