The thirteen cities that will play host to the Euro 2020 tournament have been officially confirmed by UEFA President Michel Platini.
The announcement came early last Friday morning following a draw to decide which of the many hopeful nations that entered bids would be successful.
Celebrating the 60th anniversary since the first European Championship was held, the historic event will cover the entire continent, with the final to be played at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium.
It will be a welcome return for major international football to England, after being denied in their bids to hold the World Cup in 2006 and 2018.
“We’re delighted …Wembley is a great stadium and what a good idea this is to play a tournament across Europe, congratulations to UEFA,” said FA Chairman Greg Dyke.
With the semi-finals also set to be held at the 90,000 seat arena, manager Roy Hodgson sees an invaluable opportunity for an England team currently blossoming with fresh talent.
“For the young team that is emerging, many of those players will be at their best football years in 2020,” said Hodgson.
“If the young players of today don’t use this to spur them on then they are making a mistake.
“By 2020 some of them will be playing their fifth tournament and that is the type of experience you can’t buy.”
The one time only format will showcase the great cities of Europe, spanning every corner of the region from Rome to Copenhagen.
Each of the other thirteen successful cities will receive different game ‘packages’, with three group stage games and a quarter-final or semi-final to be played at each location.
A number of new venues have already been proposed across the continent as smaller nations prepare for their chance to be a part of football history.
The 68,000 seat Baku Olympic Stadium will be constructed in Azerbaijan, the first time a major football event will be held in the far-Eastern European country which gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
The responsibility of hosting the tournament will bring extra incentive to the tiny Republic of only 9,000,000, never having qualified for an international football competition.
“I’m very proud and happy…It’s a big deal to get the right to host such a big tournament,” said former national team hero Nazim Suleymanov.
“I believe our national team will give the fans something to cheer about with their performances and results.”
New stadiums will also be built in the historic cities of Brussels and Budapest, while grounds in Amsterdam and Munich will be expanded in expectation of huge attendance numbers.
The 2020 tournament will also feature an expanded line-up of teams, as 24 European nations will compete for one of the most prestigious crowns in world football.
Regardless of being granted host status or not, all teams will still have to take part in the qualification stages, which are tentatively scheduled to begin in late 2018.
The possibilities seem endless looking forward toward the tournament, as superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will probably be nearing the end of their storied careers in six years’ time.
However it will provide a continental stage for players from the new generation to create legacy-defining moments, with young standouts such as Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling and PSG’s Adrien Rabiot expected to be reaching their peak form.
UEFA’s decision has been praised by managers, players and fans across the world, all eager to prove once again that football can unite nations in what will undoubtedly be an unmissable event.
UEFA 2020 Host Cities
Group Stage and Round of 16/Quarter-Final
Baku (Azerbaijan)
Brussels (Belgium)
Copenhagen (Denmark)
Munich (Germany)
Budapest (Hungary)
Dublin (Ireland)
Rome (Italy)
Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Bucharest (Romania)
St Petersburg (Russia)
Glasgow (Scotland)
Bilbao (Spain)
Semi-Final/Final
London (England)
