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The thirteen cities that will play host to the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2014/04/28/why-uefa-2020-will-be-the-most-exciting-summer-tournament-ever/">Euro 2020</a> 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&nbsp;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.&nbsp;
“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 <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2014/09/15/revista-de-la-liga-discuss-possible-ronaldo-return-to-manchester-united-video/">Cristiano Ronaldo</a> 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)

UEFA Announce Euro 2020 Host Cities

UEFA Announce Euro 2020 Host Cities - World Soccer Talk

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Before the final whistle had sounded, the brow-furrowing and hand-wringing and calls for Carlo Ancelotti’s head had already begun. Real Madrid, looking less than resplendent in their hot pink away kits, were staring at a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad – a team they beat 9-1 on aggregate last year and a team they had not lost to since 2004. Just two matches into the season, the outlook in Madrid seems to have taken a drastic turn southward. Adding James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos in the offseason had Real fans dreaming of a triple. Now, after the Sociedad loss and an unimpressive opener against promoted Cordoba, clouds have started to form over El Bernabeu.
The question now remains – are the clouds here to stay, or is it merely a storm passing through? Luckily for Madrid fans, Los Blancos’ rough start is most likely an aberration – a result of the team working to gel with new additions Kroos and Rodriguez, while coping with the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and the departure of Xabi Alonso. Rome was not built in a day, and sporting empires are not typically built in a single match.
The biggest problem facing Madrid is luckily one that will eventually come to pass, and that is Ronaldo’s flagging health. Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Rodriguez are three of the best strikers in the world, yet they are not Ronaldo. When a team is built around a talent as transcendent as Ronaldo, no amalgam of players can compensate for his absence. As well as Bale and Benzema played during Madrid’s title run last year, they were playing with Ronaldo most of the time. Bale and Rodriguez are both insanely promising talents, yet they are both still young and need more time to develop into the kind of strikers that and offense can be built around. Until Ronaldo returns to full health, this is not the same side that looked so dominant last year.
While that problem will eventually solve itself, the other problems facing them are more permanent. The first is the departure of Alonso to Bayern Munich. This is mitigated by the earlier arrival of Kroos, who is highly talented and eight years younger. However, while Kroos is probably a more talented midfielder, he lacks the experience and intelligence of Alonso. Although Ronaldo is the club’s leading player, Alonso was the heart and soul of Real for the past five years. That cannot be replaced immediately, and it it will take time for the team to figure out who they are now that the former Liverpool man is gone. For the meantime the side’s raw talent should be enough to compensate for the loss of Alonso. &nbsp;A combination of veteran leadership from Ronaldo and Iker Casillas should also help.
The final problem facing Madrid is the most difficult to rankle with, and that will be incorporating new additions Rodriguez and Kroos into the lineup. In theory, more talent will bring about more success, but talent must be integrated and utilized correctly for it to be truly effective.
The solution to this problem is actually very straightforward, but it is not a quick fix by any means. The only real solution to this problem is time. The more time the teams spends together, the greater chance they have of becoming a cohesive unit. This is also dependent on Ancelotti’s coaching abilities and the team’s leadership. Kroos and Rodriguez are far too talented to fail in Madrid, especially when world-class talent like Gareth Bale and Ronaldo surrounds them. Their success may not come immediately, but the powers that be in Madrid will be able to help expedite the process.
The road to the treble will never be an easy one to traverse. Right now, for Los Merengues, it may seem as if the end of the trail is so far out of sight that it does not exist. Just because clouds may obscure it now, however, does not mean that it is not there. So hold tight, Los Blancos. The clouds are dissipating ever so slowly and right now patience is a virtue.

Patience Necessary For Ancelotti And His New Real Madrid Talents

Patience Necessary For Ancelotti And His New Real Madrid Talents - World Soccer Talk

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UEFA Announce Euro 2020 Host Cities

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Patience Necessary For Ancelotti And His New Real Madrid Talents