Wikivoyage:Past events/Euro 2020

The 2020 UEFA European Football Championships or Euro 2020 was held from 11 June to 11 July 2021.

To celebrate the competition's 60th anniversary, the tournament will be held across the entire European continent for the first time. Wembley Stadium in London, England will host the semi-finals and final.

The other host nations are Azerbaijan, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Scotland and Spain.

Ticket applications for the general public have now closed but a ticket resale service will be operated by UEFA in 2020, to enable the general public to buy unwanted tickets for face value.

Understand
Euro 2020 will be the 16th edition of the UEFA European Football Championships, which has traditionally been hosted by one host country or a pair of joint host countries. In 2012, then-UEFA President Michel Platini announced that the tournament would be hosted in several nations as a one-off event to celebrate the 60th anniversary since the first championship in 1960 as well as to limit the financial impact that hosting the tournament would have on a single nation after the European debt crisis. The tournament is one of the most prestigious in international football and is the second most important championships for European national teams after the FIFA World Cup.

19 nations bid to host the tournament and the 12 successful host nations were announced in 2014.

24 teams will take part in the tournament and the qualification tournament, which is underway, will conclude in March 2020. The championship will see 51 matches played, with teams initially divided into six groups before progressing to the knock-out phases of the competition. Qualified teams were drawn into groups for the final tournament on 30 November 2019, finalising the group stage fixtures.

Host cities
Twelve cities will be hosting matches during the tournament. To ensure that fans and teams don't have to travel too far during the group stage, the host cities have been divided into six pairings. Each pairing will host all the games of one group as follows:


 * Group A: Rome, Italy and Baku, Azerbaijan.
 * Group B: Saint Petersburg, Russia and Copenhagen, Denmark
 * Group C: Amsterdam, Netherlands and Bucharest, Romania
 * Group D: London, England and Glasgow, Scotland
 * Group E: Seville, Spain and St Petersburg, Russia
 * Group F: Munich, Germany and Budapest, Hungary

If the team of a host nation qualifies for the tournament, they will play their group matches in the pairing that includes their country. This will include a minimum of two matches at home.

Round of 16 matches will take place between 27 and 30 June in Bucharest, Copenhagen, Seville, London, Glasgow, St Petersburg, Budapest and Amsterdam.

Quarter-final matches will take place on 3 and 4 July in Saint Petersburg, Munich, Rome and Baku. Semi-final matches (7 and 8 July) and the final (12 July) will take place in London.

Matches:
 * Group C: 14 June (🇦🇹 Austria Austria v Play-off winner D or A), 18 June (🇺🇦 UkraineUkraine v Play-off winner D or A), 22 June (🇺🇦 UkraineUkraine v 🇦🇹 AustriaAustria)
 * Round of 16: 27 June

Matches:
 * Group A: 13 June (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 WalesWales v 🇮🇹 ItalyItaly), 17 June (🇹🇷 TurkeyTurkey v 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 WalesWales) and 21 June (🇨🇭 SwitzerlandSwitzerland v 🇹🇷 TurkeyTurkey)
 * Quarter-final: 4 July

Matches:
 * Group E: 15 June (🇪🇸 SpainSpain v 🇸🇪 SwedenSweden), 20 June (🇪🇸 SpainSpain v 🇵🇱 PolandPoland) and 24 June (Plat-off winner B v 🇪🇸 SpainSpain)
 * Round of 16: 28 June

Matches:
 * Group C: 14 June (🇦🇹 AustriaAustria v Play-off winner D or A), 18 June (🇺🇦 UkraineUkraine v Play-off winner D or A), 22 June (🇺🇦 UkraineUkraine v 🇦🇹 AustriaAustria)
 * Round of 16: 29 June



Matches:
 * Group F: 16 June (Play-off winner A or D v 🇵🇹 PortugalPortugal), 20 June (Play-off winner A or D v 🇫🇷 FranceFrance), 24 June (🇵🇹 PortugalPortugal v 🇫🇷 FranceFrance)
 * Round of 16: 28 June

Matches:
 * Group B: 13 June (🇩🇰 DenmarkDenmark v 🇫🇮 FinlandFinland), 18 June (🇩🇰 DenmarkDenmark v 🇧🇪 BelgiumBelgium) and 22 June (🇷🇺 RussiaRussia v 🇩🇰 DenmarkDenmark)
 * Round of 16: 29 June



Matches:
 * Group D: 15 June (Play-off winner C v 🇨🇿 Czech RepublicCzech Republic), 19 June (🇭🇷 CroatiaCroatia v 🇨🇿 Czech RepublicCzech Republic), 23 June (🇭🇷 CroatiaCroatia v Play-off winner C)
 * Round of 16: 30 June



