After being delayed by a year, the excitement of the Euro 2020 has been well and truly felt across the country, and the rest of the continent.
The England-Germany game, in particular, was a highlight for many fans as it felt like a weight was lifted from the collective shoulders of England’s football supporters.
As expected, betting on Euro 2020 was huge in the UK, with millions being wagered on the overall winner of the competition. Odds were changing frequently throughout the tournament as big names were knocked out left right and centre.
The competition was unique for many reasons, but one of the most notable was the fact that UEFA arranged for matches to be played in 11 different cities around Europe. This was not something that had ever been done before at a major international competition but was agreed on as a way to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the tournament.
Of course, it wasn’t the first time that hosting duties had been shared by countries. That first happened at the turn of the millennium when Belgium and the Netherlands jointly hosted Euro 2000. After that success, it was agreed that Austria and Switzerland would host Euro 2008 and then Poland and Ukraine would share the responsibilities for Euro 2012.
FIFA has also taken note of this and agreed to a joint bid from Canada, Mexico, and the United States to host the 2026 World Cup in all three countries.
However, on each of those occasions, it was only two countries sharing hosting duties and they were neighbours. Euro 2020, therefore, was entirely unprecedented in its design.
That leaves the question, did it work, and should football officials consider hosting a pan-European tournament again in the future?
Did it work?
This is a hotly debated topic. Some fans and commentators argue that hosting the UEFA European Championship across 11 different countries was a great way to involve the entire continent in what is a continental competition, though others believe the benefits don’t outweigh the drawbacks.
It meant that many more fans got to see their team play at home. Here in England, the Three Lions played their first four games at Wembley Stadium, giving the team a distinct home-side advantage.
During the group stages, there were 24 times where teams got to play games at home. This meant that fans from nine nations could watch their country play in the second-largest international football tournament on two-dozen occasions, a statistic unrivalled in previous competitions.
This also resulted in twice as many host nations making it through into the knockout phase of the tournament, meaning more home games were played throughout the final few games.
Aside from this, it also meant that economic pressures were shared across the different host countries. No new stadiums needed to be built, nor were any major public transport infrastructure projects undertaken. Normally, this is standard practice for a tournament of this scale.
On the flip side, this also meant that local businesses didn’t enjoy the same benefits that are usually derived from being the sole host of a major sporting tournament. Hosting Euro 2016 reportedly provided a €1.2 billion (£1.06 billion) boost to the French economy with millions of fans from across the continent spending an average of 7.9 days in the country.
Others also argue that sharing means there is less focus within the country, meaning local projects like those that took place in Warrington during the 2012 Olympics can be made viable.
Should UEFA do it again?
Euro 2024 will be hosted entirely in Germany, though decisions about Euro 2028 and beyond have not yet been decided. Some sources believe that the decision to host Euro 2020 in multiple countries was made because there were no viable candidates for sole hosting duties because few countries had been interested in footing the bill back in 2012 when the decision was made.
However, the reduction in economic burden that this format has is something that we can also see in other sports. The IOC announced in 2020 that it wants to reduce the cost that hosts carry while helping them align the games with their long term financial plans. As part of this, it has said it is open to cities sharing hosting duties.
With that in mind, it’s likely less of a question of “should” UEFA do it again, and more “when”.
