By Kehinde Okeowo
UEFA Euro 2020, a soccer competition held every four years where European countries jostle for the continent’s most cherished soccer honor is expected to kick off on Friday, June 11, 2021.The competition whose final game and closing ceremony will take place on Sunday, July 11,2021, a month after it stated is indeed a breath of fresh air for soccer lovers. Given the adverse effect of the outbreak of Covid -19 on sports and other social interactions, the soccer fiesta is a welcome relieve to a lot of soccer enthusiasts and tourists all over the world. The 2020 edition which is being held in 2021 due to pandemic restrictions is indeed a unique one because fans are going to be allowed into the stadia and it is will held across 11 European countries and cities for the first time in the competition’s 60-years history. The previous editions have either been held in one country or at most co-hosted by two countries.
The stadia, cities and countries expected to host this year’s event are Wembley Stadium in London, England, which is expected to host six group games, one quarter-final and the final, Saint Petersburg Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia which will host three group games and one quarter-final, Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, which will host three group games and one round of 16 games. Others are Baku Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan, Football Arena Munich in Munich, Germany, Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands, National Arena Bucharest in Bucharest, Romania, Puskás Arena in Budapest, Hungary, Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark, Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland and La Cartuja Sevilla in Seville, Spain.
A total of 55 countries divided into 10 groups participated in the European Qualifiers. The first two teams in each group reached the tournament via the qualifiers, which ran from March to November 2019 while four more countries qualified via the play-offs. A total of 24 teams eventually qualified for the football fiesta. These 24 teams that made it to the final stage were further divided into six final tournament groups out of which the top two in each of groups will proceed to the round of 16 along with the four best third-placed finishers. Group A consist of Turkey, Italy, Wales and Switzerland, Group B has Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Russia, Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria, North Macedonia, Group D: England, Croatia, Czech Republic, Scotland, Group E: Spain, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia while the last group, Group F has>Portugal, France, Germany, Hungary. The opening game is between Turkey and Italy in Stadio Olympico in Rome, Italy.
Based on the performance of the teams during qualification, their current forms and recent FIFA ranking, Italy is the clear favorite to proceed to the round of 16 in Group A while the second position in the group is a straight fight between Switzerland and Turkey. In Group B, Belgium and Denmark are expected to progress in the group. In Group C, Netherlands is the favorite and it is expected to be joined by Ukraine. England and Croatia are expected to progress in Group D, while Group E has Spain as clear favorite and will be joined in the next round by Sweden. Finally, Group F, which is the Group of Death, will see France, Germany and Portugal qualify for the next round in no particular order.
Since the tournament started, ten nations have won the tournament and all previous winners except Greece are participating in the 2020 edition. Germany and Spain have the highest number of titles and have won the completion 3 times each; France lifted it twice, while Russia and Czech Republic both won it once as Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia respectively. The defending champion Portugal, Denmark, Italy, Greece and Netherlands have all won the completion once. England is about the only European football power house yet to win the tournament and may see consider hosting the final of the event as an opportunity to join the list of the winners of the completion.
There is a noticeable trend in the competition however; teams that have won the competition are the teams with the highest numbers of appearance both in the finals and the competition as a whole. Germany which won the event 3 times have played in 6 finals and have participated 12times, Spain who holds the joint highest numbers of titles have played in 4 finals and participated 10 times , France who is third in this table have played in 2 finals and have participated 9 times. Czechs Republic (Czechoslovakia) played in 2 finals while Portugal played in 2 finals and participated 7 times. Denmark, Greece, Italy, Netherlands and Russia (Soviet Union) have all played in the final once.
Football is often unpredictable and analysts are divided in their conclusions on the team that is likely to win this year’s competition. While some are of the opinion that one of the perennial winners and European heavyweights such as Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands and France will once again lift the completion, others are betting against this and predicting that another minnow will repeat the feat Czechoslovakia, Denmark and Greece achieved in past competitions by winning against all odds. British pundits are not lest out, they are of the opinion that the current crop of the English talents on display in this year’s competition are about the youngest and most gifted they have seen in a long time, they are also encouraged by the fact that two English teams played the UEFA Champions League finals this year and are hopeful the country will finally lift the much coveted trophy this time. No matter the team you support, the next one month promises to be a pleasurable viewing time for football lovers.
Additional reports from www.uefa.com
