UEFA confirms EURO 2020 will ‘still be known as EURO 2020’ despite being postponed to 2021.
Early this week, UEFA confirms that has decided to postpone the scheduled European Championship until 2021.
It has been decided that the showpiece Euros will now take place between June 11 to July 11 next year.
Now a statement from UEFA claims the tournament will remain known as ‘EURO 2020’.
The UEFA answers some key questions about the reasons behind the decision to postpone EURO by a year and put all other competitions on hold, and look at what it means for the immediate future of European football:
When will European football get back to normal?
It is too early to say when football will be played again. As we have done since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, UEFA will continue to liaise with the World Health Organization (WHO) and national authorities to guide European football’s response to a constantly changing crisis.
Why has UEFA given club football competitions priority over the EURO?
We believe moving EURO 2020 is the best solution for European football. We hope it will help all international and domestic competitions that are currently on hold to be completed.
The consensus behind this approach, which bridges our 55 member associations, FIFPro and representatives of Europe’s leagues and clubs, underlines the football community’s unity in addressing the impact of COVID-19. In a time of unprecedented challenges, our sport is demonstrating its best qualities: strength, solidarity and tolerance.
EURO 2020 was going to take place in 12 host countries to celebrate the competition’s 60th anniversary. Will next summer’s tournament keep the same format, venues – and name?
We trust that all of our venues will remain the same, ensuring the tournament remains true to its original vision: staging a truly Europe-wide event that befits the EURO’s 60th birthday. The tournament will still be known as UEFA EURO 2020.
How will teams qualify for next season’s European club competitions if domestic leagues cannot be finished?
It is too early to answer this question and our objective is to ensure that all domestic competitions can be completed.
Will EURO 2020 tickets be refunded?
Yes, in full. But ticket holders will be also given the chance to keep their tickets for 2021. UEFA will proactively contact all ticket holders in due course.
How will UEFA minimise the economic impact of its decisions on clubs and national associations?
UEFA will work hard to minimise the impact on its 55 member associations, many of whom rely on funding from the EURO to implement vital grassroots and development work in their countries. Matches already postponed will be rescheduled and we will undertake all efforts possible to ensure that the EUROs will be staged in 2021 in the same conditions as originally foreseen.
By postponing EURO 2020, we have given ongoing European club competitions and domestic leagues the best chance to be completed and, therefore, to minimise any adverse financial impact.
How is COVID-19 affecting UEFA’s day-to-day work at its Nyon headquarters in Switzerland?
Following decisions taken by the Swiss authorities and as part of precautionary measures to safeguard the health of all UEFA employees, on 16 March we asked all staff based at our Swiss headquarters to work from home for the foreseeable future. The aim, as far as possible in current circumstances, is to maintain ‘business as usual’.