Euro 2020 will start Friday the 11th of June 2021 and will end with a big finale on Sunday the 11th of July 2021. Now, with that knowledge in mind, it is settled that all vacations with the family is off the table in that period of time.
But what else do you need to know about the Euro 2020? In this article, we provide you with an overview and explain who Denmark is a dark horse you should keep an eye on.
Why is it called Euro 2020 when it’s 2021 now?
The tournament was to be held in the summer of 2020 but due to the pandemic, it was rescheduled to the summer of 2021. UEFA (The Union of European Football Association) decided to still call it Euro 2020.
England are favourites
“Three Lions” are among the bookmaker’s top favourites for the Euro 2020 championship. The average price for England to win the tournament is approximately 5/1. Next in line is France at around 11/2, and then Belgium at approximately 6/1.
There’s nothing new to England being among the favourites. The new thing this time is that they might actually have the squad to live up to it. Especially the midfield and the attacking players hold a high level. If the defence can keep up with that, this could be England’s tournament.
Denmark are dark horses
The Danish side is definitely not to be taken lightly either. From September 2016 to May 2021, the Danes have only lost twice when lining up with their real national team (non-FIFA friendlies and a scandal match against Slovakia with only players from lower Danish divisions are not included). The defeats were both times in the hands of Belgium during the UEFA Nations League in 2020.
This means that Denmark have only lost twice in their last 42 games. Only the world no. 1, Belgium, has been able to win against Kasper Hjulmand’s side. In that period of time, Denmark have beaten the likes of England at Wembley, Sweden, Austria by 4-0 in Vienna, Iceland, Switzerland, Poland by 4-0 etc.
The Danes were even down by 0-3 against Switzerland in 2019 and still managed to get 3-3 thanks to three goals in the last six minutes of the game. Denmark seem almost invincible.
Odds on the Danes to win the Euro 2020 are about 80/1, which really makes it worth a thought or two.
It is always worth considering betting on the winner of the Euro, but keep in mind that betting should be fun. Never play for more money than you can afford to lose. That’s the number one rule regarding betting.
The groups and the teams
Here we will provide you with an overview of all the 24 teams that are to participate in the Euro 2020 tournament. The teams are divided into six groups:
Group A: Italy, Switzerland, Turkey and Wales
Group B: Belgium, Russia, Denmark and Finland
Group C: Ukraine, Netherlands, Austria and North Macedonia
Group D: England, Croatia, Czech Republic and Scotland
Group E: Spain, Poland, Sweden and Slovakia
Group F: Germany, France, Portugal and Hungary
All the group winners and the runners-up will advance to the round of 16. So will also the best four third-placed teams.
The stadiums
The Euro 2020 championship is to be played in 12 different countries. Here is the list of stadiums:
Wembley Stadium (90.000), London, England
Allianz Arena (75.000), Munich, Germany
Stadio Olimpico (70.600), Rome, Italy
Olympic Stadium (68.700), Baku, Azerbaijan
Krestovsky Stadium (68.000), Saint Petersburg, Russia
Arena Națională (55.600), Bucharest, Romania
San Mamés (53.300), Bilbao, Spain
Puskás Aréna (67.200), Budapest, Hungary
Johan Cruyff Arena (55.000), Amsterdam, Netherlands
Parken Stadium (38.000), Copenhagen, Denmark
Hampden Park (51.800), Glasgow, Scotland
Aviva Stadium (51.700), Dublin, Ireland
Some of these countries/stadiums might be changed to other locations as the UEFA had proclaimed that no matches will be played without spectators during the Euro 2020. It might be that not all the host cities can live up to this demand due to the country’s corona situation.