Thirty years after the final of the World Championship of 1990, Rome will again host a symbolic match in international football: the opening match of the 2020 European Football Championship. It is a historic occasion, on the 60th anniversary of the continental tournament which will involve 12 European cities. The official announcement was issued today in Nyon after the meeting of the executive committee. Four matches will be played in total, including one of the quarter finals, while London, in addition to the semi-final and the final, will host the four matches that should have been played in Brussels, because of the impossibility of respecting the terms and conditions imposed for the delivery of the new stadium in time for the tournament.

The candidature for the opening match was already included in the file presented by the Italian Football Federation in April 2014. The President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò, commented proudly on the decision by UEFA: “The Olympic stadium in Rome will have the honour of hosting Euro 2020’s opening match. EUFA’s choice is a significant sign for the stadium and Italian sport generally.”

The pairing of matches to tournament locations, only for the groups Phase, took place during the meeting. Each of the qualifying teams will play at least two matches at home. This is the outline:

Group A) Rome and Baku

Group B) St. Petersburg and Copenhagen

Group C) Amsterdam and Bucharest

Group D) London and Glasgow

Group E) Bilbao and Dublin

Group F) Munich and Budapest