The kickoff of the 2020 European Championship – postponed to this year for reasons known to everyone – is drawing closer with each day: in about three weeks, Italy will play Turkey at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico. The kickoff comes at a time when an ever-increasing number of countries are easing their public health-related restrictions, opening up pubs and restaurants, and bracing for the summer. All over Europe, stadiums are reopening for fans – in limited numbers, mind you, usually sticking to a quarter of their stadiums’ capacity. Things will be the same for EURO 2021 (2020?) – when it comes to live attendance, some countries are more cautious than others, with just one aiming at allowing attendance of 100% on its biggest stadium.
Munich – on the safe side
The German authorities have decided to stay on the safe side. The Bayern Munich stadium will only allow viewers to book 20% of its 71,000-strong seats for the events of the European Championship. The venue will host four matches – three of them will certainly be played by the German national team, with the participants of the fourth yet to be decided.
The lucky few – or better said lucky 14,000 – fans will be able to see the matches live. The others will have to stick to the TV or the coverage of sports portals like keo168.com.
Cautious but willing
The Brits have just started to allow football fans back to stadiums, usually drawing a line at about 10,000 attendees. For the eight matches of the European Championship hosted by the Wembley Stadium, the venue will be filled up to 25% of its capacity of 90,000 spectators.
Amsterdam, Bucharest, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Rome and Seville are also keeping things safe – the venues of all these cities will only be filled up between 25% and 33% for their respective matches. Better safe than sorry, after all.
Half-full or half-empty?
The stadiums in Saint Petersburg and Baku stadiums put people’s optimism to the test: both of them have committed to allowing 50% of their seats to be occupied. It’s up to the attendees to decide whether they’ll be half-full or half-empty, depending on whether they feel optimistic or pessimistic. Or they could simply be happy to finally attend a few high-profile football matches.
Among them, these two stadiums will host a total of 11 matches.
To the brim
The only country to commit to full attendance at its EURO matches is Hungary. Puskás Aréna, named after history’s first true football star Ferenc Puskás, has a capacity of around 38,000 – and Hungary’s public health authorities have decided that it was finally time for football fans to fill it up to the brim.
Of course, the stadium will enforce strict requirements on those who wish to enter: they’ll have to arrive in their allocated time slot, frequently wash and disinfect their hands, limit their movement, wear a face mask, and most importantly, present a negative PCR test issued within 72 hours, proof of having had COVID in the last six months or a valid proof of vaccination upon entry.