EURO: Biggest prize in European football
Compiled by Ranjika Perera
Here are the countries, stars, records, and the schedule of the biggest European football show of the year, EURO 2020 which starts today (11). The 2020 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA European Championship, UEFA Euro 2020, or simply Euro 2020, is scheduled to be the 16th Euro, a quadrennial international men’s football championship of Europe. The tournament is to be held in 11 cities in 11 UEFA countries with the participation of 24 countries. It was originally scheduled from 12 June to 12 July 2020 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe. It is now held from 11 June to 11 July 2021. Portugal is the defending champions, having won the 2016 competition. The video assistant referee (VAR) system will make its debut at the Euro this year.
EURO 2020 SCHEDULE
GROUP STAGE
Friday 11 June
Group A: Turkey vs. Italy (12.30 midnight*, Rome)
Saturday 12 June
Group A: Wales vs. Switzerland (6.30 pm, Baku)
Group B: Denmark vs. Finland (9.30 pm, Copenhagen)
Group B: Belgium vs. Russia (12.30 midnight, St. Petersburg)
Sunday 13 June
Group D: England vs. Croatia (6.30 pm, London)
Group C: Austria vs. North Macedonia (9.30 pm, Bucharest)
Group C: Netherlands vs. Ukraine (12.30 midnight, Amsterdam)
Monday 14 June
Group D: Scotland vs. Czech Republic (6.30 pm, Glasgow)
Group E: Poland vs. Slovakia (9.30 pm, St. Petersburg)
Group E: Spain vs. Sweden (12.30 midnight, Seville)
Tuesday 15 June
Group F: Hungary vs. Portugal (9.30 pm, Budapest)
Group F: France vs. Germany (12.30 midnight, Munich)
Wednesday 16 June
Group B: Finland vs. Russia (6.30 pm, St. Petersburg)
Group A: Turkey vs. Wales (9.30 pm, Baku)
Group A: Italy vs. Switzerland (12.30 midnight, Rome)
Thursday 17 June
Group C: Ukraine vs. North Macedonia (6.30 pm, Bucharest)
Group B: Denmark vs. Belgium (9.30 pm, Copenhagen)
Group C: Netherlands vs. Austria (12.30 midnight, Amsterdam)
Friday 18 June
Group E: Sweden vs. Slovakia (6.30 pm, St. Petersburg)
Group D: Croatia vs. Czech Republic (9.30 pm, Glasgow)
Group D: England vs. Scotland (12.30 midnight, London)
Saturday 19 June
Group F: Hungary vs. France (6.30 pm, Budapest)
Group F: Portugal vs. Germany (9.30 pm, Munich)
Group E: Spain vs. Poland (12.30 midnight, Seville)
Sunday 20 June
Group A: Italy vs. Wales (9.30 pm, Rome)
Group A: Switzerland vs. Turkey (9.30 pm, Baku)
Monday 21 June
Group C: North Macedonia vs. Netherlands (9.30 pm, Amsterdam)
Group C: Ukraine vs. Austria (9.30 pm, Bucharest)
Group B: Russia vs. Denmark (12.30 midnight, Copenhagen)
Group B: Finland vs. Belgium (12.30 midnight, St. Petersburg)
Tuesday 22 June
Group D: Czech Republic vs. England (12.30 midnight, London)
Group D: Croatia vs. Scotland (12.30 midnight, Glasgow)
Wednesday 23 June
Group E: Slovakia vs. Spain (9.30 pm, Seville)
Group E: Sweden vs. Poland (9.30 pm, St. Petersburg)
Group F: Germany vs. Hungary (12.30 midnight, Munich)
Group F: Portugal vs. France (12.30 midnight, Budapest)
Notes:
1. The top two in each Group plus four best third-placed teams go through
2. 24 and 25 June are rest days
KNOCKOUT PHASE
Round of 16
Saturday 26 June
1. 2A vs. 2B (9.30 pm, Amsterdam)
2. 1A vs. 2C (12.30 midnight, London)
Sunday 27 June
3. 1C vs. 3D/E/F (9.30 pm, Budapest)
4. 1B vs. 3A/D/E/F (12.30 midnight, Seville)
Monday 28 June
5. 2D vs. 2E (9.30 pm, Copenhagen)
6. 1F vs. 3A/B/C (12.30 midnight, Bucharest)
Tuesday 29 June
7. 1D vs. 2F (9.30 pm, London)
8. 1E vs. 3A/B/C/D (12.30 midnight, Glasgow)
Note: Rest days on 30 June and 1 July
Quarter-finals
