The road to Euro 2020 is almost complete as the qualification stage turns to the play-offs
International football in Europe has been complicated somewhat by the inception of the Nations League, but the top prize in the continent remains the European Championship.
Euro 2020 (or Euro 2021 for some), the 16th edition of the UEFA competition, is being styled as a celebration, with games being held across Europe to mark the 60th anniversary of the first ever tournament (though it will strictly be 61 years).
The qualification stage is now complete and the finals draw has taken place, but the future of the tournament was cast in doubt thanks to the outbreak of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic.
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Nevertheless, it is hoped that it will go ahead with some alterations and Goal brings you everything you need to know.
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Contents
- Euro 2020 format
- Euro 2020 group stage
- Play-offs
- Euro 2020 dates
- Euro 2020 host cities
Euro 2020 format
Euro 2020 will feature 24 teams – 20 from automatic qualification and the remaining four decided through the play-off phase in November 2020.
The format for the final tournament will be the same as Euro 2016, making for six groups comprised of four teams.
The winner and runner-up in each group, along with the four best third-placed sides, will progress to the round of 16.
Euro 2020 group stage
The group stages were confirmed with the Euro 2020 draw on November 30, 2019.
The Euro 2020 group stage is provisionally proposed to take place from June 11, 2021 – June 24, 2021.
Host nation Italy will kick off the tournament against Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Group A
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turkey 🇹🇷 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Italy (H) 🇮🇹 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Wales 🏴 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Switzerland 🇨🇭 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group A fixtures
| Date | Game | Time (UK) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 11 | Turkey vs Italy | 8pm | Stadio Olimpico, Rome |
| Jun 12 | Wales vs Switzerland | 2pm | Olympic Stadium, Baku |
| Jun 16 | Turkey vs Wales | 5pm | Olympic Stadium, Baku |
| Jun 16 | Italy vs Switzerland | 8pm | Stadio Olimpico, Rome |
| Jun 20 | Switzerland vs Turkey | 5pm | Olympic Stadium, Baku |
| Jun 20 | Italy vs Wales | 5pm | Stadio Olimpico, Rome |
Group B
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark (H) 🇩🇰 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Finland 🇫🇮 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Belgium 🇧🇪 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Russia (H) 🇷🇺 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group B fixtures
| Date | Game | Time (UK) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12 | Denmark vs Finland | 5pm | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen |
| Jun 12 | Belgium vs Russia | 8pm | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg |
| Jun 16 | Finland vs Russia | 2pm | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg |
| Jun 17 | Denmark vs Belgium | 5pm | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen |
| Jun 21 | Russia vs Denmark | 8pm | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen |
| Jun 21 | Finland vs Belgium | 8pm | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg |
Group C
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands 🇳🇱 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Ukraine 🇺🇦 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Austria 🇦🇹 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | North Macedonia 🇲🇰 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group C fixtures
| Date | Game | Time (UK) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13 | Austria vs North Macedonia | 5pm | Arena Nationala, Bucharest |
| Jun 13 | Netherlands vs Ukraine | 8pm | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam |
| Jun 17 | Ukraine vs North Macedonia | 2pm | Arena Nationala, Bucharest |
| Jun 17 | Netherlands vs Austria | 8pm | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam |
| Jun 21 | North Macedonia vs Netherlands | 5pm | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam |
| Jun 21 | Ukraine vs Austria | 5pm | Arena Nationala, Bucharest |
Group D
Group D fixtures
| Date | Game | Time (UK) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13 | England vs Croatia | 2pm | Wembley Stadium, London |
| Jun 14 | Scotland vs Czech Republic | 2pm | Hampden Park, Glasgow |
| Jun 18 | Croatia vs Czech Republic | 5pm | Hampden Park, Glasgow |
| Jun 18 | England vs Scotland | 8pm | Wembley Stadium, London |
