Euro 2020 Guide

Originally scheduled to take place during June and July 2020, Euro 2020 is now scheduled planned to take place from 11 June 2021 to 11 July 2021. However, the tournament format is set to remain as first planned, with an expanded 24-team format and 12 cities from across Europe hosting the games. The tournament will still be called Euro 2020 rather than Euro 2021.

Euro 2020 Qualification

UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers started on 21 March 2019, with UEFA’s 55 teams being split into 10 groups featuring five or six teams each.

The draw for the qualifiers took place in Dublin on 2 December 2018, with teams split into six different pots based on their FIFA World Rankings, while there was also a special UEFA Nations League pot for teams that had qualified for the Nations League finals – although this essentially formed an extension to pot 1.

During qualification, each team then played each other team in their group twice – once on home territory and once away. Three points were awarded for a win and one point was awarded for a draw. The top two teams from each group automatically qualified for Euro 2020, which provided the first 20 teams for the tournament.

Two teams qualified with 100% winning records during qualification (Belgium and Italy), while Spain and Ukraine also upheld unbeaten records. After finishing after runners-up in Group J, Finland qualified for a major football tournament for the first time.

  • England (Group A)
  • Czech Republic (Group A)
  • Ukraine (Group B)
  • Portugal (Group B)
  • Germany (Group C)
  • Netherlands (Group C)
  • Switzerland (Group D)
  • Denmark (Group D)
  • Croatia (Group E)
  • Wales (Group E)
  • Spain (Group F)
  • Sweden (Group F)
  • Poland (Group G)
  • Austria (Group G)
  • France (Group H)
  • Turkey (Group H)
  • Belgium (Group I)
  • Russia (Group I)
  • Italy (Group J)
  • Finland (Group J)

Euro 2020 betting sites

Euro 2020 Play-Offs

The final four teams will be decided through a knockout play-off tournament. Teams that won their 2018 UEFA Nations League group were automatically awarded a place in the play-offs. However, if the team had already qualified for the tournament, the next highest place team were given their spot instead. 16 teams will battle it out for the final four Euro 2020 places, with a two-legged semi-final first taking place, before the winner of each semi-final from each of the four play-off “paths” will meet in a one-off final to determine which team will qualify for the tournament.

Path A Path B Path C Path D
Iceland Bosnia and Herzegovina Scotland Georgia
Bulgaria Slovakia Norway North Macedonia
Hungary Republic of Ireland Serbia Kosovo
Romania Northern Ireland Israel Belarus

Euro 2020 Groups

The draw for the Euro 2020 group stage took place in Bucharest on 30 November 2019. Teams will be split into six groups of four teams for the first stage of the tournament. Each team will play each other team in their group once, with three points for a win and one point for a draw. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the last 16, along with four third-placed teams with the best records (based on points and then goal difference).

Teams were split into four pots for the group stage draw. These pots were determined by each team’s performance during qualification, with final position in the group, points and then goal difference being the three primary factors. Each of the Euro 2020 groups can be seen below.

Group A

Half of Group A’s fixtures will take place in the Olympic Stadium in Baku (Azerbaijan), while each of Italy’s games will take place in Rome’s Estadio Olimpico.

After qualifying with a flawless record, Roberto Mancini’s Italy will be hoping to win the European Championships for the first time since 1968, having also finished as runners-up in 2000 and 2012.

Group A Method of Qualification
Turkey Group H runners-up
Italy Group J winners
Wales Group E runners-up
Switzerland Group D winners

Group B

Group B game’s will be hosted between Copenhagen and Saint Petersburg, with Denmark enjoying home territory for each of their games, while Russia will be based on home soil before travelling to Copenhagen for their final group game against the Danes.

Many people see Euro 2020 as a big opportunity for Belgium’s “golden generation”, after finishing in third place for the 2018 World Cup.

Group B Method of Qualification
Denmark Group D runners-up
Finland Group J runners-up
Belgium Group I winners
Russia Group I runners-up

Group C

The Netherlands will enjoy home advantage in Amsterdam for each of their group G’s matches while the remaining fixtures will be played in Bucharest. The Netherlands, Ukraine and Austria be joined by the winner from play-off path D, that is unless Romania win path A, in which case they will enter group C.

Group C Method of Qualification
Netherlands Group C runners-up
Ukraine Group B winners
Austria Group G runners-up
Play-off winner from path D or A Play-offs

Group D

England’s Group D games will all take place at the famous Wembley Stadium in London, while the rest of the group games will also take place in the United Kingdom, at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

Czech Republic will face the Three Lions once again have been in the same qualifying group, while Croatia – who beat England in the World Cup semi-finals – also join them.