Friday 2 July
QF1: Winner 6 vs. Winner 5 (9.30 pm, St. Petersburg)
QF2: Winner 4 vs. Winner 2 (12.30 midnight, Munich)
Saturday 3 July
QF3: Winner 3 vs. Winner 1 (9.30 pm, Baku)
QF4: Winner 8 vs. Winner 7 (12.30 midnight, Rome)
Note: Rest days on 4 and 5 July
Semi-finals
Tuesday 6 July
SF1: Winner QF2 vs. Winner QF1 (12.30 midnight, London)
Wednesday 7 July
SF2: Winner QF4 vs. Winner QF3 (12.30 midnight, London)
Note: Rest days on 8, 9, and 10 July
Final
Sunday 11 July
Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2 (12.30 midnight, London)
* All times in Sri Lanka Time
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THE PARTICIPANTS
GROUP A
[caption id="attachment_142126" align="alignnone" width="463"] Lorenzo Insigne[/caption]Italy
Manager: Roberto Mancini
Key Players: Lorenzo Insigne, Fedrico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alex Meret, Salvatore Sirigu
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Emerson Palmieri, Alessandro Florenzi, Leonardo Spinazzola, Rafael Toloi
Midfielders: Nicolo Barella, Bryan Cristante, Jorginho, Manuel Locatelli, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Stefano Sensi, Marco Verratti, Federico Bernardeschi, Federico Chiesa
Forwards: Andrea Belotti, Domenico Berardi, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, Giacomo Raspadori
Turkey
Manager: Senol Gunez
Key Players: Burak Yilmaz, Hakan Calhanoglu
Goalkeepers: Altay Bayındır, Ugurcan Cakır, Mert Gunok
Defenders: Kaan Ayhan, Zeki Celik, Merih Demiral, Ozan Kabak, Umut Meras, Mert Muldur, Caglar Soyuncu, Rıdvan Yılmaz
Midfielders: Taylan Antalyalı, Hakan Calhanoglu, Halil Dervişoglu, Irfan Can Kahveci, Orkun Kokcu, Abdulkadir Omur, Dorukhan Tokoz, Ozan Tufan, Okay Yokuslu
Forwards: Kerem Akturkoglu, Kenan Karaman, Enes Unal,Cengiz Under, Yusuf Yazıcı, Burak Yılmaz
Switzerland
Manager: Vladmir Petkovic
Key Players: Granit Xhaka, Breel Embolo, Xherdan Shaqiri
Goalkeepers: Yvon Mvogo, Jonas Omlin, Yann Sommer
Defenders: Manuel Akanji, Loris Benito, Eray Coemert, Nico Elvedi, Jordan Lotomba, Kevin Mbabu, Becir Omeragic, Ricardo Rodriguez, Fabian Schaer, Silvan Widmer
Midfielders: Christian Fassnacht, Edimilson Fernandes, Remo Freuler, Mario Gavranovic, Admir Mehmedi, Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria, Djibril Sow, Ruben Vargas
Forwards: Breel Embolo, Xherdan Shaqiri, Haris Seferovic, Steven Zuber
Wales
Manager: Robert Page
Key Players: Gareth Bale, Ethan Ampadu, Daniel James, Aaron Ramsey
Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey, Adam Davies, Danny Ward
Defenders: Ben Davies, Joe Rodon, Chris Mepham, Connor Roberts, Tom Lockyer, Neco Williams, Ben Cabango, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Chris Gunter
Midfielders: Aaron Ramsey, Ethan Ampadu, Matthew Smith, Joe Morrell, Joe Allen, Jonathan Williams, David Brooks, Harry Wilson, Dylan Levitt, Rubin Colwill
GROUP B
[caption id="attachment_142127" align="alignnone" width="463"] Romelu Lukaku[/caption]Belgium
Manager: Roberto Martinez
Key Players: Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Coutois
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet, Matz Sels
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld, Dedryck Boyata, Timothy Castagne, Jason Denayer, Thomas Meunier, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen
Midfielders: Nacer Chadli, Yannick Carrasco, Kevin De Bruyne, Leander Dendoncker, Eden Hazard, Thorgan Hazard, Dennis Praet, Youri Tielemans, Hans Vanaken, Axel Witsel
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi, Christian Benteke, Jeremy Doku, Romelu Lukaku, Dries Mertens, Leandro Trossard
