Euro 2021: Pandemic Edition

The COVID-19 pandemic, as we all know, was prevalent in 2020, affecting a wide variety of activities, including the cancellation of one of the most awaited sporting events in history, Euro 2020. So, let us all stay healthy at home, pick the best teams for our Betway, and watch legends kick off Euro 2021.

Initially scheduled to take place in June 2020, the UEFA management was forced to delay the tournament to avoid the possibility of infecting players and football fans with the coronavirus.

The concept behind the pan-European event was to throw “a party all over Europe” to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the inaugural competition (which will be 61 years in 2021), and it will highlight 24 teams for the second time in sports history .

This 2021, the 16th iteration of the UEFA European Cup will be held in 12 nations.

The Story Behind Euro 2021’s Continent-wide Tour

In recognition of the tournament’s 60th anniversary celebration, the European Championship was extended to include all of Europe rather than only one or two host countries, as decided by the UEFA Executive Committee in the year 2012.

The aim of this, according to infamous FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was previously the General Secretary of The Union of European Football Associations, is to allow every country on the continent to enjoy this exciting event. “Instead of having a party in one country, we will have a party all over Europe in the summer of 2020,” the general elaborated.

Unfortunately, not a single individual expected the surge and attack of the global pandemic, not even UEFA nor Infantino could have predicted that COVID-19 will sweep the globe in early 2020, which also doesn’t sit very well with the innovative strategy of hosting a crowded tournament in 12 different European countries.

Euro 2021 Kick Off

The tournament is initially scheduled for the 12th of June. The Turkish and Italian teams are going to start the tour with lots of balls to kick, goals to score and a team that will go home to their country with a W.

However, the tournament’s feasibility is heavily reliant on external variables, such as global Covid-19 outbreak management.

In addition, the postponement of the European Championship was made in the hopes that other football tournaments, such as the Premier League, La Liga, and others, will finish their schedules.

Regardless, soccer fans around the world are enthusiastic to see the tournament begin and how the latest standard setup will operate.

Tournament’s Format

Euro 2021 will feature 24 teams, as per the decision of the UEFA to expand the number of teams from 2016.

The final tournament would be held in the same format as Euro 2016. Six groups are divided into four teams.

The winner and runner-up from each group, as well as the four best third-placed teams, advance to the 16th round, as they did in Euro 2016.

Teams Competing

For Euro 2021, a new structure was implemented, with the majority of teams qualifying through the conventional group method and four places were determined by the UEFA Nations League.

The qualifiers for Euro 2021 took place from March to November 2019, with 20 teams being automatically confirmed.

The teams participating are Belgium, Italy, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Spain, France, Turkey, England, Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, Croatia, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Denmark, Wales, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Scotland, and Hungary.

These teams have a wide range of players and talents to present to all of the world’s football supporters, and these football aficionados are undoubtedly ecstatic for their most anticipated event despite the disease outbreak.

Crowd-Pleasers for Euro 2021

Football fans are no different from other sports fans given that they have a favorite team. Let’s take a look at the teams that are predicted to win the championship.

France will join the competition as a team that everybody will be watching after winning the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Les Bleus will continue to depend on their iconic players, Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, and Paul Pogba, who are well-known names in sports magazines.

The world champions, on the other hand, are pitted against each other in a ‘group of death’ with current European champions Portugal and former world champions Germany among the strong favorites for the trophy and the audience’s attention.

Runners-up in the 2018 World Cup Croatia may also be a strong competitor to win the championship, with many of their golden generation players such as Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Ivan Perisic, Mario Mandzukic, and Danijel Subasic potentially playing their final major international tournament in 2021.

Euro 2021 Final

The tournament’s final will be held at Wembley Stadium in London. The ‘Home of Football,’ as it is affectionately called, will also host the two semi-final games.

Although the end of the tournament may mean saying goodbye to some of our favorite stars, let us all embrace this new situation and appreciate the beauty of football.