Thursday, 28 Mar 2024

Euro 2020: Fan zones, pubs and big screens – where to watch the matches

This will be a European Championship like no other, not just because the tournament is taking place a year later than planned.

COVID-19 means that watching the event will be a vastly different experience to what fans are used to, with safety precautions in place at the two British stadiums hosting the games, as well as in pubs, bars and restaurants across the country.

Tickets will no longer be enough for fans going to watch the England games at Wembley. People attending the group stage games at the ground will need either proof or a negative lateral flow test taken within 48 hours of the stadium gate opening or proof of full vaccination received at least 14 days prior.

At Hampden Park in Glasgow where Scotland will play two group games, ticket holders will not be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. Both British stadiums will be open at reduced capacity.

The tournament will also be shown in pubs across the UK with social distancing measures in place and different rules applying to household gatherings depending on which part of the UK you live in.

In England six people from six households (or two households of any size) can meet. In Wales, up to six people from six households can meet. In Scotland, it depends which COVID alert level your area is in: in level two, six people from three households can meet; in level one, eight people from three households; and in level zero, 10 people from four households. In areas of Scotland at alert level two, including Euro 2020 host city Glasgow, pubs must operate two-hour pre-booked slots and close indoors at 10.30pm.

Another way people can watch the games are in “fan zones” – public viewing events organised by the host cities during major tournaments, usually enjoyed by visiting fans.

The official UEFA fan zone in England is at Trafalgar Square in London. It is open for all England games as well as the semi-finals and final. Because of government restrictions, the first two screenings are for London key workers before tickets for the other matches are allocated through a ballot.

The other official UEFA fan zone in Scotland will be open everyday throughout the tournament. The Glasgow Green site will accommodate up to 3,000 people per session. UEFA says it will be “hosting a range of sporting, cultural and digital content, as well as a family friendly sports activity programme encouraging everyone to get involved in the action”.

The event has attracted criticism of the hospitality sector and health officials in the country, forcing politicians in Scotland to defend the logic of allowing people to attend without mandatory COVID testing, despite a recent increase in cases of 50% across Scotland in the past week.

Outside of the official sites there are many other places across the country where fans can watch the game. These include ticketed events in Manchester, Birmingham as well as the three London Boxpark venues in Croydon, Shoreditch and Wembley.

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