Russia
Manager: Stanislav Cherchesov
Key Players: Artem Dzyuba, Aleksandr Golovin
Goalkeepers: Yuri Dyupin, Matvei Safonov, Anton Shunin
Defenders: Igor Diveev, Georgi Dzhikiya, Mario Fernandes, Vyacheslav Karavaev, Fedor Kudryashov, Andrei Semenov
Midfielders: Dmitri Barinov, Denis Cheryshev, Daniil Fomin, Aleksandr Golovin, Daler Kuzyaev, Andrei Mostovoy, Maksim Mukhin, Magomed Ozdoev, Rifat Zhemaletdinov, Yuri Zhirkov, Roman Zobnin
Forwards: Artem Dzyuba, Aleksei Ionov, Denis Makarov, Aleksei Miranchuk, Aleksandr Sobolev, Anton Zabolotny
Denmark
Manager: Kasper Hjulmand
Key Players: Anders Christiansen, Christian Eriksen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Andreas Skov Olsen
Goalkeepers: Jonas Lossl, Frederik Ronnow, Kasper Schmeichel
Defenders: Joachim Andersen, Nicolai Boilesen, Andreas Christensen, Mathias Jorgensen, Simon Kjaer, Joakim Maehle, Jens Stryger Larsen, Jannik Vestergaard
Midfielders: Anders Christiansen, Thomas Delaney, Christian Eriksen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Mathias Jensen, Christian Norgaard, Robert Skov, Daniel Wass
Forwards: Martin Braithwaite, Andreas Cornelius, Mikkel Damsgaard, Kasper Dolberg, Andreas Skov Olsen, Yussuf Poulsen, Jonas Wind
Finland
Manager: Markku Kanerva
Key Players: Teemu Pukki, Fredrik Jensen
Goalkeepers: Lukas Hradecky, Anssi Jaakkola, Jesse Joronen
Defenders: Paulus Arajuuri, Robert Ivanov, Thomas Lam, Daniel O'Shaughnessy, Jukka Raitala, Joona Toivio, Jere Uronen, Leo Väisänen Sauli Vaisanen
Midfielders: Nikolai Alho, Fredrik Jensen, Glen Kamara, Joni Kauko, Robin Lod, Rasmus Schuller, Pyry Soiri, Tim Sparv, Robert Taylor, Onni Valakari
GROUP C
[caption id="attachment_142128" align="alignnone" width="462"] Memphis Depay[/caption]Netherlands
Manager: Frank de Boer
Key Players: Memphis Depay, Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Georginio Wijnaldum
Goalkeepers: Marco Bizot, Tim Krul, Maarten Stekelenburg
Defenders: Nathan Ake, Daley Blind, Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij, Denzel Dumfries, Patrick van Aanholt, Joel Veltman, Owen Wijndal
Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong, Marten de Roon, Ryan Gravenberch, Davy Klaassen, Teun Koopmeiners, Quincy Promes, Jurriën Timber, Donny van de Beek, Georginio Wijnaldum
Forwards: Steven Berghuis, Luuk de Jong, Memphis Depay, Cody Gakpo, Donyell Malen, Wout Weghorst
Austria
Manager: Franco Foda
Key Players: David Alaba, Konrad Laimer
Goalkeepers: Daniel Bachmann, Pavao Pervan, Alexander Schlager
Defenders: David Alaba, Aleksandar Dragovic, Marco Friedl, Martin Hinteregger, Stefan Lainer, Philipp Lienhart, Stefan Posch, Andreas Ulmer
Midfielders: Julian Baumgartlinger, Christoph Baumgartner, Florian Grillitsch, Stefan Ilsanker, Konrad Laimer, Valentino Lazaro, Karim Onisiwo, Marcel Sabitzer, Louis Schaub, Xaver Schlager, Alessandro Schopf, Christopher Trimmel
Forwards: Marko Arnautovic, Michael Gregoritsch, Sasa Kalajdzic
Ukraine
Manager: Andriy Shevchenko
Key Players: Ruslan Malinovskyi, Viktor Tsygankov, Oleksandr Zinchenko
Goalkeepers: Georgiy Bushchan, Andriy Pyatov, Anatolii Trubin
Defenders: Oleksandr Karavaev, Serhiy Kryvtsov, Mykola Matviyenko, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Denys Popov, Eduard Sobol, Oleksandr Tymchyk, Illia Zabarnyi, Oleksandr Zinchenko
Midfielders: Roman Bezus, Yevhen Makarenko, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Marlos, Mykola Shaparenko, Taras Stepanenko, Heorhii Sudakov, Serhiy Sydorchuk, Viktor Tsygankov
