By Igor Leshin
13 cities to host UEFA Euro 2020 final stage matches, as announced in Geneva
Sadly, Minsk has failed to win its bid to host group stage matches and the 1/8 finals of the 2020 UEFA Cup. After considering 19 applications, the UEFA Executive Committee set aside bids from Minsk (Belarus), Cardiff (Wales), Sofia (Bulgaria), Stockholm (Sweden), Jerusalem (Israel), and Skopje (Macedonia).
British London is to host the semi-finals and the decisive match of the Euro 2020 tournament, while German Munich, Azerbaijani Baku, Russian St. Petersburg and Italian Rome will each host quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Danish Copenhagen, Bucharest in Romania, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Spanish Bilbao, Budapest in Hungary, Belgium’s Brussels and Glasgow in Scotland will each host three matches at the group stage and 1/8 final matches.
The new format will mark the 60th anniversary since the first UEFA European Football Championship, which was won by the national squad of the Soviet Union. UEFA President Michel Platini, the initiator of the project, stresses that the new scheme for Euro 2020 will allow fans to watch matches in countries unaccustomed to the honour.
Minsk bid to host Euro 2020 fails
