Excited About The Euro 2020? Here Are Some Pointers To Help You Catch Up
by Chiara Micallef
The UEFA Euro 2020 was cancelled last year due to Covid-19 – a piece of sorry news for those who were looking forward to kicking back and watching this once-every-four-years tournament. While certain rules had to be amended, and new ones introduced, Euro 2020 will be held this year.
The countries that are taking part this year are
What Will Happen This Year?
The final tournament will be taking place between the 11th of June and the 11th of July.
This year's tournament will follow the same format of 2016, where the top two teams in each of the six final tournament groups will proceed to a round of 16 along with the four best third-place finishers.
Where will the games be held?
This year, there will be a total of 11 host cities – it's the first time in the competition's history that it will be held across the European continent. The games will be held in Seville, Glasgow, Baku, Munich, Saint Petersburg, London, Munich, Rome, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Bucharest and Budapest. The opening game will be hosted at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, on the 11th of June. The teams playing on the day are Italy and Turkey.
Will There Be Any Changes?
In order to reduce any of the risks related to player shortages, a number of additional rules will be added to this year's tournament.
It has been decided that participating teams will be able to increase their squad number from 23 to 26 members. This will be done to alleviate any player shortages due to quarantine measures or positive COVID-19 tests. The maximum number of players allowed during each individual game will still be that of 23.
Once the squad members have been submitted, there can be inexhaustible replacements before the first match in case of illnesses, close contact or serious injuries.
Goalkeepers can be replaced during the tournament, even if one or two keepers are still available. Replaced players cannot be re-added to the team.
Each team will be granted a maximum of five substitutes, with an additional one exclusively allowed during extra time. The teams will be permitted three stoppages during the game to make substitutions, with an additional one during extra time.
