UEFA EURO 2020TM:
London – the heart of the European championship
The British capital will be the centre of the UEFA EURO 2020TM, with the final and other matches taking place there. A hotbed of football, the city is rich in history. And professional clubs.
The British capital will be the centre of the UEFA EURO 2020TM, with the final and other matches taking place there. A hotbed of football, the city is rich in history. And professional clubs.
This is our local Emmanuel
The Gun FC: Creative, familiar and mad about football
“I sometimes think that we are too nice on the pitch. But what can you expect when the players are all music agents and graphic designers.”
Macca works full-time as a DJ but his second passion in life is football. Together with colleagues from London’s creative scene, he plays football for The Gun FC, a Sunday League team named after their local. Macca is originally from Liverpool but has been living in the capital for four years.
He joined the team to meet new people when London was new to him. Football gave Macca a sense of belonging.
“I believe that football works wonders, especially when it comes to mental health”, says the DJ. He’s not alone in thinking that. The Gun FC is a comforting environment that brings people together. Here, everyone can be whoever they want to be, and football is family.
Football coaching from a pro
“I have put everything I have into football – blood, sweat and tears. It’s given me a real purpose.”
Alfred Mugabo (25) lives and breathes football all day, every day. He was scouted by Arsenal FC when he was younger, but injuries prevented him from going on to have a great professional career.
But football is simply an essential part of his life. In 2017, Alfred founded the “Impact Football Academy” in London together with his friend Jonathan because they both wanted to share the experiences they had from professional football. They now coach more than 250 children at their football academy. Every day, they see how the children are developing, both on the pitch and in terms of their self-confidence.
Girls just want to play ball
Hackney, London. Not the most glamorous location. There’s a lot of work going on here. And lot of football too. And women’s football is booming.
The “Coats and Goalposts” project was founded in Hackney. Coach Shameek Farrell trains several women’s teams. To start with it doesn't matter how talented the players are – the most important thing is that they come together and enjoy playing football.
Shani Glover is a teacher and her aim is to make a contribution to society with football: “More girls should play football. It helps them make new friends and become more self-confident.”
Final
July 11
Italy – England
What an unbelievably exciting final day in London! The entire city sang and partied all day long, mainly the English fans of course. And our locals Emmanuel, Elena and Ben were right at the heart of it. They soaked up the atmosphere in the streets of London for us to enjoy. All of London was one big football party. Inside Wembley Stadium, the fans gave us 120 minutes of sheer exhilaration. In the end, football didn’t come home and Italy won the UEFA EURO 2020TM title after a dramatic penalty shootout.
Semi-Finals
July 7
Denmark – England
Triple vision in London!
In addition to our duo Emmanuel and Elena, a third local has been added for the second semi-final with Ben.
The trio roamed through London before the England-Denmark match, talked to fans from both sides and captured all aspects of their love of football. Whether fans with England capes, Danes painting each other’s faces or streets that looked like a sea of flags. This semi-final day had everything to offer in terms of atmosphere!
And the match itself completely lived up the mood in London. After a hard-fought 120 minutes, the “Three Lions“ went through to the final in their own stadium and now have the chance to clinch their first ever European Championship against Italy.
July 6
Italy – Spain
Great games deserve great coverage. For the final sprint of the UEFA EURO 2020™ Emmanuel gets support from local photographer Elena. Before the first semi-final Emmanuel met two fans in London who explained, what the intense rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham is all about. After a quick battery charge for his ID.4 he drove to Wembley Stadium where Italy beat Spain in front of 60,000 ecstatic fans after a dramatic penalty shootout.
Round of 16
June 29
England – Germany
An absolute classic in the Round of 16, where every footballer’s heart beats faster. It’s the same situation for the 60,000 spectators at Wembley, who still managed to create the kind of atmosphere you would expect from 100,000 fans.
Emmanuel could definitely feel that – not just in the stadium. He was in London before the game and was able to capture the euphoria of England and Germany fans and feel how important this game was for both sides.
The match lived up to that great atmosphere! In a hard-fought match, the English were able to prevail with a late 2-0 victory. And with this, the dream of a first European championship title for the “Three Lions” lives on.
June 26
Italy – Austria
Round of 16 in London! In other words, it was all or nothing for the teams. The fans knew and felt that, too. It was accordingly tense but also euphoric before the match in Wembley. Emmanuel was there again and was able to experience this unique atmosphere.
The fact that Italy won the match 2-1 only after extra time, gave a worthy end to this evening.
Matchday 3
June 22
Czech Republic – England
Is there anyone in this city who is not obsessed with football? However, Emmanuel cannot convince us otherwise. Instead, before the last group stage match in London, he knocked it out of the park again and introduced us to someone who is fluent in speaking football and confessed to us what she loves about this sport – and even showed us some skills on the ball.
Matchday 2
June 18
England – Scotland
The British match, right in heart of London. It is the oldest match between two national teams in the history of football. Emmanuel experienced a very special atmosphere in the legendary Wembley Stadium. And he met some very cheerful Scottish fans in the streets.
Matchday 1
June 13
England – Croatia
Everyone knows that football belongs to London, like fish and chips belongs to England. You can’t have one without the other.
Before the first match in his city, Emmanuel shows us how football mad Londoners are and what they can do on the ball.
The fact that the afternoon game and the atmosphere in the stadium had just as much to offer was no great surprise.
London and the UEFA EURO 2020TM
London will be at the centre of the European championship, and the legendary Wembley Stadium its beating heart. Built in 2007, the new Wembley is the second-largest football venue in Europe after Camp Nou in Barcelona. In 2013, FC Bayern won the Champions League here in the first and only all-German final against Dortmund.
Wembley Stadium will be limited to 22.500 fans for the UEFA EURO 2020TM group stage. Further capacities will be announced at the beginning of June. A total of seven matches will take place in the English capital, including the two semi-finals and the final on 11 July.
London and football
London lives and breathes football – the history is tangible. It’s been that way for over 150 years. The Football Association (FA) was founded in London in 1863, and the rules and regulations of the FA had a decisive influence on the development of football worldwide. That is why England is considered the motherland of football.
The club and fan culture in London is ubiquitous throughout the city – almost every district has its own professional club. Every football fan knows Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham. Currently, the capital is home to a total of six Premier League clubs, with Fulham, West Ham and Crystal Palace also being London clubs. There is a Premier League derby almost every weekend, and the city is perpetually abuzz with football fever. And club affiliation is more important here than anywhere else. Author and Arsenal fan Nick Hornby wrote: “Few of us have chosen our clubs, they have simply been presented to us.” And even family ties are no guarantee of football harmony. The father an Arsenal man, the kids Tottenham and Chelsea fans – anything is possible in London.
Amateur football is also omnipresent in London. Sunday league dabblers with as much beer as talent in the tank dominate the cityscape on Sundays.
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The city’s greatest football moment
Although London club football is replete with legendary stories, one moment remains unforgettable for the city because it brought the whole country together: the 1966 World Cup victory with a 4-2 win over Germany at the legendary Wembley Stadium. One of the great scandals in football history from the German point of view, for England and London it was a triumph that they still hark back to today, as it remains the only major title won by the English national team. 55 years later, the motherland is overdue another title, and the final at Wembley on 11 July would be the perfect stage for it.
