England in line for more Euro 2020 games as Uefa vows to ditch host cities that cannot guarantee crowds
Euro 2020 organisers will axe host cities if they cannot guarantee that fans will be allowed to attend matches at this summer’s tournament.
Dublin, Glasgow and Bilbao are the three hosts considered most likely to be cut from the pan-European, 12-city format.
“The ideal scenario is to play the tournament in the original 12 venues, but if that is not possible, then it will go ahead in either 10 or 11 countries if one or more of the venues cannot meet the required conditions,” said Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin.
“We have several scenarios, but the one guarantee we can make is that the option of playing any Euro 2020 match in an empty stadium is off the table. Every host must guarantee there will be fans at their games.”
Uefa’s willingness to cut host cities increases the likelihood of England being asked to stage additional fixtures.
European football’s governing body plans to wait until next month before finalising the schedule for the tournament, which was delayed last year.
Dublin, Glasgow and Bilbao have so far been unable to provide assurances that spectators will be able to attend their fixtures within Covid-19 rules.
Uefa is believed to want host cities to operate stadiums at a minimum of one quarter capacity.
Wembley Stadium is due to stage all three of England’s group stage matches, plus a last-16 game, both semi-finals and the final.
Prime Minster Boris Johnson has insisted England could host further games if asked by Uefa.
Under the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, spectators will be allowed to attend live sport in limited numbers from 17 May.
Before then, the FA Cup final and World Snooker Championship are set to be used as trial events.