UEFA improvises to adjust the Under-21 and Under-19 Euro Cups

UEFA finally maintains the U21 Euro Cup in 2021, despite the initial idea being to postpone it to 2022 so as not to coincide in the same year as the absolute Euro Cup, the Olympic Games and the U20 World Cup.

To be able to square the championship on such a tight schedule, UEFA has improvised a totally new and unprecedented model, in which he will take advantage of the FIFA dates of March 2021 to play the group stage. A group stage to which Spain has not yet been classified mathematically, although it is virtually. Those qualifying matches that remain to be played will be resolved on the FIFA dates of September, October and November,

With that resolved, the final phase will look like this:

14 teams plus the two hosts (Hungary and Slovenia) are classified. The final tournament will be made up of four groups and that first phase will be played in the host countries between March 24 and 31, 2021. Of these four groups, the first two will qualify for the quarterfinals and those eight teams They will have to wait two months to resolve the title between May 31 and June 6. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in Hungary and Slovenia and the grand final on Day 6 will take place in Ljubljana (Slovenia).

U19

The U19 also already knows its dates to solve this year's Euro Cup. It is a qualifier for the U-20 World Cup in 2021, so UEFA, unlike what happened with the U-17, decided to postpone it instead of suspending it. It remains to play the Elite Round in which the teams that enter the final phase are decided. It will take place between August 31 and September 8.

When the classified teams are resolved, the final phase will be divided into two, as has happened with the U21. Eight are classified to the final phase, divided into two groups of four. Those two groups will play between October 8 and 14 in Northern Ireland, the venue that was scheduled. The first two are classified to the semifinals, which will take place next to the final between November 9 and 18. Spain defends the title won last summer in Armenia, but that does not give him a direct ticket to the final phase: he will have to earn it in the Elite Round at the end of August …