UEFA is understood to have abandoned plans to hold the rescheduled 2020 European Championship in 12 different countries, with Russia set to take over as sole host.
The tournament was to be held last summer, celebrating its 60th anniversary with an unprecedented format. England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Spain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Hungary, Romania, Azerbaijan and indeed Russia were all due to host games, even the final one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Postponed from
The plan was to go ahead with the tournament as planned in the summer of 2021, but with the virus spreading in almost every host country as 2020 draws to a close, that scenario appears unlikely.
According to Le Parisien, UEFA will likely change the format of Euro 2021 from 12 host nations to just one, with Russia the favorite to take over the mantle. https://t.co/12Gq7TFnQm
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) November 2, 2020
French publication Le Parisien, via GFFN, states that UEFA’s original plans have changed drastically, and it is no longer considered viable for 12 different countries to host players, staff and fans from all continents.
The report suggested that the tournament could now only be held in Russia, to limit the spread of the virus as much as possible.
The idea of Russia as a host country owes much to the relatively low spread of the coronavirus in the country, with the infection rate at 1.6m since the start of March – a big number on the surface, but proportionally small when you think about it. . population of the country.
Having hosted the 2018 World Cup, Russia has the facilities and means to host a major tournament, while the sheer size of the country allows sports to spread far and wide.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia was a success despite early skeptics/Catherine Ivel/Getty Images
UEFA are yet to confirm the reports, but they will be keen to finalize the plans as soon as possible. The tournament line-up will be finalized in the coming international break, with four play-off matches – Serbia v Scotland, Northern Ireland v Slovakia, Hungary v Iceland and Georgia v North Macedonia – to determine the final four participants. are ready for