Euro 2020 to be Staged in Multiple Countries

December 6, 2012

The Euro 2020 Championships will be staged in multiple cities across the continent, UEFA have announced. 

The decision was taken by UEFA’s executive committee at a meeting in Lausanne on Thursday.

It means there will be no one country hosting the tournament. The Football Association have already put forward Wembley to UEFA as a possible venue for the final.

The announcement will also give hope to Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland hosting some Euro 2020 matches – they too have already expressed their interest to UEFA.

UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino (pictured) told a press conference after the meeting: “Some important decisions have been taken.

“UEFA Euro 2020 will be staged across the continent, in various major cities, following a decision taken today [Thursday]. A Euro for Europe follows an initial idea by UEFA president Michel Platini.

“The response has been extremely positive from all the national associations.”

Turkey had initially bid to host Euro 2020 and the country’s UEFA vice-president Senes Erzik opposed the decision, Infantino confirmed.

The format and number of cities that will be involved in the tournament will be decided by UEFA’s national teams committee.

Infantino said the bidding process for the host cities would start in March and would take a year with decisions made in the spring of 2014.

The German Football Association also backed the plan.

President Wolfgang Niersbach, said: “We have expected this decision and regard it as absolutely positive. The UEFA’s National Team Competitions Committee, of which I am part of, now has the task to develop the concept for Euro 2020.

“I can already announce: We want to make an application as a host for one German city.”

Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who is the chief of the European Club Association, also threw his weight behind the proposals and is hopeful of Munich becoming a host city.

“It is a good sign in times of a unified Europe and in times of Euro crisis. It is better to fall back on one already existing structure,” Rummenigge said.

“I am wishing and hoping for Munich to be nominated as one of the host cities.”

Former Wembley CEO, Michael Cunnah played up Wembley’s chances of hosting the final.

“Wembley has every chance of hosting the final because it is one of the biggest stadiums in Europe with the best facilities. It is in a city with fantastic transport and communication links,” he told iSportconnect.

UEFA also decided that the 2013/14 European women’s under-17 tournament will be hosted in England.