Euro Nations Cup moves to 2021

UEFA has decided to postpone the European Championship until 2021 due to the coronavirus, according to the Norwegian Football Federation.

European football stakeholders convened yesterday to discuss the impact and fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Euro 2020 has been chief among the topics and the widely-expected delay to the tournament was announced by football’s governing body in Norway.

In a post on Twitter, the NFF said: “UEFA has decided that the European Championship is postponed to 2021. It will be played from 11 June to 11 July next year.”

The tournament had been due to be played between June 12 and July 12 this summer, in 12 cities across Europe with Wembley hosting the semi-finals and final.

The postponement became the most viable option given the huge disruption caused to the 2019-20 domestic competitions across Europe, and to this season’s Champions League and Europa League.

It is now likely that the play-offs to decide the final four places at the tournament – which were due to be played later this month – can be postponed until later this year.

The decision may also have an impact on the Women’s Euros, due to be played in the summer of 2021.

It remains to be seen whether that tournament now moves to the summer of 2022, with the men’s World Cup of that year not due to be played until the winter.

It also presents a clash with FIFA’s expanded 24-team Club World Cup, due to take place in the summer of 2021 in China.

Moving the Euros means domestic championships have further time to be played out to a finish.

The scale and speed of the spread of coronavirus has stunned European football administrators.

Only two weeks ago it was barely discussed as all 55 associations gathered in Amsterdam for UEFA Congress and the Nations League draw. – Sportinglife