Hampden loses out in bid to host Euro 2020 opening match

The opening match of Euro 2020 will be played at Rome's Stadio Olimpico, scuppering hopes of the fixture taking place at Hampden Park.

Hampden won't host the opening match of Euro 2020 but will still stage games after being named as London's partner city for Group D. Picture: John Devlin

Wembley will host seven games during Euro 2020 after UEFA handed the four fixtures scheduled for Brussels to London on Thursday.

UEFA decided to reallocate the three group-stage games and one last-16 game originally given to the Belgian capital because of delays in the project to build a new 60,000-capacity Eurostadium on the site of Heysel.

Cardiff’s Principality Stadium and Stockholm’s Friends Arena - the venues for last season’s finals of the Champions League and Europa League, respectively - had hoped to pick up Brussels’ games.

Wembley Stadium was awarded the matches initially slated for Belgium. Picture: PA

However, UEFA opted for Wembley, which has already been chosen as the venue for the semi-finals and final.

Staged across 12 countries, Euro 2020’s unusual format was former UEFA president Michel Platini’s brainchild - a one-off gesture to celebrate the tournament’s 60th birthday.

As well as deciding where the first game, on June 12, will be and what to do about Brussel’s difficulties, the executive committee also announced where each of the six groups’ games will be played.

Baku and Rome will host group A, group B’s games will take place in Copenhagen and St Petersburg, Amsterdam and Bucharest get group C, Glasgow and London will share group D, group E will be staged in Bilbao and Dublin, while group F’s fixtures will be in Budapest and Munich.

Wembley Stadium was awarded the matches initially slated for Belgium. Picture: PA

In a statement, the Football Association of Wales said it was “extremely disappointed” with the news its bid for four Euro 2020 games had been unsuccessful.

“Over the past four years, Wales has successfully staged three UEFA events - firstly, the Super Cup final in 2014, followed by the men’s and women’s Champions League finals in June this year,” it said.

“UEFA ranked the Champions League final as one of their best events and praised the way in which the Cardiff 2017 local organising committee delivered the showpiece.

“The concept of taking Euro 2020 to 13 different countries was devised to allow smaller countries, like Wales, to have a unique opportunity of being involved in staging a major tournament. Wales has never staged a Euro or World Cup final and this was its one and only chance of doing so.

“The FAW complied with all of the bid requirements and has written to UEFA to request feedback on the decision so that it can understand the reasons behind the vote for future reference.”

The statement concluded by wishing UEFA and Wembley all the best and saying it would now concentrate all its efforts on ensuring Wales qualify.

While the decision has come as a blow to the Welsh, and Belgians, it is a major coup for the Football Association, London and Wembley Stadium, which hosted several games in the 1996 tournament.

And if England qualify for the tournament, they will play at least two group-stage games at Wembley, just as Ireland and Scotland will get two home games if they reach the tournament.

In a statement, FA chief executive Martin Glenn said: “We are delighted to help UEFA by hosting the additional four matches at Wembley Stadium.

“It’s an honour to be one of the 12 nations that will play a part in this prestigious ‘EURO for Europe’ tournament and I would like to thank the UEFA executive committee for giving us the opportunity to stage these games.”

Glenn also thanked the government and mayor of London for their help in securing the games, which will be staged in a post-Brexit Britain.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said the decision reinforces the city’s “reputation as the sporting capital of the world” and confirms that “#LondonIsOpen”.

The FA and Khan added that they would now work on a programme of “community activity” around the month-long tournament, while sports minister Tracey Crouch said it was “great news”.

Speaking at a press conference in Nyon, which was broadcast on its website, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the decision to take the games from Brussels was unanimous after the Belgian authorities failed to provide guarantees the new stadium would be ready.