Euro 2020: A Complete Guide

The 16th edition of the European Championships is scheduled to start on July 11, 2021 after being pushed back by 12 months, no thanks to the Coronavirus. The Euro 2020 will be played across 11 different venues including leading European cities like London, Glasgow, Munich and Rome to name a few. Statistically speaking, the UEFA European Championship is the 3rd most popular football sporting event in the world and the Euro 2020 is estimated to bring in a global live audience of over 5 billion viewers. This guide to the Euro 2020 will touch upon some of the most important questions you need answers to as a viewer. So, let’s get started.

What Is the UEFA European Championship?

The UEFA European Football Championship, commonly known as the Euros, is a premier football competition played by the senior men’s national teams of members of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), with the sole objective of deciding Europe’s continental champion. This football tournament has been held every four years since 1960, except for 2020, when it was postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. 

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Why Is It Called ‘Euro 2020’ Even Though It Is Being Played In 2021?

This tournament was originally slated for 2020 however, it got pushed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the postponement of UEFA EURO 2020 to the summer of 2021 and after a thorough internal review as well as several discussions with partners, the UEFA Executive Committee decided that the tournament would still be known as EURO 2020. This decision allows UEFA to keep the original vision of the tournament, which was set to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the European Football Championship (1960–2020).

Which Teams Have The Best Chance Of Winning The Euro 2020?

England

“It’s coming home!” exclaimed the whole of the UK when Kieran Trippier dispatched a 25-yard free-kick against Croatia, in the 2018 World Cup semi-final. 3 years on and the football-crazed fans of England still believe that their national team is good enough to clinch European silverware this year, and we can’t blame them. Gareth Southgate has arguably one of the best squads in the tournament. If England can handle the pressure and find the right balance in their starting XI, I see no reason why England cannot secure their first-ever UEFA European Championship. 

France

Many believe that France are favourites to win the Euro 2020. With an attacking lineup consisting of Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe, it’s hard to argue otherwise. The squad depth of France is truly frightening as they have a world-class replacement for virtually every position. This could be their trump card as having the luxury of rotating players after such a gruelling domestic season is immense. You are one lucky guy, Mr Didier Deschamps.

Portugal

The Cristiano Ronaldo led Portugal have a great chance of securing consecutive European championships. By virtue of being reigning champions, Portugal are one of the favourites to go the distance. However, they have a difficult path to the knockout rounds as they’ve been drawn in Group F, the Euro 2020’s “Group of Death”. Portugal will have to compete against France, Germany and Hungary in order to reach the Round of 16. While these fixtures will be a treat for every football fan around the world, I am certain that Ronaldo and Co will be dreading these matches.  

Spain

The Spanish national team or simply, La Roja, are a team in transition. They have certainly failed to live up to the massive highs that they achieved when they won the World Cup and Euro in 2010 and 2012 respectively. Devoid of generational talents like Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and David Villa to name a few, Spain have often struggled at recently held major tournaments. Moreover, they will miss the presence of their superstar defender, Sergio Ramos, who is out of the Euro 2020 due to an injury. Manager Luis Enrique will have to rely on his young (read – inexperienced) squad to pull off a massive coup. Lady Luck sure seems to be wearing the Spain jersey as they’ve been given a group consisting of Poland, Sweden and Slovakia.

Croatia

The 2018 World Cup Runners Up – Croatia start the Euro 2020 as underdogs. The hallmark of this Croatia squad is undoubtedly their midfield – Luka Modrić, Ivan Rakitić and Mateo Kovačić (who just won the UEFA Champions League with EPL football club Chelsea). Just like Portugal, Croatia’s path to the knockout stage does not look easy. They need to overcome the likes of England, Czech Republic and Scotland, who are all endowed with world-class players. 

Belgium

It is a little shocking to know that, Belgium, the #1 team in the FIFA World Rankings, last won a major football tournament back in the 1920 Summer Olympics. However, with every passing year, it seems as though are one step closer to winning silverware. Belgium has produced many global footballing icons such as Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois who are in the ‘prime’ of their careers right now. The current Belgium squad has a heady blend of young and experienced players, all dancing to the tune of manager Roberto Martínez. 

Italy

The Azzurri will consider themselves as the ‘dark horse’ of the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship. Gone are the days of Italy absolutely dominating the world of football. A lot of this decline can be attributed to lacklustre manager appointments and an inexperienced squad. However, the current Italian squad march into the 2020 Euro with a manager who has rejuvenated the Italian side that had suffered huge disappointment after failing to qualify for the World Cup in Russia. Moreover, the manager has selected a squad that is sprinkled with experienced campaigners such as Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Marco Verratti and Ciro Immobile to name a few.

Germany 

There’s really no telling what this team is capable of. One day they will beat 5-time World Cup Winners Brazil 7-1 and on another, they will lose to minnows North Macedonia. However, the current German national football team or Die Mannschaft, as they are called in Germany, can take solace in the fact that their squad has some of the best young & upcoming football players in the world. They can rely on the likes of Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala, Timo Werner, Leroy Sane who are between the ages of 18-25 to win them the important matches.

