UEFA Euro 2020

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The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2020 for short, will be the 16th quadrennial top-level European football event. It will be held in the summer of 2020. The host nation(s) are yet to be selected. Should the selection process and timeline used for Euro 2012 be applied again, the host(s) will be chosen in the spring of 2015.

1 Hosting requirements
2 Possible bids
3 Reference

[edit] Hosting requirements

A minimum of eight stadia is necessary to host a championship in the present 16-team format. Minimum eight stadias must have above 30,000 seats, three of those eight must have above 40,000 seats and a 4-star rating, and at least one of those three must have 50,000 seats and a 5-star rating. Should the tournament be expanded to 24 teams, the experience of past 24-team World Cups (1982 to 1994) shows that 9 to 12 stadia are necessary to host such a competition. This would favour bids from single large countries or joint bids by two or more medium-size countries.

[edit] Possible bids

Several countries are reported to be considering bids: (The bids are not official, they are just possible intentions for such an event from the countries that have already anounced their intentions)

[edit] Romania & Bulgaria

The first time these two countries bid for the hosting of a major football tournament. The bid is supported both by the Federaţia Română de Fotbal, and is the goal of UEFA committee member Mircea Sandu and welcomed by the Bulgarian Football Union.

SOFIA, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Soccer news in brief from around the world:

Balkan neighbours Bulgaria and Romania could table a joint bid to host the 2020 European Championship finals, the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) said, "This is not a mirage, it's completely possible," BFU president Borislav Mihaylov was quoted as saying in Bulgarian newspaper 7 dni sport. "It's not about an Olympic Games, it's only a one-sport competition. We must build four new stadiums and we can do it in the next 12 years"^[1]

The only problem is that, from unofficial sources, Hungary might be inviting Romania to co-host Euro 2016 case if they win, Bulgaria & Romania can't bid for Euro 2020.

Stadia

Romania

Lia Manoliu Arena is a football stadium that will be built in Bucharest, Romania. It will be ready in 2010 and it will host the national team's games and the Romanian Cup finals. The owners (the Municipality of Bucharest) will pay €142,000,000 for the stadium, which will be able to hold 55,000 people but with a potential expansion of 63,000 people. It will be the first 5-Star venue in Romanian football and will be built so it could support a possible bid for EURO 2020 wich Romania & Bulgaria are prepared to host.
Ghencea Stadium (or Ghencea) home of FC Steaua Bucharest is a 3-star stadium (because 4-star have a minimam of 30,000 the stadium has been given only 3). Also called Steaua Stadium, it was inaugurated in April 9, 1974. At the time it was one of the first football-only stadiums ever built in Romania, as there are no athletic (track and field) facilities, the stands are very close to the pitch. The original capacity was 30,000 on benches, but in 1991 when the plastic seats were installed, the capacity dropped to 28,139, along with 126 press seats, 17 personal boxes of 12 seats each and 733 armchairs. The floodlighting system, with a density of 1400 lux, has been inaugurated in 1991. Today, following two general renovations in 1996 and 2006 in order to host UEFA Champions League games, Ghencea is the most modern stadium in Romania offering some state-of-the-art facilities such as: a four-star establishment with all the facilities required for the team, internet for the press-room, 17 cameras for video surveillance, electrically heated pitch, an automated irrigation system, and a modern scoreboard capable of playing replays.[3] Lately there have been talks for increasing the capacity to either 45,000 or 60,000 with the company that, among others, has worked on building stadia such as Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt and renovating ones as Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Dr. Constantin Radulescu Stadium is a football stadium in Cluj (Gruia district). It is the home ground of CFR Cluj. Currently it has 12,813 seats and it is a UEFA category 2 stadium that is under rebuilding. When finished in August 2008 it will have 28,000 seats and will be suitable for supporting UEFA Champions League games. The original CFR stadium had a capacity of 10,000 and was built in 1973.
Stadionul Ion Oblemenco is a multi-use stadium in Craiova. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of FC Universitatea Craiova. The stadium holds 25,252 people and was built in 1967. It is located in the western extremity of the city. The pitch is currently being replaced and the stadium will be reopened for Liga 1 matches in the fall of 2008.
Stadionul Dan Păltinişanu is a multi-use stadium in Timişoara, built in 1960 and modernised in the last years. It is currently used mostly for football matches by the local team FCU Politehnica Timişoara. The stadium has a capacity of 40,000 seaters and a Light Installation of 1,465 lux. The stadium has the largest capacity in the country, since the National Stadium in Bucharest is being reconstructed.

Bulgaria

Vasil Levski National Stadium, is one of Bulgaria's largest sports venues and the country's largest stadium. The stadium has 43,632 seats and is located in the centre of Sofia and has been awarded the UEFA 4-star rating. Vasil Levski National Stadium was officially opened in 1953 and reconstructed in 1966 and 2002. The Bulgaria national football team's home matches and the Bulgarian Cup finals are held at the venue, as well as athletics competitions. It was also used as the home venue for Levski Sofia's Champions League games. It was the proposed venue for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Sofia's bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Plovdiv Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 48,000. The stadium was built in 1950. The stadium initially had a capacity of about 30,000 spectators and had lights. Near the end of the 1980s a substantial renovation and expansion began, but was never finished due to the lack of funding. The stadium's present condition is poor, with no UEFA licence, no lights and only a few games are played there (mostly junior teams). It is the only stadium in Bulgaria with two-tier stands. The biggest events held on this stadium were the 1999 Metallica concert and the Athletic World Championship for Juniors in 1991.
Balgarska Armyia Stadium ("Stadium of the Bulgarian Army") is the club stadium of the Bulgarian football club CSKA Sofia. It is situated in the Borisova Gradina (Boris' Park), in the centre of Sofia. The stadium has four sectors and 22,015 seats, of which 2,100 covered.
Georgi Asparuhov is the stadium of the Bulgarian football club PFC Levski Sofia. It was built in the period 1960-1963 mostly with donations by the supporters, and initially had a capacity of 36,000 seats plus an unknown standing capacity. Record attendance is 60,000 people, achieved several times: on the 4th of March, 1970 against the Polish team of Górnik Zabrze in a European Cup Winners Cup quarter final. The same attendance has been achieved in a domestic game against PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad, which is the unofficial record attandance for the Bulgarian league. The capacity has been reduced to 29,800 seats after new seating was installed and terraces removed in 1999.
Slavia Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 32,000 people and was opened in 1932. Slavia Sofia plays its home matches at the stadium. Of cource this stadiums and/or others will be renovated for the occasion, opening and final stadiums being chosen after all the eventual stadiums have been approved.(probably Lia Manoliu Arena as final stadium and Vasil Levski Stadium for the opening match.)

[edit] Czech Republic & Slovakia

The Heads of Government of Czech Republic and Slovakia have backed the idea of a joint candidate for the organization of Euro 2020. It was launched on 31st October 2007 by President of the Federation Czech Pavel Mokry. But Mirek Topolanek and Robert Fico agreed that their two nations were still far from being able to conform to the specifications of UEFA. The Czech Republic in 1996, had already flirted with the idea of an organisation of the common Euro 2004 with Austria

