FOOTBALL
APRIL 15, 2021
euro 2021 updates and facts
EURO 2020 was originally planned in summer 2020. Because of the COVID 19 pandemic trough out the year, the event then postponed in March 2020 and change the dates to summer 2021, from June 11 to July 11, 2021.
The revised dates were approved by the UEFA Executive Committee on June 17, 2020. The name of the tournament is still Euro 2020.
The idea of European Championship came from Henri Delaunay. He proposed his idea about a competition among European countries only, alongside the World Cup. His idea never materialized until after his death in 1955. Fortunately his son, Pierre, was successful in a campaign to start the European Nations Cup along with French journalists.
The first Euro competition was held on September 28, 1958 in Moscow where the home side USSR (now Russia) won it. In 1960 the next competition was held and it became a regular event every four years after that. The trophy was named after Henri Delaunay to remember his brilliant idea and still awarded to the Euro winners this day. You can find details of the event like stadiums or schedules lists on official EUFA EURO 2020 website.
Here we provide additional news and facts from the Euro 2020 and the previous editions. We will updates the information regularly. Check this page often.
- Euro 2020 is the 60th European Championship competition therefore will be held in 12 host countries for the first time ever.
- Dates for the event : 11 June – 11 July 2021.
- Total participant teams : 24.
- Two Euro 2020 semi final matches and final match will be held at Wembley Stadium, London, UK.
- The London venue will be hosting the final for the second time after 1996.
- In 2016 four debuting teams made the knockout stages of the last European Championship (Iceland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Wales).
- Every eight years since 1988 four previous editions of the European Championship have seen the two finalists face each other in the group stages and in the final of the same tournament (1988, 1996, 2004, 2012).
- On July 6, 1960 nine goals were scored in a 5 – 4 win for Yugoslavia against France making it the most prolific game at the European Championship and also the first ever match in the tournament history.
- Germany, France and Spain have won 53% of the European Championship (8 out of 15). Germany and Spain are also the only teams to have won it on three occasions so far.
- Michel Platini is the top scorer in a single Euro tournament. He scored nine goals in 1984 edition for France and won the trophy for the first time ever.
- Fernando Torres from Spain is the only player that scored in two finals at the European Championship (2008 and 2012).
- The two managers at Euro 2020 that have won the tournament as players are Didier Deschamps (France) and Ronald Koeman (Netherlands).
- None of the teams will automatically qualify even if they are countries hosting the event.
- The country with the most success in the Euro is Germany, they won the cup three times and runners up for three times.
- So far the top three favorites to win the tournament in Euro 2020 are France, England and Belgium.
- According to ESPN, due to COVID-19 outbreak, on Jan 8 2021 UEFA were considering 3 options : Plan A – original scenario with stadiums full up to 70% capacity. Plan B – only 30% capacity. Plan C – one nation hosting the tournament inside a bubble.
- The last option is Plan D, where the tournament being staged in fewer cities.
- By mid-April, UEFA will confirm the EURO 2020 format at congress on April 20, 2021. This will reveal which countries will allow fans and which will not. A factor to decide whether cities drop out or continue as hosts.