The UEFA Euro 2020, a highly anticipated football tournament, has been officially postponed to 2021. This decision, made by UEFA in agreement with key governing bodies on Tuesday, comes as a response to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic that has brought sports and numerous aspects of daily life to a standstill.
Originally planned to be held across Europe from June 12 to July 12, 2020, to celebrate UEFA’s 60th anniversary, the 24-team European Championship will now take place from June 11 to July 11, 2021. This postponement is a significant move aimed at prioritizing public health and allowing domestic football leagues across Europe to complete their seasons, which have been disrupted by the widespread health crisis.
UEFA announced the decision following an emergency video conference held on Tuesday. The conference included representatives from all 55 of its member national associations, as well as club and league representatives. During this crucial meeting, UEFA also confirmed the suspension of all UEFA competitions and matches, including friendlies, for both club and national teams, men and women, until further notice. This comprehensive suspension includes the highly anticipated playoff matches that were scheduled to determine the final lineup for the Euro 2020 tournament.
This postponement offers a window for European domestic leagues, which have been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, to reschedule and complete their seasons. UEFA has established a working group, comprising league and club representatives, to explore calendar solutions that would facilitate the completion of the current season and address any other consequences arising from Tuesday’s decisions.
“We are at the helm of a sport that vast numbers of people live and breathe that has been laid low by this invisible and fast-moving opponent,” stated UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin in a public statement. He emphasized the need for unity and responsibility within the football community during these unprecedented times. “It is at times like these, that the football community needs to show responsibility, unity, solidarity and altruism.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Ceferin further described the situation as “the biggest crisis that football faced in history.” He highlighted the widespread impact of the virus across Europe, making normal life, including football, impossible. “We all know that this terrible virus that is all across Europe made football and all life in Europe quite impossible. We knew we have to stop the competitions.”
Originally, sixteen playoff matches were scheduled for March 26 and 31 to finalize the nations participating in the tournament. These matches are now tentatively rescheduled to be played in the international window at the beginning of June, pending a review of the evolving situation.
The UEFA European Championship is a significant revenue generator for UEFA, estimated at around €2 billion from sponsors and broadcasters. These stakeholders, like many businesses, will also experience the economic repercussions of the virus, which is causing widespread disruption across Europe.
“The economic situation in Europe and in the world will harm us as well,” Ceferin acknowledged to the AP. He pointed out that the financial impact extends beyond the direct losses from postponing the Euro 2020, affecting the broader economy. Despite the challenges, Ceferin expressed optimism: “And now today, it’s time for unity and for deciding. And tomorrow, it’s time to start assessing the possible damages. But I still think I’m sure that we all together will finish this and come. We will come out stronger than ever.”
The global sports calendar has faced significant disruptions, with numerous high-profile events being cancelled or suspended. The fate of the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled for this year, remains uncertain. Europe’s top five domestic soccer leagues—England, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany—are all currently suspended, alongside major UEFA club competitions like the Champions League and Europa League, as well as World Cup qualifiers.
UEFA later stated its intention to conclude all domestic and European club competitions by June 30, 2020, at the latest. Sources have indicated to ESPN that major Spanish clubs, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, expressed “satisfaction and relief” regarding the Euro 2020 postponement, appreciating UEFA’s understanding towards club football. Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish FA, echoed UEFA’s hope to complete domestic league seasons by late June.
The English and French football associations, along with Andrea Agnelli, chairman of the European Club Association and president of Juventus, also quickly voiced their support for the decision to postpone the Euro 2020.
Adding to the global rescheduling of major football events, the 2020 Copa America, originally planned to be hosted in 12 nations, was also postponed to 2021. CONMEBOL, the South American Football Confederation, confirmed this parallel postponement.
With both Euro 2020 and Copa America moved to next year, this provides crucial flexibility for domestic competitions worldwide to be concluded once the pandemic situation improves. Clubs across Europe had been strongly advocating for prioritizing domestic leagues, fearing substantial financial losses from uncompleted seasons due to lost ticket revenue and matchday income, while still needing to cover player salaries.
“UEFA tabled a range of options so that competitions can finish this season safely, and I am proud of the response of my colleagues across European football,” Ceferin commented, highlighting the collaborative effort within European football to address the crisis.
While the postponement is welcomed by domestic leagues, the international football calendar for 2021 is now significantly congested. Moving Euro 2020 to June 11-July 11, 2021, directly clashes with a slot previously reserved by FIFA for its expanded Club World Cup, which was planned to include eight European clubs. The FIFA Club World Cup’s future in 2021 is now uncertain.
The Women’s European Championship, scheduled to be held in England in the summer, and FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup in China, penciled in for June 17-July 4, also face potential rescheduling.
“I spoke to the FIFA president [Gianni Infantino] this morning,” Ceferin mentioned. “I told him that it’s likely to happen, that the Euro will be postponed to 2021. And of course, it’s my opinion and I think it’s the only possible solution that the Club World Cup that year [2021] cannot happen.”
Ceferin indicated that the Women’s Euro is “most likely” to be moved to 2022, to avoid overlapping with the rescheduled men’s Euro. “I don’t think that we should cannibalize the women’s Euro with the men’s Euro just one month before,” he explained.
The planned host cities for Euro 2020, a unique tournament spread across the continent, included Glasgow, Dublin, Bilbao, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Munich, Rome, St Petersburg, Bucharest, Budapest, and Baku, with the final match set for London’s Wembley Stadium.
“The plan is to have the same venues, the same cities, the same stadiums,” Ceferin confirmed. He added contingency plans are in place if necessary. “But if anything gets complicated, then we can as well do it with 11, then nine or less stadiums. But the plan is that everything stays the same.”
Following UEFA’s announcement, FIFA president Gianni Infantino released a statement confirming a scheduled conference call to discuss the measures taken by UEFA and to plan the next steps for global football in light of these changes.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this report.
