The 2020 UEFA European Championship resumes a year late on Friday.
The tournament was postponed in March 2020 as COVID-19 impacted countries worldwide.
Martin Kallen, the UEFA Events SA CEO, said the decision to delay Euro 2020 was challenging.
“We had to really consider how to move forward,” Kallen said in a June 8 statement. “At the beginning, we thought the pandemic could last a few weeks, and then a few months, but it became clear that the only change we had, with all the parameters of the football calendar, was to postpone the Euro by a year and then discuss how to move forward.”
This year’s tournament would normally be hosted by a country, but this tournament will span the continent as 11 cities, including London, Rome, and Saint Petersburg, will host matches.
The UEFA released an event guide detailing which stadiums will host matches and the COVID-19 measures in place at the arenas.
Participating teams are required to live in a bubble with no contact with the public. As well, they are subject to regularly scheduled COVID tests and will have their temperatures taken upon arrival at the stadium.
“There are many procedures in place that have been agreed with medical authorities and the UEFA Medical Committee,” Kallen said.
If a player tests positive for COVID-19, they are required to self-isolate while the rest of the team must take another test before they can play.
Fans are allowed to attend the matches. However, each stadium and country have their own restrictions.
For example, London has confirmed Wembley Stadium will have a 25 per cent capacity for the first three matches. Travellers from outside of England are permitted to watch the matches provided they comply with certain guidelines.
England has organized passenger restrictions to London based on a three-tier colour-coded system, Red, Amber, and Green. Each tier has its own requirements for passengers, which ranges from a negative COVID-19 test before travel, to a self-isolation period, and completing a passenger locator form.
Individual city travel restrictions and entry requirements can be found here.
“Football without fans is not the same and it’s very important to have them back,” Kallen said. “I will be very, very happy to see supporters through the tournament.”
The timeline below recaps the last six Euro cup champions before the first match of the 2020 tournament between Italy and Turkey begins at 3 p.m. EST.