UEFA EURO 2020 brand – bridges bring hosts together

From the earliest stone arch in 13th-century BC Greece, bridges have connected mankind. Many are iconic architectural wonders of the modern world.

Across Europe, these structures bring people together – in the same way that football can connect and unite us all. As the universal symbol of connection the bridge will be at the core of the brand of UEFA EURO 2020.

The tournament will be celebrating its 60th anniversary and, to mark this special edition, it will take place in 13 cities – each with their own signature bridge – in 13 countries across Europe.

The festivity of UEFA EURO 2020 will be felt across the continent, celebrating the cultural diversity of 13 European cities: London, Munich, Rome, Baku, St Petersburg, Bucharest, Amsterdam, Dublin, Bilbao, Budapest, Brussels, Glasgow and Copenhagen.

London's Wembley Stadium has the honour of hosting the semi-finals and final in July 2020, when European champions Portugal will be hoping to defend the title they won this summer.

With such an incredible one-off staging of the tournament, the challenge was on to come up with an identity that expressed the theme of connection in combination with the festive celebration of football and cultural diversity of UEFA EURO 2020.

UEFA selected Young & Rubicam Portugal as the creative agency following an international pitch to develop the brand for UEFA EURO 2020. The beautiful bridge motif developed is the perfect symbol both visually and metaphorically for this most fan-centric of tournaments, an image that truly unites all 13 European host cities. The logos, visuals and branding ensure it symbolically unites all European citizens of football, from countries, cities, players, teams, fans and partners.

It's a visual identity that embraces rivalry and celebration, and connects the corners of Europe through football, all the way west to Dublin and east to Baku, north to St Petersburg and south to Rome.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA's marketing director, said they were thrilled with the result and added: "This is a truly festive brand for UEFA EURO 2020 that is based on the power of football to unite and that celebrates the cultural diversity of the host cities."

Pedro Gonzalez, managing director of the branding team at Y&R Portugal, said: "United Citizens of Football was a strong insight that led our creative team to an inspired idea: an inclusive bridge that crosses all of Europe, taking football to the fans."

Hélder Pombinho, Y&R creative director, underlines the importance of the visual identity system conveying the message of union and celebration of football by the fans, "where bridges become the common denominator that brings host cities together as one".

As well as their own distinctive bridges, each host city is celebrated in the imagery with its iconic monuments, historic buildings and the stadium where the games will take place – with fans at the heart.

The result is a rich and diverse visual universe, created to celebrate football in a multicultural context united by a common passion: football.