Coronavirus: UEFA intends to have same 12 host cities for delayed Euro 2020 tournament
Written by News on 09/04/2020
UEFA has confirmed its intention to use the same 12 host cities for the European Championship but has yet to confirm a schedule for matches.
This summer’s tournament has been delayed by twelve months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Talks are ongoing with representatives of hosts Amsterdam, Baku, Bilbao, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome and St Petersburg, led by Martin Kallen, CEO of UEFA Events.
A UEFA spokesperson has told Sky Sports News: “The UEFA EURO 2020 is foreseen to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2021 with the intention of having the same match schedule and the same host cities.
“However, at this stage, the match schedule has not been officially confirmed. UEFA is in contact with all 12 host cities on the matter and further announcements will be made in due course.”
UEFA has given priority for associations to complete their domestic competitions and a working group has been established to examine a proposed outcome for this season’s Champions League and Europa League competitions.
No date has been set for football to resume, given the ongoing uncertainty over the pandemic’s peak across Europe.
There had been questions raised over some cities on UEFA’s list, in particular the representatives of two of the worst-hit countries – Italy and Spain – in Rome and Bilbao.
But the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) are confident Bilbao will be able to host the four games it is scheduled to.
RFEF spokesperson Pablo Garcia Cuervo told the PA news agency: “It is no problem for us to play in Bilbao in 2021.
“We think next year people will be able to go into the stadiums like they did two months ago. Next year we think will be better and we will be able to play the matches in Bilbao.
“Of course, to play this year would have been impossible but next year, it is not a problem or any trouble. I don’t think Rome would have any problems either, and Bilbao is the same.”
(c) Sky Sports 2020: Coronavirus: UEFA intends to have same 12 host cities for delayed Euro 2020 tournament