Group D Method of Qualification
England Group A winners
Croatia Group E winners
Play-off winner from path C Play-offs
Czech Republic Group A runners-up

Group E

2010 European Championship winners, Spain, will be hoping to reclaim their title and will enjoy advantage of home soil as they play their group games in Bilbao. The rest of the games will take place in Dublin, where the Republic of Ireland may enjoy home advantage if they win the path B play-offs.

Group E Method of Qualification
Spain Group F winners
Sweden Group F runners-up
Poland Group G winners
Play-off winner from path B Play-offs

Group F

Widely agreed to be the “group of death”, Group F contains the 2018 World Cup winners France, Euro 2016 winners Portugal and 2014 World Cup winners. They’ll be joined by a Path A play-off team (Bulgaria, Hungary or Iceland) unless Romania win Path A, in which case a Path D team (Georgia, Belarus, North Macedonia or Kosovo) will enter Group F.

Germany will enjoy home advantage in Munich, while the rest of the game’s will be played in Budapest.

Group F Method of Qualification
Play-off winner from path A or D Play-offs
Portugal Group B runners-up
France Group H winners
Germany Group C winners

Euro 2020 Top Players

There’ll be no shortage of global superstars on show at Euro 2020.

Cristiano Ronaldo moved level with Michel Platini as the tournament’s all-time top goalscorer as he helped Portugal lift the trophy in 2016. One more goal will see him move clear as the top scorer. That said, Antoine Griezmann is just three goals behind him and so could also surpass that record.

What’s more, if Ronaldo plays a single minute in the 2020 tournament, he will become the first player to ever play in five separate tournaments. Only Iker Casillas has previously made five different squads, but he didn’t appear in either 2000 or 2016.

European Championships – Top Goalscorers Editions
Michel Platini (9) 1984
Cristiano Ronaldo (9) 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
Alan Shearer (7) 1992, 1996, 2000
Antoine Griezmann (6) 2016
Ruud van Nistelrooy (6) 2004, 2008
Patrick Kluivert (6) 1996, 2000
Wayne Rooney (6) 2004, 2012, 2016
Thierry Henry (6) 2000, 2004, 2008
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (6) 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
Nuno Gomes (6) 2004, 2008, 2012

Other key players that are likely to be among the top scorers are France’s Kylian Mbappe, England’s Harry Kane (who was top scorer in qualifying with 12 goals) and Raheem Sterling and Belgium’s Eden Hazard

Euro 2020 Hosts

Unlike previous editions where there are one or two host nations, there will be 12 different Euro 2020 hosts from 12 different cities across Europe in the summer of 2021. Each group will be staged in two different cities, with each of the Euro 2020 stadiums listed below.

Stadium Capacity City Fixtures
Wembley Stadium 90,000 London, England Group D, Last 16 (Match 37), Semi-Finals and Final
Allianz Arena 75,000 Munich, Germany Group F and Quarter Final (Match 46)
Stadio Olimpico 72,698 Rome, Italy Group A and Quarter Final (Match 48)
Olympic Stadium 68,700 Baku, Azerbaijan Group A and Quarter Final (Match 47)
Krestovsky Stadium 68,134 Saint Petersburg, Russia Group B and Quarter Final (Match 45)
Puskas Arena 67,215 Budapest, Hungary Group F and Last 16 (Match 40)
Arena Nationala 55,600 Bucharest, Romania Group C and Last 16 (Match 41)
Johan Cruyff Arena 54,990 Amsterdam, Netherlands Group C and Last 16 (Match 38)
San Mames 53,332 Bilbao, Spain Group E and Last 16 (Match 39)
Hampden Park 52,063 Glasgow, Scotland Group D and Last 16 (Match 43)
Aviva Stadium 51,700 Dublin, Ireland Group E and Last 16 (Match 44)
Parken Stadium 38,065 Copenhagen Denmark Group B and Last 16 (Match 42)

Each of the Euro 2020 venues will then host either a round of 16 game or a quarter final fixture. The semi-finals and final will all be held at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Where to Watch Euro 2020

You will be able to watch Euro 2020 from pretty much anywhere in the world via either a TV network or online streaming service. Sony Pictures Networks own full rights to show Euro 2020 in India, so you will most likely be able to watch Euro 2020 on one of their main sports channels, such as SONY SIX or SONY TEN.

It is also often possible to watch football live streams on sports betting websites such as ComeOn, UniBet or LeoVegas. The full schedule of Euro 2020 fixtures available to stream or watch on TV will be available shortly before the tournament starts.

Updated:

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Daniel Tafvelin
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