PS. Spare a thought for World Cup winner Mario Gotze who hasn’t featured for the German national team since the lead up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Netherlands

The Netherlands will be looking to burst back onto the scene after their recent struggles on the international stage since finishing third at the 2014 World Cup. The Oranje raised a lot of eyebrows when they failed to qualify for the most recent major tournaments in 2016 and 2018. High manager attrition contributed to their decline, however, with the appointment of Frank de Boer (a list of promising, young players), I’m sure there is some semblance of optimism among the Dutch camp. 

What Do The Euro 202 Fixtures Look Like?

All the matches of the Euro 2020 will be held across 11 European cities in football stadiums located in London, Seville, Glasgow, Copenhagen, Budapest, Amsterdam, Bucharest, Rome, Munich, Baku and Saint Petersburg. All kick-off times are shown in CET (Central European Time).

The draw

GROUP STAGE

Friday 11 June

Group A: Turkey vs Italy (21:00, Rome)

Saturday 12 June

Group A: Wales vs Switzerland (15:00, Baku)

Group B: Denmark vs Finland (18:00, Copenhagen)

Group B: Belgium vs Russia (21:00, St Petersburg)

Sunday 13 June

Group D: England vs Croatia (15:00, London)

Group C: Austria vs North Macedonia (18:00, Bucharest)

Group C: Netherlands vs Ukraine (21:00, Amsterdam)

Monday 14 June

Group D: Scotland vs Czech Republic (15:00, Glasgow)

Group E: Poland vs Slovakia (18:00, St Petersburg)

Group E: Spain vs Sweden (21:00, Seville)

Tuesday 15 June

Group F: Hungary vs Portugal (18:00, Budapest)

Group F: France vs Germany (21:00, Munich)

Wednesday 16 June

Group B: Finland vs Russia (15:00, St Petersburg)

Group A: Turkey vs Wales (18:00, Baku)

Group A: Italy vs Switzerland (21:00, Rome)

Thursday 17 June

Group C: Ukraine vs North Macedonia (15:00, Bucharest)

Group B: Denmark vs Belgium (18:00, Copenhagen)

Group C: Netherlands vs Austria (21:00, Amsterdam)

Friday 18 June

Group E: Sweden vs Slovakia (15:00, St Petersburg)

Group D: Croatia vs Czech Republic (18:00, Glasgow)

Group D: England vs Scotland (21:00, London)

Saturday 19 June

Group F: Hungary vs France (15:00, Budapest)

Group F: Portugal vs Germany (18:00, Munich)

Group E: Spain vs Poland (21:00, Seville)

Sunday 20 June

Group A: Italy vs Wales (18:00, Rome)

Group A: Switzerland vs Turkey (18:00, Baku)

Monday 21 June

Group C: North Macedonia vs Netherlands (18:00, Amsterdam)

Group C: Ukraine vs Austria (18:00, Bucharest)

Group B: Russia vs Denmark (21:00, Copenhagen)

Group B: Finland vs Belgium (21:00, St Petersburg)

Tuesday 22 June

Group D: Czech Republic vs England (21:00, London)

Group D: Croatia vs Scotland (21:00, Glasgow)

Wednesday 23 June

Group E: Slovakia vs Spain (18:00, Seville)

Group E: Sweden vs Poland (18:00, St Petersburg)

Group F: Germany vs Hungary (21:00, Munich)

Group F: Portugal v France (21:00, Budapest)

The top two in each group plus the four best third-placed teams go through.

Rest days on 24 and 25 June

KNOCKOUT PHASE

Round of 16

Saturday 26 June

1: 2A vs 2B (18:00, Amsterdam)

2: 1A vs 2C (21:00, London)

Sunday 27 June

3: 1C vs 3D/E/F (18:00, Budapest)

4: 1B vs 3A/D/E/F (21:00, Seville)

Monday 28 June

5: 2D vs 2E (18:00, Copenhagen)

6: 1F vs 3A/B/C (21:00, Bucharest)

Tuesday 29 June

7: 1D vs 2F (18:00, London)

8: 1E vs 3A/B/C/D (21:00, Glasgow)

Rest days on 30 June and 1 July

Quarter-finals

Friday 2 July

QF1: Winner 6 vs Winner 5 (18:00, St Petersburg)

QF2: Winner 4 vs Winner 2 (21:00, Munich)

Saturday 3 July

QF3: Winner 3 vs Winner 1 (18:00, Baku)

QF4: Winner 8 vs Winner 7 (21:00, Rome)

Rest days on 4 and 5 July

Semi-finals

Tuesday 6 July

SF1: Winner QF2 vs Winner QF1 (21:00, London)

Wednesday 7 July

SF2: Winner QF4 vs Winner QF3 (21:00, London)

Rest days on 8, 9, 10 July

Final

Sunday 11 July

Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 (21:00, London)

Do let us know in the comments section if you will watch the Euro 2020 and which team you will be supporting!