Poland to make Euro 2020 bid

National Stadium: photo - Narodowe Centrum Sportu

The decision to go ahead with the bid was officially taken by Poland's football association (PZPN) on Wednesday.

Euro 2020 will be the first ever to have 13 different hosts to hold the matches, which up until now have been held in one or two countries, such as when Poland co-hosted Euro 2012 with Ukraine.

PZPN chief, former legenary international striker Zbigniew Boniek, says he is to apply to UEFA, the European governing body, to host the matches, adding that the National Stadium in Warsaw is the only venue in Poland which could qualify to host games, as UEFA demands that all stadiums must have a capacity of not less than 50,000.

The National Stadium - where the 'roof that didn't close' debacle meant a 24-hour delay to the World Cup qualifying clash between Poland and England last October - can hold up to 58,000.

UEFA announced in January that the 13-city tournament “will be split into 13 different 'packages', with 12 ordinary packages including three group matches and one knockout round (round of 16 or quarter-final), and one package for the semi-finals and the final.

“There will only be a maximum of one venue per country, meaning one stadium for each of the available 13 packages. Both semi-finals and the final will be played in one stadium,” UEFA said. (pg)

source: IAR