| Jun 22 | Croatia vs Scotland | 8pm | Hampden Park, Glasgow |
| Jun 22 | Czech Republic vs England | 8pm | Wembley Stadium, London |
Group E
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain 🇪🇸 (H) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Sweden 🇸🇪 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Poland 🇵🇱 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Slovakia 🇸🇰 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group E fixtures
| Date | Game | Time (UK) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14 | Poland vs Slovakia | 5pm | Aviva Stadium, Dublin |
| Jun 14 | Spain vs Sweden | 8pm | San Mames, Bilbao |
| Jun 18 | Sweden vs Slovakia | 2pm | Aviva Stadium, Dublin |
| Jun 19 | Spain vs Poland | 8pm | San Mames, Bilbao |
| Jun 23 | Slovakia vs Spain | 5pm | San Mames, Bilbao |
| Jun 23 | Sweden vs Poland | 5pm | Aviva Stadium, Dublin |
Group F
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary 🇭🇺 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Portugal 🇵🇹 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | France 🇫🇷 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Germany (H) 🇩🇪 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group F fixtures
| Date | Game | Time (UK) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15 | Hungary vs Portugal | 5pm | Puskas Arena, Budapest |
| Jun 15 | France vs Germany | 8pm | Allianz Arena, Munich |
| Jun 19 | Hungary vs France | 2pm | Puskas Arena, Budapest |
| Jun 19 | Portugal vs Germany | 5pm | Allianz Arena, Munich |
| Jun 23 | Portugal vs France | 8pm | Olympic Stadium, Baku |
| Jun 23 | Germany vs Hungary | 8pm | Allianz Arena, Munich |
Euro 2020 play-offs
Sixteen teams compete in the play-off section of Euro 2020 qualifying. They are divided into four groups, with one team from each section advancing to the tournament.
Play-off path A
Iceland defeated Romania in semi-final one of Path A, while Hungary beat Bulgaria in the other semi-final.
Hungary scored twice late to defeat Iceland in the final.
| Date | Team | Result | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 8 | Iceland | 2-1 | Romania |
| Oct 8 | Bulgaria | 1-3 | Hungary |
| Nov 12 | Hungary | 2-1 | Iceland |
Play-off path B
Semi-final one saw Northern Ireland beat Bosnia & Herzegovina, while Slovakia defeated the Republic of Ireland in the other semi-final.
Slovakia defeated Northern Ireland in extra-time in the final.
| Date | Team | Result | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 8 | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 1-1 (3-4P) | Northern Ireland |
| Oct 8 | Slovakia | 0-0 (4-2P) | Republic of Ireland |
| Nov 12 | Northern Ireland | – | Slovakia |
Play-off path C
Scotland overcame Israel on penalties in one of the semi-finals, while Serbia beat Norway in extra time in the other.
Scotland beat Serbia on penalties to qualify for their first major international tournament since 1998.
| Date | Team | Result | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 8 | Scotland | 0-0 (5-3P) | Israel |
| Oct 8 | Norway | 1-2 AET | Serbia |
| Nov 12 | Serbia | – | Scotland |
Play-off path D
Georgia narrowly defeated Belarus, while North Macedonia saw off the challenge of Kosovo in the other semi-final in path D.
North Macedonia defeated Georgia in the final to reach their first European Championship.
| Date | Team | Result | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 8 | Georgia | 1-0 | Belarus |
| Oct 8 | North Macedonia | 2-1 | Kosovo |
| Nov 12 | Georgia | – | North Macedonia |
When & where will Euro 2020 take place?
The 16th edition of the European Championship will provisionally kick off on June 11, 2021 and it will conclude on July 11, 2021.
It will be held across 12 different cities in Europe, with UEFA celebrating the 60th birthday of the first European Championship (then called the European Nations Cup), which was held in France in 1960.
The final and semi-finals will be contested in London at Wembley Stadium.
Full Euro 2020 stadiums guide.
Euro 2020 host cities
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | Johan Cruyff Arena | 56,000 |
| Baku, Azerbaijan | Olympic Stadium | 68,700 |
| Bilbao, Spain | San Mames | 53,332 |
| Bucharest, Romania | Arena Nationala | 55,600 |
| Budapest, Hungary | Ferenc Puskas Stadium | 67,889 |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | Parken Stadium | 38,065 |
| Dublin, Ireland | Aviva Stadium | 51,700 |
| Glasgow, Scotland | Hampden Park | 52,063 |
| London, England | Wembley Stadium | 90,000 |
| Munich, Germany | Allianz Arena | 75,000 |
| Rome, Italy | Stadio Olimpico | 72,698 |
| Saint Petersburg, Russia | Krestovsky Stadium | 68,134 |
Click here to learn more about the Euro 2020 host cities and stadiums
