The UEFA Euro 2020 was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men’s football championship of Europe organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the European Championship competition, UEFA president Michel Platini declared that the tournament would be hosted in several nations as a “romantic” one-off event, with 11 cities in 11 UEFA countries each providing venues for the tournament, making it the second senior international tournament in history after the 2007 AFC Asian Cup to have more than two nations co-hosting it.
Portugal were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the round of 16 by Belgium. Italy won their second European Championship title by beating England on penalties in the final following a 1–1 draw after extra time. The win came exactly on the 39th anniversary of Italy’s 1982 FIFA World Cup final victory over West Germany.
Champions: Italy (2nd title)
Runners-up: England
Player of the Tournament: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Young Player of the Tournament: Pedri
Top Goal Scorer: Cristiano Ronaldo and Patrik Schick (5 goals each)
Goal of the Tournament: Patrik Schick (second goal vs Scotland)
UEFA Euro 2020 Final draw
The draw for the final tournament was held on 30 November 2019, 18:00 CET (19:00 local time, EET) at Romexpo in Bucharest, Romania. The 24 teams were drawn into six groups of four. The identity of the four play-off teams were not known at the time of the draw and were identified as play-off winners A to D. Should there have been groups that could not be finalized at the time of the final tournament draw, another draw would have been held after the play-offs on 1 April 2020, but UEFA confirmed the additional draw was not necessary after the identity of the 20 directly qualified teams and the 16 play-offs teams was known.
Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4
Rank | Team Rank | Team Rank | Team Rank | Team
1. Belgium 7. France 13. Portugal 19. Wales
2. Italy 8. Poland 14. Turkey 20. Finland
3. England 9. Switzerland 15. Denmark Play-off winner A
4. Germany 10. Croatia 16. Austria Play-off winner B
5. Spain 11. Netherlands 17. Sweden Play-off winner C
6. Ukraine 12. Russia 18. Czech Republic Play-off winner D
UEFA Euro 2020 Draw results and group fixtures
Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F
Turkey Denmark Netherlands England Spain Hungary
Italy Finland Ukraine Croatia Sweden Portugal
Wales Belgium Austria Scotland Poland France
Switzerland Russia North Macedonia Czech Republic Slovakia Germany
UEFA Euro 2020 Group Stage
Group A
Position Team Played Win Draw Loss GF GA GD Point Qualification
1 Italy (H) 3 3 0 0 7 0 +7 9 Advance to knockout phase
2 Wales 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 4 Advance to knockout phase
3 Switzerland 3 1 1 1 4 5 −1 4 Advance to knockout phase
4 Turkey 3 0 0 3 1 8 −7 0
Group B
Position Team Played Win Draw Loss GF GA GD Point Qualification
1 Belgium 3 3 0 0 7 1 +6 9 Advance to knockout phase
2 Denmark (H) 3 1 0 2 5 4 +1 3 Advance to knockout phase
3 Finland 3 1 0 2 1 3 −2 3
4 Russia (H) 3 1 0 2 2 7 −5 3
Group C
Position Team Played Win Draw Loss GF GA GD Point Qualification
1 Netherlands (H) 3 3 0 0 8 2 +6 9 Advance to knockout phase
2 Austria 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6 Advance to knockout phase
3 Ukraine 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3 Advance to knockout phase
4 North Macedonia 3 0 0 3 2 8 −6 0
Group D
Position Team Played Win Draw Loss GF GA GD Point Qualification
1 England (H) 3 2 1 0 2 0 +2 7 Advance to knockout phase
2 Croatia 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4 Advance to knockout phase
3 Czech Republic 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 4 Advance to knockout phase
4 Scotland (H) 3 0 1 2 1 5 −4 1
Group E
Position Team Played Win Draw Loss GF GA GD Point Qualification
1 Sweden 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 7 Advance to knockout phase
2 Spain (H) 3 1 2 0 6 1 +5 5 Advance to knockout phase
3 Slovakia 3 1 0 2 2 7 −5 3
4 Poland 3 0 1 2 4 6 −2 1
Group F
Position Team Played Win Draw Loss GF GA GD Point Qualification
1 France 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5 Advance to knockout phase
2 Germany (H) 3 1 1 1 6 5 +1 4 Advance to knockout phase
3 Portugal 3 1 1 1 7 6 +1 4 Advance to knockout phase
4 Hungary (H) 3 0 2 1 3 6 −3 2
UEFA Euro 2020 Ranking of third-placed teams
Position Group Team Played Win Draw Loss GF GA GD Point Qualification
1 F Portugal 3 1 1 1 7 6 +1 4 Advance to knockout phase
2 D Czech Republic 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 4 Advance to knockout phase
3 A Switzerland 3 1 1 1 4 5 −1 4 Advance to knockout phase
4 C Ukraine 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3 Advance to knockout phase
5 B Finland 3 1 0 2 1 3 −2 3
6 E Slovakia 3 1 0 2 2 7 −5 3
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Wins; 5) Lower disciplinary points total; 6) European Qualifiers overall ranking.
