Wembley to host seven UEFA Euro 2020 matches

LONDON, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- London's Wembley stadium will host seven games at UEFA Euro 2020 after Brussels lost the right to host matches for the tournament, European football governing body UEFA announced on Thursday.

Rome's Stadio Olimpico will host the opening game of EURO 2020, Wembley will stage three group matches, a round of 16 game plus the semis and final, while the venue pairings have been confirmed, UEFA said.

Due to the Eurostadium project's failure to meet the conditions imposed by the UEFA Executive Committee during its meeting of Sept. 20, 2017, the four matches (three group, one round of 16) initially scheduled to be held in Brussels will now be allocated to London's Wembley Stadium following a vote by the committee. "This means Wembley will host a total of seven matches since London was already set to stage the semi-finals and final of the tournament," it said in a statement.

Speaking in Nyon, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the decision of UEFA's executive committee had been unanimous.

The 2020 tournament is the first European Championship to be played under a new format with group games spread across several countries and regions. Enditem