A year after being postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, Euro 2020 finally kicks off on Friday.
Spread across 11 cities in Europe for the first time, the tournament will feature 24 teams instead of 16 after UEFA—European soccer's governing body—opted to expand the competition.
Reigning World Cup champions France are the bookmakers' favorites, while Cristiano Ronaldo hopes to inspire Portugal to defend the title they won five years ago.
England, meanwhile, will be hoping to end a 55-year wait for a major trophy and have the added incentive of the final being played at Wembley Stadium in London.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the tournament.
When is Euro 2020?
Originally scheduled for last year, the tournament was postponed by 12 months because of the coronavirus pandemic. Euro 2020 begins on Friday, when Italy hosts Turkey in the opening game at 3 p.m. ET.
The final is scheduled for Sunday, July 11 at Wembley Stadium in London.
Where is Euro 2020?
For the first time in its history, the tournament will be spread across the continent. The European Championship has been hosted by one country—Euro 2000 was the notable exception as it took place across the Netherlands and Belgium—since its inception in 1968 but UEFA broke with tradition this year.
Euro 2020 will be played across 11 different cities: London, Rome, Munich, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Bucharest, Seville, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg and Baku.
One team in each group—Italy, England, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain and Germany—will be playing all its group stage games at home. Scotland, Hungary and Russia will play twice at home in the group stages.
Which teams are at Euro 2020?
The tournament features 24 teams split in six groups of four. Portugal, the defending champions, have been drawn in Group F alongside reigning World Cup champions France and Germany, who won the World Cup in 2014.
- Group A: Italy, Turkey, Wales, Switzerland
- Group B: Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Russia
- Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria, North Macedonia
- Group D: England, Croatia, Scotland, Czech Republic
- Group E: Spain, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia
- Group F: Hungary, Portugal, France, Germany
How to watch Euro 2020 on TV
The entire tournament is broadcast in the U.S. by ESPN across its channels. Of the 51 games, 40 will air on ESPN, six on ESPN2 and five on ABC.
How to watch Euro 2020 online
Every game will be available for live stream on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Games will also be available via streaming services like fuboTV and Sling TV.
Euro 2020 TV schedule
The schedule for the first round of games is as follows (all times ET)
Friday, June 11
- Turkey vs. Italy—3 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, June 12
- Wales vs. Switzerland—9.am., ESPN
- Denmark vs. Finland—12 p.m., ESPN
- Belgium vs. Russia—3 p.m., ABC
Sunday, June 13
- England vs. Croatia—9 a.m., ESPN
- Austria vs. North Macedonia—12 p.m., ESPN
- Netherlands vs. Ukraine—3 p.m., ESPN
Monday, June 14
- Scotland vs. Czech Republic—9 a.m., ESPN
- Poland vs. Slovakia—12 p.m., ESPN
- Spain vs. Sweden—3 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, June 15
- Hungary vs. Portugal—12 p.m., ESPN
- France vs. Germany—3 p.m., ESPN
How does Euro 2020 work?
Each team plays three games in the group stages, with the first two teams in each group and the best four third-placed teams progressing to the Round of 16. From here on, the tournament will follow a traditional knock-out style format.
Will fans be allowed at Euro 2020?
Yes, albeit to varying degrees depending on the city. Budapest is hoping to be operating at full capacity, while St. Petersburg and Baku have vowed to fill their respective stadiums to 50 percent of capacity. Amsterdam and Bucharest are both planning to have 14,000 fans—around 25 percent of capacity—while around 12,500 fans are expected in Copenhagen and 20,000 in Seville, respectively 33 percent and 30 percent of capacity.
Munich and Rome are planning to operate at 20 and 25 percent capacity respectively, which would allow 14,000 and nearly 18,000 fans in. Glasgow and London, meanwhile, will both operate at 25 percent capacity, which means 13,000 and 22,500 fans will be allowed to attend.
Which teams are the favorite?
France enters the tournament at as 9-2 favorites with both William Hill and DraftKings, while England are next in line at 5-1 and 6-1 with the two bookmakers. Belgium is 6-1 with William Hill and 15-2 with DraftKings, while Italy, Germany, Portugal and Spain are all 8-1.
England's Harry Kane and Belgium's Romelu Lukaku are 6-1 joint favorites with BetMGM to be the tournament's top goalscorer, followed by France's Kylian Mbappe at 8-1 and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo at 12-1.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
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