Why is Euro 2020 not called Euro 2021?
What's in a name?
Football fans get ready because, after a longer wait than we had expected, Euro 2020 is finally about to get underway and we couldn't be more excited for the first match to kick off, albeit in 2021.
The original dates were moved due to the pandemic. Of course, it's tricky to stage a cross-continental football competition with multiple countries involved when air travel is off the table.
Now the wait is almost over and the contest starts on 11th June and excitement is building around the upcoming deluge of Euro 2020 fixtures.
But why has the European competition not been renamed Euro 2021 given the lengthy delay? Well, we have the answer for you below and it is a simpler explanation than you may have expected.
Why is Euro 2020 not called Euro 2021?
UEFA has said the name was kept in order to "keep the vision of the competition", which played a part in the decision, but it also comes down to the cost and waste.
To change to the name would require a change to the branding and all the things said branding has been placed on. The work for the competition would have started long before it was postponed last year and there is already a ton of merchandise around with "Euro 2020" plastered all over it.
Swapping it to Euro 2021 means all that would need to change, and any official merchandise fans have already picked up will become redundant – or possibly a collector's item depending on how much of it is already out there.
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"It will furthermore serve as a reminder of how the whole football family came together to respond to the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, and of the difficult times that Europe, and the world, had to go through in 2020," UEFA said in a statement.
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"This choice is in line with UEFA's commitment to make UEFA EURO 2020 sustainable and not to generate additional amounts of waste. A lot of branded material had already been produced by the time of the tournament's postponement. A name change for the event would have meant the destruction and reproduction of such items."
Starting next Friday, the competition will run for a month with the final, which we can at least dream will feature England, taking place on Sunday, July 11th at 8pm.
For you non-football fans out there, look for some changes to your TV schedule to make way for it, including three soaps debuting on streaming before airing on their main channels.
For the full breakdown of what games are coming up check out our Euro 2020 fixtures on TV guide.
If you’re looking for something else to watch check out our TV Guide or visit our Sport hub for all the latest news.
