England could have Euro 2020 last 16 tie at Wembley as Dublin is dropped as host city
Dublin has officially been dropped as a venue for this summer's rearranged European Championship, while Munich has been confirmed as a host city.
A reshuffle in fixtures means England will now play their last 16 tie at home at Wembley Stadium should they top their group, while the Irish capital's other fixtures have been moved to St. Petersburg in Russia.
UEFA required guarantees from its original 12 host cities that their respective stadiums would be able to accommodate at least 25% capacity when Euro 2020 kicks off in June.
However, coronavirus restrictions currently in place in the Republic of Ireland mean it has not been possible for the authorities there to make that commitment.
The executive committee of European football's governing body convened on Friday morning to discuss the fates of Bilbao, Munich and Dublin as the only host cities that had not confirmed fan attendance.
The Basque city of Bilbao has also been dropped, with Seville set to play host to Spain's Group E fixtures and a last 16 tie instead.
Organisers in the Bavarian capital of Munich were able to confirm that the Allianz Arena (or Football Arena Munich in UEFA competition) would be at least a quarter full at the last, therefore maintaining its status as a host city.
Now all official:
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) April 23, 2021
Wembley to host an 8th Euros game - last-16 match that was due to be in Dublin & will feature England if they win group.
Dublin's 3 Group E matches moved to St Petersburg, which is already hosting three Group B matches & QF.
Bilbao's 4 games moved to Seville
Ireland did not qualify for the tournament, but the games due to be played at Dublin's Aviva Stadium were also in Group E: Poland vs Slovakia, Sweden vs Slovakia and Sweden vs Poland.
The group stage games in question are set to be moved to St. Petersburg, while Wembley Stadium is due to host the round of 16 game that was supposed to be played in Dublin - seemingly as a reward for the Football Association's role in stopping the breakaway Super League.
That means England will be playing at home should they top Group D, which also includes Croatia, Czech Republic and Scotland.
Regarding the changes of venues, UEFA stated (via the UEFA website): "UEFA wishes to express its appreciation and gratitude to the cities of Bilbao and Dublin – both of which are considered as good venues to host future UEFA events – the national and regional governments of Spain and the Republic of Ireland, and all local stakeholders for their dedication, professionalism and efforts over the past years."