Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, UEFA announced on 17 March 2020 that the UEFA Euro 2020 will be postponed by a year, and that it would be held from 11 June to 11 July 2021, which was confirmed on 17 June 2020. It is still referred to as “UEFA Euro 2020.”
Starting from Friday 11 June 2021 twenty-four teams will be playing across 51 matches in 12 cities. If you are planning to do Euro 2020 betting at Sportsbet.io, you know this season will be on fire. The final, which takes place on Sunday, July 11, will bring it all to a close at Wembley Stadium.
The competing countries were divided into ten groups of five or six during the group stage draw, which took place in February. Each country plays two one-on-one matches against the other countries in their group, with the points from both matches being added to the group table. The top ten finishers in each division advance to the finals. The top ten finishers compete in a play-off tournament to decide the remaining six finalists. The contenders will be divided into two groups of five, with the top three from each group progressing.
“Football is an uplifting and strong force in society,” said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin. “The idea of celebrating a pan-European football festival in vacant stadiums with abandoned fan zones as the continent sits at home alone is depressing, and one we could not embrace for the competition’s 60th anniversary.”
One more quick tip for all football fans, all matches will be shown live on UEFA’s official Youtube channel.
Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/audience-soccer-stadium-1866738/
Interesting facts about UEFA European Championship
Henri Delaunay, the administrator of the French Football Federation, proposed to FIFA in 1927 that a European football competition be created. However, his plan was realized after his death, when the first European Championship was held in 1960. The tournament was held in France, and the trophy was named after Delaunay in his honor.
In Euro 1976, Czechoslovakia had a dream run, defeating West Germany. Since losing the finals of the 1934 and 1962 World Cups, it was their first win in a major tournament. In Euro 1980, instead of four teams, eight would compete due to a change in the tournament structure. Czechoslovakia had qualified for Euro 1980 ahead of France by a whisker. They were drawn in the same division as West Germany in the finals, and they would face West Germany in the tournament, which would be an immediate repeat of 1976 final. The Czech Republic had ten players from the Euro-winning squad four years ago, including star players Anton Ondrus and Antonin Panenka, while West Germany only had one player from Euro 1976.
The match’s result, however, was not the same as it was four years earlier, as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge’s goal split the two teams. However, the fact that the opening match of Euro 1980 was a replay of the final of Euro 1976 is something that has never happened before in the Euros.
The significant similarity in the tournament opener occurred in Euro 2004. This time, though, the tournament’s first game will go on to determine the winner. In the tournament’s first match, hosts and tournament favorites Portugal faced off against outsiders Greece, who defeated Portugal 2-1. Both teams finally met in the final, and the outcome was the same: Greece won Euro 2004 with a score of 1-0.
Last, but not least, for the first time in the competition’s 60-year history, UEFA EURO 2020 will be hosted around the continent, with 11 host cities.
All Euro fans can start preparing for this year’s massive tournament, the match schedule can be also checked on UEFA official site.
