Euro 2020(1)

[METALMAN]

The 24 team Euros last time was awful. Far too many meaningless games. 36 group stage games just to eliminate a third of the teams is ridiculous.

[Colly]

Tournaments should be forced to have the number of teams that was the number of bits on a 90s console. I'm aware there's a technical IT reason for that but I forget why, but it plainly applies to football tournaments too. 24 and 48 is nonsense.

[DFF]

With regards the WC, I could totally see it expanding even further in 20 or so years and we end up with some 8-10 week monstrocity, with a undseeded pre-finals finals and seeded teams only playing the back half. This way, FIFA can keep adding in loads of teams from the none-UEFA/CONMEBOL regions without pissing them off too much. 

[Baddar]

VAR will be used for the play-offs.

[Lineker]

The tournament has been postponed until 2021 due to the Coronavirus outbreak. 

[Lineker]

 

[Lineker]

 

[Baddar]

First of all I hope the Euros actually take place this time. That's looking likely at least, but it'd be great to get at least some fans into every game.

[METALMAN]

I’d love to get into Wembles for the England v Scotland game but at the very least I’ll head up to NW London and smash the place up a bit.

[Baddar]

I was reading the BBC article on where each of the host cities stand on fan presence, with UEFA "requiring" it. But with Bilbao saying it can't, I presume that means they'll no longer be hosting any games More will be known after April 19th either way.

We have a pretty decent national stadium here if they need a new host. 

[Lineker]

 

[Lineker]

Quote

Wembley is set to be given an extra Euro 2020 last-16 tie - which could involve England - when Uefa addresses uncertainty around matches in Dublin, Bilbao and Munich on Friday.

Dublin is certain to lose its four games and Bilbao's could be moved to Seville because of Covid-19 issues.

A fixture clash means Dublin's group-stage games will not go to Wembley.

But BBC Sport understands its last-16 game, featuring the winner of England's group, will be moved to Wembley.

So if England win Group D, which also features Scotland, Croatia and the Czech Republic, they will play the second-placed Group F team on home soil on 29 June.

Euro 2020 - delayed by a year from its original schedule because of the pandemic - was due to be hosted by 12 different European cities.

Uefa's executive committee will discuss the matter on Friday morning. It had told host cities that stadiums must be able to hold at least 25% capacity to be allowed to keep their fixtures.

Dublin and Bilbao's matches will be moved but it is not known whether Munich will give guarantees around access for supporters in order to keep its four games - three in Group F and one quarter-final.

Stadiums in England other than Wembley are thought to have been ruled out for the group matches that were due to be played in Dublin.

Wembley was already due to host three group games as well as a last-16 tie, both semi-finals and the tournament final, but is not currently scheduled to stage any quarter-finals.

The tournament, featuring 24 teams playing 51 games, will take place between 11 June and 11 July 2021.

 

[Malenko]

Covid and the super league made me forgot the Euros were a thing. 

Nice reminder we're less than a couple months away.

[Baddar]

I'm really looking forward to the Euros, even more now that the Super League has fallen on its arse. Didn't fancy hearing about that before, during and after every game.

Now we'll just get endless cuts to the England camp instead, even during Belgium-Russia.

[Colly]

Anyone interested in the big predictor thing again? I'll have to pull my finger out, forgot they were even coming...

[Baddar]

Indeed.

I may do a sweepstake for it.

[Kyle]

I'd sure love to join and inevitably get zero right.

[gunnar hendershow]

52 minutes ago, Colly said:

Anyone interested in the big predictor thing again? I'll have to pull my finger out, forgot they were even coming...

That's always good fun.

[The Kraig]

4 hours ago, Lineker said:

 

Sky are confirming "games originally planned for Bilbao and Dublin have been moved to Seville, St Petersburg and Wembley".

St Petersburg have taken the Dublin's group fixtures.

Seville have taken the Bilbao fixtures.

Wembley has taken Dublin's knockout fixture.

Will be interesting to see how England play, since many of their games may be as hosts!

[Lineker]

2 minutes ago, The Kraig said:

Sky are confirming "games originally planned for Bilbao and Dublin have been moved to Seville, St Petersburg and Wembley".

St Petersburg have taken the Dublin's group fixtures.

Seville have taken the Bilbao fixtures.

Wembley has taken Dublin's knockout fixture.

Will be interesting to see how England play, since many of their games may be as hosts!

Quote

Wembley has been handed a second Euro 2020 last-16 tie, which could involve England, after Uefa’s executive committee met on Friday to finalise plans for the tournament this summer.

Seville will replace Bilbao as a host city and St Petersburg will take all of Dublin’s group matches, meaning the Russian venue now has seven fixtures. Dublin’s last-16 game is the one switched to London.

England play all their group games at Wembley and if they top the section they would now get a last-16 home match as well. Any quarter-final would be away from Wembley, which is due to host the semi-finals and final.

Munich will retain its three group fixtures and quarter-final after presenting a new plan to allow at least 14,500 fans into the 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena.

Dublin and Bilbao have lost hosting right after being unable to offer Uefa the fan guarantees needed. The German football federation agreed a plan for Munich despite rising infection numbers in the country.

“Despite the current negative situation with the pandemic in Germany it is expected that the situation will improve until June,” it said. “That is why a scenario with a minimum capacity of 14,500 spectators in Munich for the Euros is seen as realistic.” Germany are scheduled to play all three of their group games in Munich.

Uefa said tickets for matches in Bilbao and Dublin would be cancelled and refunded, and those ticket buyers would receive priority access to tickets in the reassigned venues. It said the Andalusian regional authorities had told it the venue in Seville – La Cartuja stadium – would be at 30% capacity.

The Football Association has targeted a capacity of 22,500 for its group games and last-16 ties, and is looking at 45,000 as a minimum for the semi-finals and final.