Sports
Euro 2020 Kicks-Off Amid COVID-19 Threat (Full Fixtures)
By Adedapo Adesanya
Following a year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Euro 2020 will finally kick off on Friday (today), with the virus still a major issue that organisers have to contend with.
Unlike other previous editions of the continent-wide event held in one country or jointly hosted, the tournament would be held across Europe and will be played in front of limited crowds and with strict health restrictions in place.
The tournament, the 16th of its kind, will feature 24 teams – 20 from automatic qualification and the remaining four decided through the play-offs.
It will be held across 11 different cities in Europe, with UEFA celebrating the 60th birthday of the first European Championship (then called the European Nations Cup), which was held in France in 1960.
For the first time in the history of the competition, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be used.
Cities, Stadium, and Capacity
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | Johan Cruyff Arena | 56,000 |
| Baku, Azerbaijan | Olympic Stadium | 68,700 |
| Bucharest, Romania | Arena Nationala | 55,600 |
| Budapest, Hungary | Ferenc Puskas Stadium | 67,889 |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | Parken Stadium | 38,065 |
| Glasgow, Scotland | Hampden Park | 52,063 |
| London, England | Wembley Stadium | 90,000 |
| Munich, Germany | Allianz Arena | 75,000 |
| Rome, Italy | Stadio Olimpico | 72,698 |
| Saint Petersburg, Russia | Krestovsky Stadium | 68,134 |
| Seville, Spain | La Cartuja | 60,000 |
St Petersburg will have a stadium capacity of 50 per cent of fans in attendance, with the number potentially increasing before the tournament start date.
Budapest plans to hold supporters in full capacity, though they will have to comply with strict entry requirements.
Baku will have a stadium capacity of 50 per cent. Fans will be required to provide a negative Covid-19 test before entering Azerbaijan.
Amsterdam, Bucharest, Copenhagen and Glasgow have confirmed a capacity of 25 per cent to 33 per cent. All three cities will potentially increase their capacity by May, based on the success of their vaccine rollout and local COVID-19 situation.
London will have a minimum capacity of 25 per cent for the three group matches and the round of 16 matches. They are also optimistic about having an increased stadium attendance for both the semi-finals and final.
Munich, Rome, Bilbao, Dublin as at press time are yet to provide additional details on their attendance plans.
Match ball, Mascot, & Slogan
The Uniforia ball, designed by Adidas, will serve as the match ball for all Euro 2020 matches.
The ball is mostly white and includes multi-coloured black strokes with additional blue, neon and pink stripes.
The name of the ball is taken from the combination of the words “unity” and “euphoria”.
Official Song
Dutch DJ Martin Garrix will be performing the tournament’s official song, which will be unveiled at the full opening ceremony in Rome at the Stadio Olimpico.
Matches Schedule
Matchday 1
11 June 2021
Match 1: Turkey vs Italy
Stadio Olympico, Rome, Italy
12 June 2021
Match 2: Wales vs Switzerland
Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
Match 3: Denmark vs Finland
Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Match 4: Belgium vs Russia
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
13 June 2021
Match 5: England vs Croatia
Wembley Stadium, London, England
Match 6: Austria vs North Macedonia
Arena Nationala, Bucharest, Romania
Match 7: Netherlands vs Ukraine
Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
14 June 2021
Match 8: Scotland vs Czech Republic
Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland
Match 9: Poland vs Slovakia
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Match 10: Spain vs Sweden
La Cartuja, Seville, Spain
15 June 2021
Match 11: Hungary vs Portugal
Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary
Match 12: France vs Germany
Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Matchday 2
16 June 2021
Match 13: Finland vs Russia
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Match 14: Turkey vs Wales
Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
Match 15: Italy vs Switzerland
Stadio Olympico, Rome, Italy
17 June 2021
Match 16: Ukraine vs North Macedonia
Arena Nationala, Bucharest, Romania
Match 17: Denmark vs Belgium
Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Match 18: Netherlands vs Austria
Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
18 June 2021
Match 19: Sweden vs Slovakia
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Match 20: Croatia vs Czech Republic
Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland
Match 21: England vs Scotland
Wembley Stadium, London, England
19 June 2021
Match 22: Hungary vs France
Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary
Match 23: Portugal vs Germany
Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Match 24: Spain vs Poland
La Cartuja, Seville, Spain
Matchday 3
20 June 2021
Match 25: Italy vs Wales
Stadio Olympico, Rome, Italy
Match 26: Switzerland vs Turkey
Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
21 June 2021
Match 27: Ukraine vs Austria
Stadio Olympico, Rome, Italy
Match 28: North Macedonia vs Netherlands
Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Match 29: Russia vs Denmark
Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Match 30: Finland vs Belgium
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
22 June 2021
Match 31: Croatia vs Scotland
Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland
Match 32: Czech Republic vs England
Wembley Stadium, London, England
23 June 2021
Match 33: Sweden vs Poland
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Match 34: Slovakia vs Spain
La Cartuja, Seville, Spain
Match 35: Portugal vs France
Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary
Match 36: Germany vs Hungary
Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
ROUND OF 16
26 June 2021
Round of 16 tie 1: Runner-up Group A vs Runner-up Group B
Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Round of 16 tie 2: Winner Group A vs Runner-up Group C
8pm
Wembley Stadium, London, England
27 June 2021
Round of 16 tie 3: Winner Group C vs 3rd Group D/E/F
Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary
Round of 16 tie 4: Winner Group B vs 3rd Group A/D/E/F
San Mames, Bilbao, Spain
28 June 2021
Round of 16 tie 5: Runner-up Group D vs Runner-up Group E
Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Round of 16 tie 6: Winner Group F vs 3rd Group A/B/C
Arena Nationala, Bucharest, Romania
29 June 2021
Round of 16 tie 7: Winner Group D vs Runner-up Group F
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Round of 16 tie 8: Winner Group E vs 3rd Group A/B/C/D
Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland.
