The 2020 European Football Championship, also known as simply the Euro, will take place from 11 June to 11 July 2021. Organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), it is the main European event in international men’s football. Like many other events, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year and rescheduled for 2021. The name, however, will remain UEFA Euro 2020 due to sponsoring reasons and contracts.
The tournament is being hosted in countries all across the continent for the first time in the 60-year long history of the competition. In total, there will be 11 host cities in countries from Azerbaijan to Scotland. The format mirrors the one used for the UEFA Euro 2016: the 24 participating countries are divided in six groups (A-F) and are playing against each other in the group stage. The two top teams in every group will then proceed to the round of 16 along with the four best finishers in third-place. The knockout stage starts with the round of 16, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final that is taking place on 11 July at the legendary Wembley Stadium in London.
Did you know? (Or how to impress your friends with random football knowledge)
- The only Euro final that ended in penalties took place in 1976 when Czechoslovakia beat West Germany 5-3.
- The fastest goal ever scored in the Euro goes back to 2004 and Russian player Dmitri Kirichenko who scored 1 minute and 7 seconds into the game against Greece – who then ended up taking the trophy home.
- The match with the highest score in the history of the Euro was also the competition’s first game ever when Yugoslavia beat France 5-4 in 1960.
As it is often said that football has the power to bring people together, we would like to take this opportunity to wish all the football-enthusiasts out there a great tournament with many memorable moments! Moreover, since the Euro certainly wouldn’t be possible without interpreters, we want to invite you to continue using the Speech Repository to practise your interpreting skills over the summer – there are surely going to be some breaks between the matches. And while you’re already here, why not choose a football-related speech for your next practice session? Maybe in French, English, Spanish or Mandarin?
What are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
Happy practice,
Your Speech Repository Team