Matches:
 * Group D: 14 June (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EnglandEngland v 🇭🇷 CroatiaCroatia), 19 June (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EnglandEngland v Play-off winner C), 23 June (🇨🇿 Czech RepublicCzech Republic v 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EnglandEngland)
 * Round of 16: 27 June
 * Semi-finals: 8 July, 8 July
 * Final: 12 July



Matches:
 * Group F: 16 June (🇫🇷 FranceFrance v 🇩🇪 GermanyGermany), 20 June (🇵🇹 PortugalPortugal v 🇩🇪 GermanyGermany), 24 June (🇩🇪 GermanyGermany v Play-off winner A or D)
 * Quarter-final: 3 July

Matches:
 * Group A: 12 June (🇹🇷 TurkeyTurkey v 🇮🇹 ItalyItaly), 17 June (🇮🇹 ItalyItaly v 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandSwitzerland), 21 June (🇮🇹 ItalyItaly v 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 WalesWales)
 * Quarter-final: 4 July



Matches:
 * Group B: 13 June (🇧🇪 BelgiumBelgium v 🇷🇺 RussiaRussia), 17 June (🇫🇮 FinlandFinland v 🇷🇺 RussiaRussia), 22 June (🇫🇮 FinlandFinland v 🇧🇪 BelgiumBelgium)
 * Quarter-final: 3 July

Qualifying
The tournament's main qualifying campaign is now complete and 20 of the 24 teams that will compete in the finals have qualified. The four remaining slots will be filled by the winners of the play-offs, which will take place in March 2020. Tickets for the play-offs can be purchased from the national associations.

Tickets
Tickets are released in three tranches. Until applications open, it is possible to register your interest to receive information about the ticketing process from UEFA.

First tranche: general public
The application window for the first tranche of tickets has now closed and UEFA has emailed applicants to inform them about whether their applications for any of their tickets have been successful. If you have applied for tickets, you can also log into your UEFA ticketing account to see the outcome of your application. Applicants will now have a limited period in which they can pay for their tickets before they are reallocated - you must either pay for all of the tickets that you have successfully been allocated or forfeit all your tickets.

Any applicants who have been unsuccessful in the lottery during the first tranche will be automatically entered into the 'Fans First' programme, giving them priority access to purchase any new tickets which become available due to unsuccessful payments or ticket returns. UEFA will send out emails to unsuccessful applicants when such tickets become available.

The majority of tickets were released in this window, with 1.5m tickets released to the general public. For any matches where demand for tickets exceeded supply, the tickets were allocated through a lottery. The application window opened 14:00 CET 12 June 2019 and closed 14:00 CET 12 July 2019 and applicants had an equal chance of success regardless of when they submitted their application during the window.

Second and third tranches: supporters
In December 2019, the second tranche of one million tickets will be released to supporters of teams which have qualified for the competition. Supporters will only be able to buy tickets for matches featuring their team and they will need to meet the eligibility criteria set out by their national football associations. These criteria will vary depending on your association's rules and they may, for example, require fans to be members of the national supporter's club or to have accrued points by attending previous matches featuring their team.

The same process will occur in April 2020 for supporters of teams which qualify through the play-off process, in the third tranche of tickets.

Ticket resale
From March/April 2020, UEFA will make available an official resale platform for fans to sell their tickets at face value to other fans. Apart from hospitality packages, this will be the only way to acquire tickets legally and without risk outside of the three tranches of ticket releases.

Important dates

 * 6 August 2019: Applicants for first tranche tickets learn whether they have secured tickets
 * December 2019: Second tranche applications open for eligible supporters of qualified teams
 * April 2020: Third tranche ticket applications open for eligible supporters of team which have qualified through the play-offs

Pricing
Due to the range of countries hosting Euro 2020 and the differences in income of their citizens, the host cities have been divided into two clusters for the purposes of ticket pricing. The different phases of the tournament are priced differently and, within each stadium, seating is divided into three categories:


 * Category 1: Central
 * Category 2: Corners of the pitch
 * Category 3: Behind the goals
 * Fans first: 13,000 'fans first' tickets will be available at each semi-final and the final. These are category 3 tickets but priced at under €100, with significantly fewer available than standard category 3 tickets, meaning that there is less chance of success than in applying for a standard category 3 ticket.

Cluster A: Amsterdam, Bilbao, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome, St Petersburg

Cluster B: Baku, Bucharest, Budapest

Get in
As the tournament will be played across the continent, it is best to see the Get in sections for each host country to determine the best way to travel to the competition.

