A tournament in 13 countries: the Allianz-Arena in Munich is one of the venues for the European Championships in 2020. For the first time ever, the tournament will be held over 13 different countries. The reason for it is because it’s the anniversary of the tournament. For both the Bavarian capital and German football, it’ll be the opportunity to show that they are the perfect hosts. And they’ll be able to do that on four occasions.
Munich is used to big football games. Bayern play there and big opposition play there frequently. But the city has also proved to be amazing host on the international stage. Germany won their second World Cup there in 1974 and the 1988 European Championship final between the Netherlands and the Soviet Union was played at the Olympic Stadium.
The DFB-Team played the first match of the 2006 World Cup at the new Allianz-Arena against Costa Rica, where they won 4-2. It then played host to the 2012 Champions League final between FC Bayern and FC Chelsea, which was decided on penalties. In six years time, four special matches will be held at the same venue because Munich has been chosen as one of the 13 host cities for the European Championships in 2020.
A pan-European European Championship will be a unique event
“We’re very lucky and happy that we have been able to convince UEFA with our application to hold European Championship games in Germany again in 2020 after 32 years,” said DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach after the announcement. “My thanks go to everyone that has helped with our application: Everyone from the German parliament, the region of Bavaria, the city of Munich and FC Bayern, as well as those at the Allianz-Arena.”
This will be the first time that the tournament will be held in 13 different countries. The reason for this is that it will be the 60th anniversary of the tournament in 2020. UEFA President Michel Platini had already come up with the idea at the end of EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. “Never before have the EUROs lived up to their name as much as they will in 2020,” said Platini.
“European wide spectacle”, with the final being played at Wembley
The venues for the “European wide spectacle” were announced in the middle of September. Munich will host one of the quarter finals, as well as three group stage games, as will Baku (Azerbaijan), St. Petersburg (Russia) and Rome (Italy.) Brussels (Belgium), Copenhagen (Denmark), Bucharest (Romania), Dublin (Ireland), Bilbao (Spain), Budapest (Hungary), Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and Glasgow (Scotland) will all host a last 16 game as well as three group
Both semi-finals and the final will be played at Wembley in London. The DFB originally put Munich forward as a candidate for the finals package but withdrew and gave their support to London in order to avoid a crucial vote from the executive committee. “We always said that Wembley was the perfect venue for the final of a pan-European tournament. We congratulate our colleagues from England and are excited for the three games at Wembley,” said DFB General Secretary Helmut Sandrock.
New stadiums in Baku, Brussels and Budapest
In terms of stadiums, UEFA set clear regulations: for the semi-finals and the final, the ground had to have a minimum capacity of 70,000, with the minimum for the quarter finals being 60,000 and for the round of 16 and group stage games 50,000. All stadiums that are being newly built must have started by 2016 at the latest, and that’ll be the case in Baku, Brussels and Budapest.
A tournament across Europe means that there won’t be a host nation. They couldn’t have awarded the 13 host nations automatic places and therefore every country has to qualify for the tournament. At the finals, a maximum of two host nations can be drawn in each of the 6 groups.
It’s also important for the Germany team to qualify because every host nation will play two games in the group stage at home. “It’s definitely an advantage if our team can play in front of a home crowd and can get a good start to the tournament,” said Germany manager Joachim Löw. If they advance to the knockout stages then nothing is guaranteed in terms of where the games will be played.
Huge logistical challenges
Logistically, EURO 2020 will be a huge challenge. 4,300 kilometers separate Baku and Bilbao and therefore there will have to be a lot of thought that goes into the preparations. For example, flights between host cities will be arranged so that they are no longer than two hours.
In 2016, the number of teams at the finals will increase from 16 to 24 and that shows the development of the tournament: in 1992 in Sweden, only 8 teams took part.
“Experience a party across Europe”
UEFA is giving as many countries as possible the chance to be a part of the EUROs said UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino: “It’s an incredible thing, especially in times when you can’t expect countries to invest in facilities in this way.” UEFA’s General Secretary feels secure: “Instead of having a party in one country, we’ll be able to have a party across Europe in 2020.” And the anticipation is already building.
And that’s also the case in Munich. Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter said: “The city of Munich is proud to host a quarter final and three group stage games and to represent Germany in this pan-European football tournament. The Munich campaign was highly valued by UEFA and received high marks. After 2006, Munich can now be called a reunion of friends.” Karl Hopfner, President of FC Bayern, thanked UEFA for their trust in the campaign.
German campaign for the finals in 2024
Regardless of holding four games in six years, the DFB is planning a campaign to get the finals 2024, that will be back to their normal form and will see 51 games held in one country. “I am optimistic that we can achieve this aim,” said Wolfgang Niersbach. “But we won’t take it for granted.” But there are other things to look forward to first, said Niersbach: “We are looking forward to being one of the hosts in 2020.” With Munich and with the Allianz-Arena. And with a lot of anticipation.