UEFA Euro 2020 Knockout phase
In the knockout phase, if a match was level at the end of normal playing time, extra time was played (two periods of 15 minutes each), with each team being allowed to make a sixth substitution. If still tied after extra time, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out.
As with every tournament since UEFA Euro 1984, there was no third place play-off.
UEFA Euro 2020 Round of 16 matches
Date Team A Result Team B
26 June 2021 Wales 0–4 Denmark
26 June 2021 Italy 2–1 (a.e.t.) Austria
27 June 2021 Netherlands 0–2 Czech Republic
27 June 2021 Belgium 1–0 Portugal
28 June 2021 Croatia 3–5 (a.e.t.) Spain
28 June 2021 France 3–3 (a.e.t.)
4–5 (penalties) Switzerland
29 June 2021 England 2–0 Germany
29 June 2021 Sweden 1–2 (a.e.t.) Ukraine
UEFA Euro 2020 Quarter Final matches
Date Team A Result Team B
2 July 2021 Switzerland 1–1 (a.e.t.)
1–3 (penalties) Spain
2 July 2021 Belgium 1–2 Italy
3 July 2021 Czech Republic 1–2 Denmark
3 July 2021 Ukraine 0–4 England
UEFA Euro 2020 Semi Finals
6 July 2021 21:00 (20:00 UTC+1), Wembley Stadium, London
Italy | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Spain |
Federico Chiesa 60′ | Alvaro Morata 80′ | |
Locatelli Belotti Bonucci Bernardeschi Jorginho |
Penalties 4–2 |
Olmo Gerard Thiago Morata |
7 July 2021 21:00 (20:00 UTC+1), Wembley Stadium, London
England | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Denmark |
Kjær 39′(o.g.) Harry Kane 104′ |
Damsgaard 30′ |
UEFA Euro 2020 Final Match
11 July 2021 21:00 (20:00 UTC+1), Wembley Stadium, London
Italy | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | England |
Leonardo Bonucci 67′ | Luke Shaw 2′ | |
Berardi Belotti Bonucci Bernardeschi Jorginho |
Penalties 3–2 |
Kane Maguire Rashford Sancho Saka |
UEFA Euro 2020 Top Goal Scorer List
Rank Player Team Goals
1 Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal 5
2 Patrik Schick Czech Republic 5
3 Karim Benzema France 4
4 Romelu Lukaku Belgium 4
5 Harry Kane England 4
6 Emil Forsberg Sweden 4
7 Kasper Dolberg Denmark 3
8 Raheem Sterling England 3
9 Georginio Wijnaldum Netherlands 3
10 Robert Lewandowski Poland 3
11 Álvaro Morata Spain 3
12 Haris Seferovic Switzerland 3
13 Xherdan Shaqiri Switzerland 3
UEFA Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament
UEFA’s technical observer team was given the objective of naming a team of the best eleven players from the tournament. Five players from the winning Italian squad were named in the team.
Position Player Team
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma Italy
Defender Kyle Walker England
Defender Harry Maguire England
Defender Leonardo Bonucci Italy
Defender Leonardo Spinazzola Italy
Midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg Denmark
Midfielder Jorginho Italy
Midfielder Pedri Spain
Forward Raheem Sterling England
Forward Romelu Lukaku Belgium
Forward Federico Chiesa Italy
UEFA Euro 2020 Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony took place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on 11 June 2021 at 20:35 (CEST) prior to the first match of the tournament. Italian opera tenor Andrea Bocelli performed the song “Nessun dorma”. Martin Garrix, Bono and the Edge also featured, performing the tournament’s official anthem, “We Are the People”. The performance was a virtual one amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and was filmed at motion-control studios in London and at the Stadio Olimpico to recreate the stadium environment in 3D.
UEFA Euro 2020 format decision
On 6 December 2012, UEFA announced the tournament would be held in multiple cities across Europe to mark the 60th anniversary of the tournament. The selection of the host cities did not guarantee an automatic qualifying berth to the national team of that country. UEFA reasoned that the pan-European staging of the tournament was the logical decision at a time of financial difficulty, such as the European debt crisis. Reaction to UEFA’s plan was mixed across Europe. Critics cited the expanded format (from 31 matches featuring 16 nations to 51 featuring 24) and its associated additional costs as the decisive factor for only one nation (Turkey) having put forward a serious bid.
UEFA Euro 2020 Qualification
There was no automatic qualifying berth, and all 55 UEFA national teams, including the twelve national teams whose countries were selected to stage matches, had to compete in the qualifiers for the 24 places at the finals tournament. As the host cities were appointed by UEFA in September 2014, before the qualifiers, it was possible for the national teams from the host cities to fail to qualify for the finals tournament. The qualifying draw was held on 2 December 2018 at the Convention Centre Dublin in Dublin, Ireland.