Visas
Euro 2020 is being hosted by 11 countries and many of them will have distinct visa requirements which you will need to consider when travelling to the competition and between venues. Although neither UEFA nor most of the host countries have provided details about visas and entry for travelling fans, one of UEFA's requirements for host countries at the bidding stage was:


 * "it is of upmost importance that nationals and persons moving from one host country to another (including participating teams and fans) are granted a preferred and quick treatment and the liberty to travel between their home country and the host countries as well as between host countries without any restrictions and visa requirements. All foreign nationals with a valid passport attending UEFA EURO 2020 should be permitted to enter and exit the host countries and should be granted any relevant visas without reservation (other than in relation to public safety and security) without any cost (other than a minimal processing fee) and at short notice." — UEFA Euro 2020 Tournament Requirements

To date, UEFA have not announced any form of universal system to provide visa-free entry for fans who have secured tickets. Their current advice is to ensure that your passport is valid for at least six months from the date of travel and to check the visa requirements of the individual country that you will be visiting.

Azerbaijan
A temporary visa-on-arrival system is in place for fans from a limited list of countries. Only citizens of Switzerland, Turkey, the UK or a quarter-finalist nation in possession of a valid ticket to a Baku-hosted match will be allowed entry with visa issued on arrival, and are exempt from quarantine. The only foreign nationals allowed to travel to Azerbaijan without a match ticket are citizens of Russia and Turkey, and these must self-isolate for two weeks upon arrival. Also, ethnic Armenians are prohibited from entering Azerbaijan regardless of country of birth or citizenship. (June 2021)

Russia
Russia is the only host nation to have put visa-free provisions in place, having passed a law in 2019 to provide visa-free entry for Euro 2020 ticket holders during the tournament. As at the FIFA 2018 World Cup, fans with tickets for matches in St Petersburg will need to register for a Fan-ID which will allow entry to the stadium and also allow entry into Russia without a visa.

Schengen Area
Six of the twelve host nations are in the Schengen Area, which operates a common visa policy. Visitors can travel between the countries of the Schengen Area without needing to pass through border controls provided they have a visa for a Schengen country. These countries are Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.

By plane
Due to the large distances, it is likely that flying will be the quickest option for travelling between host cities although this will likely be the most expensive option. The best fares can typically be found with the numerous low-cost airlines such as Eurowings, EasyJet, Norwegian, Ryanair, WizzAir etc but it is worth checking price comparison sites to find the best deal.

It is likely that the large number of fans travelling between host cities will mean that flights will be booked up well in advance and this will inevitably drive the price up. Ahead of the 2019 UEFA Champions League final, routes between Madrid (the venue of the final) and the United Kingdom (the home of both finalists) saw flight tickets inflated by up to 4 times the normal price around the weekend of the tournament. Added to this will be the fact that the tournament will be hosted at the start of the holiday season in Europe, where routes become busier as families begin to travel for their summer holidays.

To get the best price, it is advisable to book well in advance. Many fans will start booking their flights around the time of the draw in November 2019 once they know which cities their teams will be playing in.

If you are planning to fly into a city on the day of a match you are attending, it is worth noting that many of the budget airlines fly into airports which are named after a city but are actually some distance away. For example, London Southend airport is actually 90km away from Wembley Stadium and a 1 hour train journey from central London. It is advisable to check the distance of the airport from the stadium to ensure that you have enough time to make it for kick off.

Within Europe's Schengen Area, flights between Schengen countries (including host countries Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain) are effectively treated as domestic flights without customs or passport checks on arrival.

By train
Europe has an extensive railway network, which can be comfortable and efficient - particularly in Western and Central Europe. Catching the train between host cities can be a good way to see much of the continent and might be a good option for routes which are expensive or fully booked. It will certainly be slower though, taking up whole days as you will likely have to change several times. In some places it is simply impractical to use as a quick form of transport (for example the train to Baku from other host cities will take over 4 days and the train to St Petersburg from any host city will take at least 2 days) although the train could still be fun option if you want to stop to visit other European cities along the way.

The train will be particularly useful between cities that are clustered relatively close together. When travelling between the host cities in the British Isles, this could very well be a better option than taking the plane. The same could be true between Bucharest and Budapest. To get a good idea of train options, the Deutsche Bahn website provides a comprehensive travel planner in English.

Tickets can be expensive if bought on the day, although you can typically get good discounts if you book in advance. There are a number of flexible passes which might be of use for fans planning to travel between multiple host cities. The Inter Rail (for Europeans) and Eurail (for non-Europeans) passes work like flexible tickets on almost all European rail networks which might be a good option for fans who want to travel with their team but won't know in advance which cities they will be playing in as the tournament progresses. The passes are valid in all host countries apart from Azerbaijan and Russia. It is also valid on Eurostar trains to London but reservations must be made in advance and a reservation fee is applicable.

Many international routes also have sleeper-train options, which can save on the cost of a hotel for the night as you travel to your next city. If travelling by rail to/from Dublin, you will need to get the ferry from/to Great Britain - most likely to Holyhead - which may well be included in the price of your rail ticket.

Go next

 * France: host of UEFA Euro 2016
 * Qatar: host of the next FIFA World Cup in 2022
 * Germany: host of the upcoming Euro 2024