Oh, this pandemic! June 11, 2021 finally begins football Euro 2020

We tell the main thing that you need to know before the tournament if you have already forgotten about football

June 11, at 22:00 Moscow time, from the match Italy - Türkiye begins the European Football Championship. Last year’s tournament was postponed due to pandemia, and we tell the main thing that you need to know about the format, favorites and the ability to see matches.

The current championship for the first time takes place not in one or two, but at once in 10 countries

In 2020, the championship did not take place due to the pandemic and was postponed to 2021. At the same time, the old official name was retained for the tournament-Euro 2020.

The UEFA Managing Organization - UEFA - back in 2012, decided that the 2020 tournament will be held in 12 cities in different European countries. Then it seemed a good idea: UEFA leaders believed that holding matches in the countries not the most football and popular countries from tourists will allow them to build the necessary infrastructure for sponsors' money. This decision also had an image aspect: the championship, one might say, is twice anniversary - the fifteenth in a row, and exactly 60 years have passed since the first such tournament.

But last spring it became clear that if the pandemic does not end, the championship in more than ten cities in Europe will be very difficult to hold. So, each country had its own rules for the admission (or inappropriate) of citizens of other states and mass events. Different options for moving to one relatively prosperous country were discussed : for example, the transfer of all matches to the UK or to Russia. However, right during the discussion in these countries, the epidemiological situation sharply worsened.

In 2021, only Dublin and Bilbao refused to conduct matches. Matches from Bilbao moved to another Spanish city - Seville. And the matches that were supposed to be held in the capital of Ireland were divided between London and St. Petersburg.

Here is the final list of cities and countries where the tournament will be held

• Azerbaijan (Baku): Group stage and quarterfinals
• England (London): Group stage, 1/8 finals, semi -finals and finals
• Hungary (Budapest): Group stage and 1/8 finals
• Germany (Munich): Group stage and quarterfinals
• Denmark (Copenhagen): Group stage and 1/8 finals
• Spain (Seville): Group stage and 1/8 finals
• Italy (Rome): Group stage and quarterfinals
• Netherlands (Amsterdam): Group stage and 1/8 finals
• Russia (St. Petersburg): Group stage and quarterfinals
• Romania (Bucharest): Group stage and 1/8 finals
• Scotland (Glasgow): Group stage and 1/8 finals

The number of participants and the regulations of the championship have not changed compared to Euro 2016. Both then criticized then

24 teams will take part in the tournament. This order was introduced in 2016, when the tournament grid was increased by eight participants. This expansion was criticized for the "erosion" of the quality of the group stage of the tournament.

• 24 teams are divided into 6 groups; Each of the four teams spends three matches in the group.
• The teams that took the first two places in the group go directly to the 1/8 finals - this was the case before.
• But now four more teams fall into the playoffs-the best in points (with equality-by the difference in balls, clogged, the number of yellow cards) among those who took third places in their groups.

For most favorites, the passage to the next stage in 2016 was too easy. Meanwhile, it used to be that it is more difficult to go through a grid on the euro than at the World Cup. At the World Cup itself, the option with 24 teams worked from 1982 to 1994 and then almost did not cause complaints.

One way or another, the most interesting begins with the 1/8 finals: the teams simply play one match at each stage for the release. In 2016, the Russian team did not get into the playoffs, taking the last place in the group.

Finally, there will be spectators again at the stadiums!

Almost the last year, the main football matches were held without spectators (Russian Championship, as well as the Champions League final in this sense). Many players and coaches said that it was demotivating them. The audience will be allowed into the euro, but the Angels will definitely not be anywhere except Budapest. Only in the capital of Hungary is it allowed to fill the stadium by 100%. In other cities, epidemiological restrictions that local authorities establish.

Probably, except for Budapest, the most fans will be at the final at the Wembley stadium in London - but only if the city authorities decide to increase the occupancy of the huge arena (90 thousand people) to 50%; Now in England, a restriction of 25% of the capacity is adopted.

You can still buy tickets for games in St. Petersburg. But getting to the matches of the Russian national team will be difficult

Matches from Dublin were transferred to St. Petersburg; At first, tickets for them were offered to those who had tickets for matches in Ireland. The remaining places went on free sale. On the day of the start of the tournament after registration on the UEFA website, it was still possible to freely buy tickets for matches Poland - Slovakia (June 14), Sweden - Slovakia (June 18) and Sweden - Poland (June 23). In addition, tickets for the match Belgium - Finland (June 21) remain in the official sale.