The main qualifying process started in March 2019, instead of immediately in September 2018 following the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and ended in November 2019. The format remained largely the same, although only 20 of the 24 spots for the finals tournament were decided from the main qualifying process, leaving four spots still to be decided. Following the admission of Kosovo to UEFA in May 2016, it was announced that the 55 members at the time would be drawn into ten groups after the completion of the UEFA Nations League (five groups of five teams and five groups of six teams, with the four participants of the UEFA Nations League Finals guaranteed to be drawn into groups of five teams), with the top two teams in each group qualifying. The qualifiers were played on double matchdays in March, June, September, October and November 2019.
With the creation of the UEFA Nations League starting in 2018, the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League was linked with Euro qualifying, providing teams another chance to qualify for the tournament. Four teams from each division that had not already qualified for the European Championship competed in the play-offs for each division. The winners of the play-offs for each division, which were decided by two one-off semi-finals (the best-ranked team vs. the lowest-ranked team, and the second-best-ranked team vs. the third-best-ranked team, played at home of higher-ranked teams) and a one-off final (with the venue drawn in advance between the two semi-finals winners), joined the 20 teams that had already qualified for the tournament.
UEFA Euro 2020 Venues
Stadium City Capacity
Wembley Stadium London 90,000
Stadio Olimpico Rome 70,634
Allianz Arena Munich 70,000
Krestovsky Stadium Saint Petersburg 68,134
Olympic Stadium Baku 68,000
Puskás Aréna Budapest 67,215
La Cartuja Seville 57,600
Arena Națională Bucharest 55,600
Johan Cruyff Arena Amsterdam 54,990
Hampden Park Glasgow 51,866
Parken Stadium Copenhagen 38,065
UEFA Euro 2020 Summary
Portugal were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the round of 16 by Belgium. Italy won their second European Championship title by beating England on penalties in the final following a 1–1 draw after extra time. The win came exactly on the 39th anniversary of Italy’s 1982 FIFA World Cup final victory over West Germany. The tournament was originally intended to be played between 12 June and 12 July 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe during that year, the tournament was postponed to June and July 2021, while retaining the name UEFA Euro 2020 and host venues. Alongside special rules regarding COVID-19, UEFA also allowed two extra substitutions and implemented video assistant referee (VAR) for the first time.
Initially, there were 13 venues chosen for the tournament but two were later dropped. Brussels was dropped in December 2017 after the city’s Eurostadium was abandoned, while Dublin was dropped in April 2021 because there was no guarantee that spectators could attend. Spain originally intended to use Bilbao as a host venue but later changed it to Seville to allow for spectators at matches. 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 at the original stadium of the same name.
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 also praised, with a conservative use of VAR and quick decisions made on the pitch.
Logo and slogan
The official logo was unveiled on 21 September 2016, during a ceremony at the City Hall in London. The logo depicted the Henri Delaunay Trophy surrounded by celebrating fans on a bridge, which, according to UEFA, represented how football connects and unifies people.
Each individual host city also had their own unique logo. The rectangular logos featured the text UEFA EURO 2020 on the top, the city name above the text host city on the bottom (all in uppercase), the main tournament logo on the left and a local bridge on the right. Each logo existed in English, along with variations in the local language when applicable. The logos were unveiled from September 2016 to January 2017.
Match ball
On 6 November 2019, UEFA announced that the “Uniforia” by Adidas would be the tournament’s official match ball. Predominantly white, the ball featured black strokes with blue, neon and pink stripes with panels designed to resemble a hashtag, and had the coordinates of twelve cities which hosted the finals (including Dublin and Bilbao, which were later removed as the host cities). The name was derived from a portmanteau of “unity” and “euphoria”.
A special variation named “Uniforia Finale” was launched on 5 July 2021, to be used in both semi-finals and the final match. The ball had a silver base, a different colour arrangement, and Wembley Stadium’s coordinates (51° 33′ 21,5″ N, 0° 16′ 46,4″ W) written on the ball.
Mascot
The official mascot of the tournament, Skillzy, was unveiled on 24 March 2019. The character was inspired by freestyle football, street football, and panna culture.
Official song
On 19 October 2019, Dutch DJ and music producer Martin Garrix was announced as the official music artist of the tournament. He produced the official song of the tournament, as well as the walkout music preceding matches and the television broadcast music. The official song, “We Are the People”, featured Bono and the Edge from Irish rock band U2 and was released on 14 May 2021. It was first performed in full at a virtual opening ceremony at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Sponsorship
UEFA had the following sponsorship partners:
-“National Team Football Official Sponsors”: Alibaba Group (Alipay brand), Booking Holdings, FedEx, Gazprom, Hisense, and Volkswagen.
-“Euro 2020 Official Sponsors”: Coca-Cola, Heineken, Qatar Airways, Takeaway.com, TikTok, and Vivo Mobile.
-“Euro 2020 Official Licensees”: Adidas, Hublot, IMG, Konami, and Panini.