Under-21 EURO: New format and schedule announced
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Article summary
The 2021 finals in Hungary and Slovenia will now be split over two periods.
Article top media content
Article body
A new format and schedule for the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship has been approved.
The finals will now be split over two periods, with the original venues of Hungary and Slovenia still both hosting games in the group stage and knockout stage. This decision was approved by the UEFA Executive Committee on Wednesday 17 June.
The qualification competition that is currently under way will finish in September, October and November 2020. The nine group winners and five best runners-up will be joined by hosts Hungary and Slovenia for a group stage of four groups of four from 24 to 31 March 2021. Both host nations will stage games.
The four group winners and four runners-up will then qualify for the final tournament which will be played as a straight knockout final eight, with quarter-finals and semi-finals in Hungary and Slovenia and the final in Ljubljana, from 31 May to 6 June 2021.