The 2020 European Championships are being hosted by eleven different countries across Europe.
There are 24 different nations competing in the tournament, and six groups of teams (A-F). The top two teams from each group progress to the round of 16 knockout stages, alongside the four highest performing third-placed teams.
The countries facilitating matches are Azerbaijan, Denmark, England, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Russia, Scotland and Spain.
Both Belgium and the Republic of Ireland were initially expected to host matches, but because of construction issues in Brussels, and COVID-19 regulations in the Republic of Ireland, both countries had to pull out.
The stadiums are:
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Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam
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Olympic Stadium, Baku
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National Arena, Bucharest
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Puskás Arena, Budapest
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Parken Stadium, Copenhagen
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Hampden Park, Glasgow
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Wembley Stadium, London
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Allianz Arena, Munich
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Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville
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Krestovsky Stadium, St. Petersburg
English football fans will likely be familiar with most stadiums, with the Amsterdam Arena the scene of Spurs’ epic last-gasp 2019 Champions League semi-final victory, while the Olympic Stadium in Baku was the venue for Arsenal and Chelsea ’s 2019 Europa League final.
The first game of this summer’s tournament is on Friday June 11, and is between Turkey and Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
England’s first match against Croatia is two days later, on Sunday June 13, and will be played at 2pm at Wembley. All of England’s games will be broadcast live on television. Wales and Scotland also play on June 12 and 14 respectively.
Gareth Southgate’s side will be hoping to avenge their defeat to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, with the support of the home fans.
England play all three of their group stage matches at Wembley, handing them a big advantage over their competitors.
The knockout rounds are shared across the host countries. In the last 16, one game is being played in each of Amsterdam, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Glasgow and Seville. London will host two of the last 16 matches.
The quarter finals will be held in Baku, Munich, Rome and St Petersburg. Both semi-finals, and the final itself are being played at Wembley Stadium.
This is the first major international final being held at Wembley since its reconstruction, and marks 25 years since the Euro 1996 final, which Germany won in extra time.
With the UK government’s COVID-19 roadmap set to end restrictions on June 21, there is the prospect of a full Wembley stadium for the final.
Wembley has the largest capacity of all the stadiums in the European Championship, boasting 90,000 seats, which is 20,000 more than the stadium with the second largest capacity, Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Traditionally, the Euros are hosted by a single nation. The last tournament, Euro 2016, was hosted by France, who were defeated in the final by Portugal.
Both teams are now in the so-called “Group of Death”, Group F, alongside Germany and Hungary.