Buy tickets for matches of the Russian national team - with Belgium on June 12 and Finland on June 16 - more difficult. You need to contact the resellers or take a very expensive package (with payment of residence) from UEFA.

After the Russian national team plays two home matches, it will go to Copenhagen to play with the Danes (which will probably become decisive). At the same time, Russian fans will not be allowed there: in Denmark, all countries of the world are divided into categories depending on their “covid danger”, and Russia is not among those whose citizens can be admitted to this country. It is still very difficult for Russians to get into matches in other EU countries and the UK Russians.

At the same time, fans from any countries will be able to get to St. Petersburg: everything they need is a ticket, a “fan passport” (FAN ID) and a mask. A fresh negative PCR test for Covid (or a vaccination certificate) in St. Petersburg (as well as in Glasgow and Baku) will not be needed. In other host cities, it will not be possible to get to the stadium without certificates. The “fan passport” needs to be issued to the Petersburg matches for St. Petersburg matches, this can be done on a special site .

As you understand, Covid still affects the audience and players

Decisions on the transfer and number of spectators are clearly accepted quite arbitrarily and are poorly dependent on real incidence in countries and cities. The same St. Petersburg, which received three additional matches, even according to official figures, leads in terms of the number of monastery infected with coronavirus revealed by coronavirus.

At the same time, Gazprom-Arena in St. Petersburg can be filled with 50%, and the Allian Arena in more prosperous from the point of view of Covid Munich-only 22%.

There are problems not only with fans, but also for the national teams themselves: for example, on the eve of the start of the championship, it was expelled from the application of the Russian national team Andrei Mostova, who was revealed by the infection with the virus. The Spaniards and Swedes have infection. However, in the application of each national team there are 26 players, the sick can be changed to those who are not in the application, and the team can reach the match if there are at least 13 healthy and not -imprisoned players (and at least one goalkeeper).

If 13 players do not get, the team will count the technical defeat 0: 3.

Favorites are the French. The Ronaldo era passes: We are waiting for Mbappe after the tournament are recognized as the new king of Europe

The favorites of the bookmakers were clear for a long time (in descending order):

• France (world champions - 2018).
• England (semi -finalist of the World Cup - 2018; the best generation of young players in decades).
• Belgium (also the semi -finalist of 2018; the best, although gradually aging generation in the history of football of this country).
• There are Denmark in the top ten favorites, which, like Belgium, plays in the same group with Russia.

In the struggle for the title of the best player, the same bookmakers considered the favorite of the 22-year-old Frenchman Kilian Mbappa; The 36-year-old Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo (his team became the European champion four years ago) was only fifth. In addition, the tournament will be attended by the main contender for the title of the best football player in the world of 2021, the Frenchman N -Gol Kant (he helped to win the Champions League) and the Polish forward Robert Lewandovsky (was to receive a reward in 2020, but the presentation was canceled).

Russia can meet with Ukraine no earlier than a quarterfinals - and definitely not in St. Petersburg

Ukraine and Russia play in different groups and can play with each other only at the playoff stage, not earlier than ¼ finals.

• If the grid reduces Russia and Ukraine in the ¼ finals, then the match will be held either in Baku on July 3 or in Munich on July 2.
• Both Russia and Ukraine can play their quarterfinals in St. Petersburg, but they cannot go there together.
• If both teams go further, then they will play in London, where both semi -finals and finals will take place.

At the same time, in general, the chances of Ukraine to reach the late stage of the tournament are estimated above than that of Russia. In particular, in the same group with Ukraine, in addition to strong Netherlands, there are quite passable Austria and especially Northern Macedonia. The Ukrainian defender Alexander Zinchenko, who plays for Manchester City and is considered one of the best in the world, midfielders Ruslan Malinovsky (Atalanta), Andrei Yarmolenko (West Ham) and the rising star from the Kyiv Dynamo Viktor Tsygankov.

There is no championship among Russia, but, according to the coaching staff of the national team, "this means nothing." We will talk more about her prospects tomorrow, before the match with Belgium.

Everything can be seen on TV

In Russia, broadcasts were divided between three channels: the first (including the opening match of Italy - Turkey June 11), Russia (including the final) and Match TV.

The broadcast schedule can be viewed, for example, here . Tomorrow at 22:00 Moscow time, the Russians will play with the Belgians, and on Sunday the top -end match by any standards: England - Croatia (16:00).

Dmitry Kuznets