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A tournament in 13 countries: the Allianz-Arena in Munich is one of the venues for the European Championships in 2020. For the first time ever, the tournament will be held over 13 different countries. The reason for it is because it’s the anniversary of the tournament. For both the Bavarian capital and German football, it’ll be the opportunity to show that they are the perfect hosts. And they’ll be able to do that on four occasions.
Munich is used to big football games. Bayern play there and big opposition play there frequently. But the city has also proved to be amazing host on the international stage. Germany won their second World Cup there in 1974 and the 1988 European Championship final between the Netherlands and the Soviet Union was played at the Olympic Stadium.
The DFB-Team played the first match of the 2006 World Cup at the new Allianz-Arena against Costa Rica, where they won 4-2. It then played host to the 2012 Champions League final between FC Bayern and FC Chelsea, which was decided on penalties. In six years time, four special matches will be held at the same venue because Munich has been chosen as one of the 13 host cities for the European Championships in 2020.
A pan-European European Championship will be a unique event
“We’re very lucky and happy that we have been able to convince UEFA with our application to hold European Championship games in Germany again in 2020 after 32 years,” said DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach after the announcement. “My thanks go to everyone that has helped with our application: Everyone from the German parliament, the region of Bavaria, the city of Munich and FC Bayern, as well as those at the Allianz-Arena.”
This will be the first time that the tournament will be held in 13 different countries. The reason for this is that it will be the 60th anniversary of the tournament in 2020. UEFA President Michel Platini had already come up with the idea at the end of EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. “Never before have the EUROs lived up to their name as much as they will in 2020,” said Platini.
“European wide spectacle”, with the final being played at Wembley
The venues for the “European wide spectacle” were announced in the middle of September. Munich will host one of the quarter finals, as well as three group stage games, as will Baku (Azerbaijan), St. Petersburg (Russia) and Rome (Italy.) Brussels (Belgium), Copenhagen (Denmark), Bucharest (Romania), Dublin (Ireland), Bilbao (Spain), Budapest (Hungary), Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and Glasgow (Scotland) will all host a last 16 game as well as three group
Both semi-finals and the final will be played at Wembley in London. The DFB originally put Munich forward as a candidate for the finals package but withdrew and gave their support to London in order to avoid a crucial vote from the executive committee. “We always said that Wembley was the perfect venue for the final of a pan-European tournament. We congratulate our colleagues from England and are excited for the three games at Wembley,” said DFB General Secretary Helmut Sandrock.
New stadiums in Baku, Brussels and Budapest
In terms of stadiums, UEFA set clear regulations: for the semi-finals and the final, the ground had to have a minimum capacity of 70,000, with the minimum for the quarter finals being 60,000 and for the round of 16 and group stage games 50,000. All stadiums that are being newly built must have started by 2016 at the latest, and that’ll be the case in Baku, Brussels and Budapest.
A tournament across Europe means that there won’t be a host nation. They couldn’t have awarded the 13 host nations automatic places and therefore every country has to qualify for the tournament. At the finals, a maximum of two host nations can be drawn in each of the 6 groups.
It’s also important for the Germany team to qualify because every host nation will play two games in the group stage at home. “It’s definitely an advantage if our team can play in front of a home crowd and can get a good start to the tournament,” said Germany manager Joachim Löw. If they advance to the knockout stages then nothing is guaranteed in terms of where the games will be played.
Huge logistical challenges
Logistically, EURO 2020 will be a huge challenge. 4,300 kilometers separate Baku and Bilbao and therefore there will have to be a lot of thought that goes into the preparations. For example, flights between host cities will be arranged so that they are no longer than two hours.
In 2016, the number of teams at the finals will increase from 16 to 24 and that shows the development of the tournament: in 1992 in Sweden, only 8 teams took part.
“Experience a party across Europe”
UEFA is giving as many countries as possible the chance to be a part of the EUROs said UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino: “It’s an incredible thing, especially in times when you can’t expect countries to invest in facilities in this way.” UEFA’s General Secretary feels secure: “Instead of having a party in one country, we’ll be able to have a party across Europe in 2020.” And the anticipation is already building.
And that’s also the case in Munich. Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter said: “The city of Munich is proud to host a quarter final and three group stage games and to represent Germany in this pan-European football tournament. The Munich campaign was highly valued by UEFA and received high marks. After 2006, Munich can now be called a reunion of friends.” Karl Hopfner, President of FC Bayern, thanked UEFA for their trust in the campaign.
German campaign for the finals in 2024
Regardless of holding four games in six years, the DFB is planning a campaign to get the finals 2024, that will be back to their normal form and will see 51 games held in one country. “I am optimistic that we can achieve this aim,” said Wolfgang Niersbach. “But we won’t take it for granted.” But there are other things to look forward to first, said Niersbach: “We are looking forward to being one of the hosts in 2020.” With Munich and with the Allianz-Arena. And with a lot of anticipation.
