Euro 2020 to be held in 13 cities

NYON, Switzerland - Euro 2020 will be held in 13 cities across the continent and the semifinals and final will be played in the same stadium, UEFA said on Friday as it unveiled the first concrete plans for the ambitious tournament.

UEFA secretary general Gianni Infantino said no more than one venue per country would be permitted, no host nation would be guaranteed qualification and that venues would be chosen in September next year.

European soccer's governing body had voted in December to stage the event in cities across the continent rather than one or two host countries, in a radical departure from the traditional format for major tournaments.

On Friday, it gave the first clues as to how it would allocate matches, ensure that host nations who qualified played at home and cut down travelling for fans in a region which comprises countries as far apart as Iceland and Kazakhstan.

UEFA President Michel Platini attends a news conference after the first UEFA Executive Committee reunion of the year at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Jan 25, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

"Ideally, we would like to keep travelling times down to a two-hour flight between matches for the teams and their fans," said UEFA president Michel Platini, adding that supporters could make use of low-cost airlines.

UEFA said that 12 cities would be awarded a package of three group games plus one knockout-stage game, either from the round-of-16 or quarterfinals.

A special 13th package would be awarded, consisting of the two semifinals and final. Countries could present up to two bids each, one for the knockout matches and one for the final package.

Platini said that in his opinion Turkey, which had planned to bid as sole host for the tournament until December's decision, would be favorite to stage the semifinals and final.