Forwards: Artem Besedin, Artem Dovbyk, Roman Yaremchuk, Andriy Yarmolenko, Oleksandr Zubkov
North Macedonia
Manager: Igor Angelovski
Key Players: Goran Pandev, Eljif Elmas
Goalkeepers: Stole Dimitrievski, Risto Jankov, Damjan Siskovski
Defenders: Egzijan Alioski, Egzon Bejtulai, Visar Musliu, Kire Ristevski, Stefan Ristovski, Darko Velkovski, Gjoko Zajkov
Midfielders: Arijan Ademi, Enis Bardi, Darko Churlinov, Eljif Elmas, Feran Hasani, Tihomir Kostadinov, Boban Nikolov, Milan Ristovski, Stefan Spirovski
GROUP D
[caption id="attachment_142129" align="alignnone" width="357"] Luka Modric[/caption]England
Coach: Gareth Southgate
Key Players: Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane, Jack Grealish
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Sam Johnstone, Jordan Pickford
Defenders: Ben Chilwell, Conor Coady, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice
Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish
Croatia
Manager: Zlatco Dalic
Key Players: Ante Rebic, Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric
Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic, Lovre Kalinic, Simon Sluga
Defenders: Borna Barisic, Domagoj Bradaric, Duje Caleta-Car, Josko Gvardiol, Josip Juranovic, Dejan Lovren, Mile Skoric, Domagoj Vida, Sime Vrsaljko
Midfielders: Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Milan Badelj, Nikola Vlasic, Mario Pasalic, Ivan Perisic, Mislav Orsic, Luka Ivanusec
Forwards: Josip Brekalo, Ante Budimir, Andrej Kramaric, Bruno Petkovic, Ante Rebic
Scotland
Manager: Steve Clarke
Key Players: Che Adams, Billy Gilmour, John McGinn, Andy Robertson
Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon, David Marshall, Jon McLaughlin
Defenders: Liam Cooper, Declan Gallagher, Grant Hanley, Jack Hendry, Scott McKenna, Stephen O'Donnell, Nathan Patterson, Andy Robertson, Greg Taylor, Kieran Tierney
Midfielders: Stuart Armstrong, Ryan Christie, John Fleck, James Forrest, Ryan Fraser, Billy Gilmour, John McGinn, Callum McGregor, Scott McTominay, David Turnbull
Forwards: Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes, Kevin Nisbet
Czech Republic
Manager: Jaroslav Silhavy
Key Players: Vladimir Darida, Tomas Soucek
Goalkeepers: Ales Mandous, Jiri Pavlenka Tomas Vaclik
Defenders: Jan Boril, Jakub Brabec, Ondrej Celustka, Vladimir Coufal, Pavel Kaderabek, Tomas Kalas, Tomas Holes, Ales Mateju, David Zima
Midfielders: Antonin Barak Vladimir Darida, Jakub Jankto, Alex Kral, Lukas Masopust, Jakub Pesek, Michal Sadilek, Petr Sevcik, Tomas Soucek
GROUP E
[caption id="attachment_142130" align="alignnone" width="463"] Robert Lewandowski[/caption]Spain
Manager: Luis Enrique
Key Players: Gerard Moreno, Pedri, Thiago Alcantara, Alvaro Morata
Goalkeepers: David de Gea, Unai Simon, Robert Sanchez
Defenders: Jose Gaya, Jordi Alba, Pau Torres, Aymeric Laporte, Eric Garcia, Diego Llorente, Cesar Azpilicueta
Midfielders: Thiago Alcantara, Sergio Busquets, Koke, Marcos Llorente, Dani Olmo, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Pablo Sarabia, Ferran Torres, Adama Traore
Forwards: Alvaro Morata, Gerard Moreno, Mikel Oyarzabal, Pedri
Sweden
Manager: Janne Andersson
Key Players: Kristoffer Olsson, Emil Forsberg, Gustav Svensson
Goalkeepers: Karl-Johan Johnsson, Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Robin Olsen (Everton)
Defenders: Ludwig Augustinsson, Pierre Bengtsson, Marcus Danielson, Andreas Granqvist, Filip Helander, Pontus Jansson, Emil Krafth, Victor Lindelof, Mikael Lustig
Midfielders: Jens-Lys Cajuste, Viktor Claesson, Albin Ekdal, Emil Forsberg, Dejan Kulusevski, Sebastian Larsson, Kristoffer Olsson, Robin Quaison, Ken Sema, Mattias Svanberg, Gustav Svensson
Forwards: Marcus Berg, Alexander Isak, Jordan Larsson
Poland
Manager: Paulo Sousa
Key Players: Robert Lewandowski, Wojciech Szczesny, Piotr Zieliński
Goalkeepers: Łukasz Fabianski, Lukasz Skorupski, Wojciech Szczesny
Defenders: Jan Bednarek, Bartosz Bereszynski, Kamil Glik, Michał Helik, Tomasz Kędziora, Kamil Piątkowski, Tymoteusz Puchacz, Maciej Rybus
Midfielders: Paweł Dawidowicz, Przemysław Frankowski, Kamil Jozwiak, Mateusz Klich, Kacper Kozłowski, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Karol Linetty, Jakub Moder, Przemysław Płacheta, Piotr Zieliński
Forwards: Dawid Kownacki, Robert Lewandowski, Arkadiusz Milik, Karol Świderski, Jakub Świerczok
Slovakia
Manager: Stefan Tarkovic
Key Player: Marek Hamsik, Tomas Suslov
Goalkeepers: Martin Dubravka, Dusan Kuciak, Marek Rodak
Defenders: David Hancko, Tomas Hubocan, Martin Koscelnik, Peter Pekarik, Lubomir Satka, Milan Skriniar, Martin Valjent, Denis Vavro
Midfielders: Laszlo Benes, Ondrej Duda, Jan Gregus, Marek Hamsik, Lukas Haraslin, Jakub Hromada, Patrik Hrosovsky, Juraj Kucka, Stanislav Lobotka, Tomas Suslov, Vladimir Weiss
GROUP F
[caption id="attachment_142131" align="alignnone" width="462"] Cristiano Ronaldo[/caption]France
Manager: Didier Deschamps
Key Players: Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, N'Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Kingsley Coman
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Mike Maignan, Steve Mandanda
Defenders: Lucas Digne, Leo Dubois, Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Jules Kounde, Clement Lenglet, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Kurt Zouma
Midfielders: Kingsley Coman, N'Golo Kante, Thomas Lemar, Paul Pogba , Adrien Rabiot, Moussa Sissoko, Corentin Tolisso
Forwards: Wissam Ben Yedder, Karim Benzema, Ousmane Dembele, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Marcus Thuram
Portugal
Manager: Fernando Santos
Key Players: Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias
Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes, Rui Patricio, Rui Silva
Defenders: Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Jose Fonte, Raphael Guerreiro, Nuno Mendes, Pepe, Nelson Semedo
Midfielders: William Carvalho, Danilo, Bruno Fernandes, Goncalo Guedes, Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves, Sergio Oliveira, Joao Palhinha, Pote, Renato Sanches, Bernardo Silva
Forwards: Joao Felix, Diogo Jota, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andre Silva, Rafa Silva
Germany
Manager: Joachim Low
Key Players: Kai Havertz, Thomas Muller, Ilkay Gundogan,
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer, Bernd Leno, Kevin Trapp
Defenders: Emre Can, Matthias Ginter, Robin Gosens, Christian Gunter, Marcel Halstenberg, Mats Hummels, Lukas Klostermann, Robin Koch, Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule
Midfielders: Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Ilkay Gundogan, Jonas Hofmann, Joshua Kimmich, Toni Kroos, Jamal Musiala, Florian Neuhaus, Leroy Sane
Forwards: Kai Havertz, Thomas Muller, Kevin Volland, Timo Werner
Hungary
Manager: Marco Rossi
Key Players: Willi Orban, Roland Sallai
Goalkeepers: Adam Bogdan, Denes Dibusz, Peter Gulacsi
Defenders: Bendeguz Bolla, Endre Botka, Attila Fiola, Akos Kecskes, Adam Lang, Gergo Lovrencsics, Loic Négo, Willi Orban, Attila Szalai
Midfielders: Tamas Cseri, Daniel Gazdag, Laszlo Kleinheisler, Adam Nagy, Andras Schafer, David Siger, Kevin Varga, Roland Varga