Russia leading the race to host EURO 2021

After the World Cup, the Euro is the biggest tournament for European national teams in football. Had the pandemic not wrecked everything in its path across the world, we would have had the victors of the tournament presented to us by now. 

However, the tournament is postponed to 2021 and will be known as EURO 2021. Michel Platini originally hoped for the tournament to be contested across 12 different participating countries.  

This included the likes of Spain, Portugal, England and Russia. However, it now seems that UEFA are considering having a single nation host all of the matches, much like the World Cup. 

The hosts of the 2018 World Cup, Russia are reportedly the frontrunners among the choices to host the 2021 European Championship. Their successful attempt at hosting the most prestigious tournament in football puts them significantly ahead of the rest of the countries. 

Furthermore, Russia’s technological advancement and their minimal coronavirus spreading rates make them a comparatively safer option. There have been about 1.66 million cases as of the time of writing, and 1.24 million have recovered from the virus. 

Although the numbers posted by the government have been questioned by the health experts of the world, the country has taken plenty of measures to ensure that citizens remain safe. 

Among the strict measures, the prohibition of international passengers from flying into the country has been in effect for 8 months now. Athletes are an exception to this rule, and hence, Russia is a favourable destination for the national teams. 

The same cannot be said for former candidates Azerbaijan, whose military conflicts with Armenia have discouraged UEFA to consider holding the tournament there. 

As of now, UEFA has remained tight-lipped about the possibility of Russia hosting the coveted Championship next year, but Le Parisien maintains that the hosts of the 2018 World Cup are right up there with the UEFA officials.

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