2020 UEFA European Championship

Lore & Background

The tournament was originally intended to be played between 12 June and 12 July 2020. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was postponed to June and July 2021, while retaining the name UEFA Euro 2020 and host venues. UEFA allowed two extra substitutions and implemented video assistant referee (VAR) for the first time. Initially, there were 13 venues chosen but two were later dropped: Brussels in December 2017 after the city's Eurostadium was abandoned, and Dublin in April 2021 because there was no guarantee that spectators could attend. Spain originally intended to use Bilbao but later changed to Seville to allow for spectators. UEFA chose Stadio Olimpico in Rome to host the opening match between Italy and Turkey, while Wembley Stadium in London was selected as a semi-final and final venue for the second time, following the 1996 tournament.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at Wembley hummed like a held breath. The 118th minute. Bonucci walked to the spot, the ball balanced on the grass, the England wall a blur of red and white behind him. He could hear the Italian end of the stadium — a sea of azzurro flags, scarves, and voices — swelling into a single, sustained note. He took a breath. One step back. Two. The run-up was short, almost lazy, and the ball left his laces with a soft, precise touch. Top corner. The net rippled. For a half-second, the world was silent, and then Wembley detonated. Bonucci slid on his knees, the captain's armband still on his left arm, and Chiellini was on him, and Insigne, and Chiesa, and the whole azzurro tide collapsing into one tangle of arms and tears. Mancini stood at the edge of the box, hands clasped behind his back, watching his boys and smiling like a man who had finally put down a weight he carried for three years. Above them, the London sky was the colour of old bronze, and somewhere in the stands, a grandmother in a hand-painted azzurro scarf was weeping and laughing at the same time, as if the trophy had been waiting fifteen years just to find her.

Reader's Guide

The tournament was well received by fans and commentators, with the most goals per game in a European Championship since the introduction of the group stage, and only two goalless games. The refereeing style was praised, with a conservative use of VAR and quick decisions made on the pitch.

Did You Know?

• Italy won their second European Championship title by beating England on penalties in the final after a 1–1 draw following extra time.
• The final was played on the 39th anniversary of Italy's 1982 FIFA World Cup final victory over West Germany.
• The tournament was postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but retained the name UEFA Euro 2020.
• Two original host venues were dropped: Brussels in 2017 and Dublin in 2021.