The Euro2020 is set to be the 16th UEFA European Championship. It takes place every four yearsand isorganized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The soccer competition was originally scheduled forJune 12 to July 12, 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournamentwas delayed for a wholeyear and is now rescheduled to start on June 11 and end onJuly 11, 2021.
The Wembley Stadium in London is set to host the Semi-Finals and the Finalsince it has thehighest capacity of all of the stadiums. The Stadio Olimpico in Rome has been selected as the opening venue. The tournament was originally meant to have 13 host venues, but two of them werelater removed.Brussels, and Dublin. As a result, itwill be held in 11 cities in 11 differentcountries.
Spain has moved its host city to Seville from Bilbao. Portugal, who dominated the Euro2016, are the defending champions. The VARwill make its debut in this tournament at the European Championship in 2021.
Euro 2020: Why is it celebrated every four years?
The UEFA European Championship trophy is displayed next to the logo for the UEFA EURO 2020 tournament. (Getty)
Many important sports competitions, like the Olympic Games, the World Cup, the UEFA European Championship, the RugbyWorld Cup are held every four years, Traditionally, Olympic Games took place every fouryears in ancient Greece. This tradition is still respected by modern Olympic games. Since there was no economic demand on the host early in modern Olympics, it isnot commercially viable todaythat they are held in a period of fewer than four years.
For other major tournaments, such as the Euro 2020 and others, the dilemma is the same. New stadiums cost a grand sum of moneyand each nation that organizes the Euro 2020 must build them, or at least have stadiums that apply to the requirements set by UEFA. The host is often established earlier and the city or country has a lot of preparation time – usually8 to 12 years.
Another issue is that it could collide with anothermajorcompetition. For example, if theWorld Cup continues to takeplaceevery four years, and the European Championship is celebrated every three years, the two events would eventually have to take place simultaneously once every 12 years. Considering the fact that there are European nations who qualify for the World Cup, it would beimpossible for this tohappen.
