Football: Euro 2020 venues to be announced in September

TURIN: The venues for the 2020 European Championship, which will be the first to be staged throughout the continent, will be announced on September 19 in Geneva, UEFA said on Tuesday.

The Executive Committee of European football's governing body, meeting in Turin, Italy, said that a working group will divide Europe into six to eight regions so that each one hosts games, guaranteeing the widest possible geographical spread for the tournament.

A total of 19 cities have put forward bids to be one of the 13 venues. Only Wembley in London and Munich's Allianz Arena are in the running to host the semi-finals and final.

Another four stadiums will be put forward to host three group matches plus a quarter-final, with the remaining venues in contention to host three group matches plus a last-16 tie.

"The reasoning for this sophisticated system is to ensure that everyone in Europe has the chance to be a candidate. The European Championship must cover the whole of Europe," said UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino.