Agreement reached between the UK government and UEFA to increase the attendance at Wembley to 75 per cent capacity for the climax of this summer’s pan-European staging of the Euros; Semi-finals and final will see the largest crowds assembled at a sporting event in the UK in over 15 months
The semi-finals and final of Euro 2020 will be held in front of more than 60,000 fans at Wembley following talks held between the UK government and UEFA.
Reports had indicated Budapest could replace Wembley as the venue amid concerns around England’s coronavirus restrictions, while Italy also put forward Rome.
However, an agreement has been reached between the UK government and UEFA to increase the attendance at Wembley to 75 per cent capacity for the climax of this summer’s pan-European staging of the Euros.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: “This tournament has been a beacon of hope to reassure people that we are returning to a more normal way of life and this is a further step along that road.
“I am grateful to the Prime Minister and the UK government for their hard work in finalising these arrangements with us, to make the tournament final stages a great success in Wembley.”
The UK government remains in talks with UEFA over exemptions for additional guests and overseas fans for the semi-finals and final, with public health the number one priority.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport is expected to provide further clarity later this week.
As previously reported by Sky Sports News, UEFA wants UK quarantine restrictions to ease around the final three games of tournament, with a 24-hour ‘bubble’ in place instead of mandatory 10-day quarantine (reduced to five days upon a further negative test).
The semi-finals and final on July 6, 7 and 11 respectively will see the largest crowds assembled at a sporting event in the UK in over 15 months.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “The finals promise to be an unforgettable moment in our national recovery from the pandemic.”
Wembley’s capacity has been reduced to 22,500 for group fixtures at Euro 2020, while it was already announced last week the round-of-16 match on June 29 would be hosted with at least 40,000 fans.
The matches will form part of the government’s fan pilot events programme, alongside major sporting events such as Wimbledon, with fans required to follow Covid-19 entry requirements, including having a negative Covid-19 test or proof of full vaccination, 14 days before the fixture.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “It’s amazing how much atmosphere fans have been able to generate so far, so to have three times as many will be fantastic.
“We have always said that fans are the lifeblood of the game, so it’s brilliant that so many will get a chance to see the tournament finale.”