Stadia

Czech Republic

The AXA Arena is a football stadium in Prague. It is the home venue of Sparta Prague and often the home stadium of the Czech National Football Team. Formerly known as the Letná Stadium (Letenský stadion) and as the Toyota Arena, it is now named after its sponsor, AXA. The first stadium on the place opened in 1921, the current stadium has been built in 1969 and reconstructed 1994. It holds 20,854 people.
Na Stinadlech is a multi-use stadium in Teplice, Czech Republic. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of FK Teplice. The stadium holds 18,221 and was built in 1973. The Czech Republic national football team often plays qualification games at the stadium and has very positive statistics there, they have only lost points there once; in a friendly game against Sweden where they drew 3-3.
Stadion Eden is a football stadium in Prague, Czech Republic. It hosts home matches of SK Slavia Praha and the Czech Republic national football team. The stadium has a capacity of about 21,000 people and it is the most modern football stadium in Czech Republic. Slavia finally presented a project of the new stadium, but no construction has started. In December 2003, the old Eden stadium was torn down and Slavia announced that the new stadium will be opened on October 19, 2005, however, by October 2005 the construction has not even started. It took one more year to start. The project had to be scaled down to lower the construction cost from 1.8 billon Czech crowns to less then 1 billion. The construction started in October 2006. Despite the stadium was not fully finished, it was opened on May 7, 2008 with an exhibition match against Oxford University A.F.C.. Many former Slavia stars (such as Pavel Kuka, Patrik Berger, Jan Suchopárek and Ivo Knoflíček) took part in this match. Slavia won 5-0. The first competition match at the new stadium was played on May 17, 2008 against Jablonec, the match ended tied 2-2, Slavia secured the Gambrinus Liga title in this final match of the 2007/08 season.

Slovakia

Tehelné pole (meaning "Brickfield") is the informal name of a city quarter in Bratislava, Slovakia, characterized by the presence of several sports facilities. Administratively, the quarter belongs to Nové Mesto borough, situated around 5 km north-east of the centre. The German and Hungarian names for this locality are Ziegelfeld and Téglamezö.

Most commonly the name refers to the football stadium which is the home field for Slovan Bratislava and the regular home for the Slovakia national team in this quarter. The stadium has a capacity of 30,085 spectators, and is 105 m long and 68 m wide. The stadium was built during the first Slovak Republic, when Nazi Germany occupied Petržalka in 1938 and Bratislava lost almost all of its sporting facilities. The construction lasted from 1939 to 1944 and the stadium became home ground for Slovan Bratislava. The stadium was officially opened in September 1940 with 25,000 places, and the first international match was played on 27 October 1940, with Slovan Bratislava playing against Hertha Berlin, ending in a 2–2 draw. The old stadium underwent reconstruction in 1961, which added second tribune, boosting its capacity to 45,000 and modernising by adding score table, artificial light and revamping the field. However, the stadium could hold up even 50,000 spectators, and just before breakup of Czechoslovakia, it was the largest one in use (Strahov Stadium in Prague had a capacity of 220,000 but was disused in the 1990s) and was the home ground for Czechoslovak national team.The stadium was reconstructed once more in the 1990s to the "all-seater" stadium, reducing the capacity into 30,000. After this, the Tehelné pole stadium was the second-largest in Slovakia after Všešportový areál in Košice, however, that stadium is now disused. In 2005-06, it was also used as the "home" ground for FC Artmedia Bratislava in that club's Champions League and UEFA Cup campaigns, as Artmedia's own ground did not meet minimum standards for UEFA competition. It is planned that the current stadium will be demolished and a new one with the capacity around 35,000 people will be built, costing around 80 million Euro. The need for a new stadium stems from the UEFA rules, which require to play international matches on stadiums of certain standards from 2008, however, Slovakia lacks these stadiums so far.

In summary, there would probably be one 50,000 capacity venue for the final, two 40,000 capacity venues for the semi-finals while the rest would be around 30,000 for group games. From this it seems the Czech Republic and Slovakia would only be able to meet the minimum level of UEFA's stadia requirements.

[edit] Armenia/Georgia/Azerbaijan

The three far eastern European countries have begun indefinite negotiations to see if it is viable to bring Euro 2020 to the Caspian and Black Sea region. This may represent some difficulties with UEFA as Armenia is entirely in Southwest Asia, whilst Georgia and Azerbaijan are either partially or entirely in Asia. However, all three countries are UEFA members, UEFA has no problem with all three countries competing in their national team and club competitions, and all three have attempted qualifying for the World Cup via the UEFA route. Some difficulties are in fact presented however by the fact that, were this bid successful, the European Championships would for the first time be held outside of Europe, an almost unheard of phenomenon in any major international sporting competition.