QUARTER-FINALS
2 July 2021
Quarter-final 1: Round of 16 tie 6 winner vs Round of 16 tie 5 winner
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Quarter-final 2: Round of 16 tie 4 winner vs Round of 16 tie 2 winner
Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany.
3 July 2021
Quarter-final 3: Round of 16 tie 3 winner vs Round of 16 tie 1 winner
Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan.
Quarter-final 4: Round of 16 tie 8 winner vs Round of 16 tie 7 winner
Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy.
SEMI-FINALS
July 6 2021
Semi-final 1: Quarter-final 2 winner vs Quarter-final 1 winner
Wembley Stadium, London, England.
July 7 2021
Semi-final 2: Quarter-final 4 winner vs Quarter-final 3 winner
Wembley Stadium, London, England.
FINAL
July 11 2021
Final: Semi-final 1 winner vs Semi-final 2 winner
Wembley Stadium, London, England.
The action kicks off tonight at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, where Italy take on Turkey in front of 16,000 fans.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
On Saturday, July 18, 2026, Team Drogba Global Africa claimed its first E1 victory in Monaco, moving to sixth on the table with 59 points.
It defeated Team Brady, which came second over the week, though it leads the championship with 119 points, nine points more than the second on the log, Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola.
Kiwi Micah Wilkinson and his Spanish teammate Tara Pacheco combined to put together a memorable performance and secure a long-awaited first visit to the top step.
Drogba’s best result of the season so far had been seventh in Lake Como, but something clicked in the Principality, and the victory has moved them up to sixth overall.
Home heroes Team Monaco had set the fastest time in qualifying and were leading the way, but they made a wrong turn on the course, which consigned them to join Westbrook in the Place Race. Will Smith’s team took a damage-limiting victory, leaving them in seventh at the end of the day.
But the Finals were both dominated by Drogba. In Final 1, with Tara Pacheco at the wheel, they finished just ahead of Emma Kimiläinen’s Brady E1 RaceBird. The battle resumed in Final 2 and, on this occasion, Micah held off Sam Coleman. Timmy Hansen came through to finish third for Miami to secure their first podium in 13 races.
Micah Wilkinson was also rewarded with PIF Pilot of the Day for his performance in Final 2.
Hosted at the world-renowned Yacht Club de Monaco, the Championship’s third visit to the Principality once again transformed Port Hercule into one of the world’s most spectacular sporting venues.
E1 now heads to its first foray in Southern Africa for the E1 Luanda GP 2026, Angola, on September 12 to 13.
“Huge congratulations to everyone at Team Drogba on securing a remarkably assured maiden victory here in Monaco. We leave with a new Championship leader in Team Brady, with Will Smith’s team in close contention.
“The Principality once again delivered an extraordinary weekend of thrilling on-water action to reinforce our belief that E1 is creating a new chapter in global motorsport. We now head to Angola, Africa, for the next round as the Championship battle intensifies,” the chief executive of E1, Mr Jamie Copas, said.
By Dipo Olowookere
Spain put one past Argentina to clinch their second FIFA World Cup trophy in New Jersey, USA, on Sunday night.
Ferran Torres put the only goal of the match in the back of the South American’s net in the 106th minute after both teams could not settle scores in normal time.
The Argentines, led by Lionel Scaloni, were reduced to 10 men in added time of the second half after Enzo Fernández got his second yellow card for a tackle on Spain’s Pau Cubarsí.
Lionel Messi could not inspire his team to victory in the final watched by the President of the United States, Mr Donald Trump, as the Europeans dominated the match, with Argentina not having a shot on or off target before the extra time.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup champions only managed to show signs of pressing after the winners of the 2010 edition in South Africa scored a minute after the resumption of the second half of the extra 30 minutes.
The win by Luis de la Fuente’s men left Lionel Messi teary after the match. This could be his last World Cup as he turned 39 this year.
The next FIFA World Cup in 2030 goes to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. This year’s edition was hosted by the trio of the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The Mundial kicked off on June 20, 2026, and ended on July 19, 2026, with 48 teams participating, more than the usual 32 teams of the previous editions.
On July 23, Nigeria’s main grassroots tournament kicks off: players from the top 100 teams across five divisions of Lagos will compete for the championship title, a generous prize pool, the prestige of their home communities, and their dream of signing their first contract with a professional club.
1xCup has helped many talented players make a name for themselves. Thanks to their standout performances at the tournament, more than 30 footballers have earned spots on professional teams in Nigeria, Bulgaria, Norway, Albania, North Macedonia, and many other countries.
1xCup top success stories
From their debuts in the NPFL and second-tier European leagues to call-ups to the Nigeria national team, the stories of 1xCup graduate players could easily serve as the script for a new Hollywood sports drama. Defensive midfielder Adeoye Aderemi Jacob was named one of the top breakout stars of the 1xCup 2025. His dedication and energy helped the Naths Boys reach the tournament’s final four and caught the attention of Ikorodu City scouts. Adeoye Aderemi Jacob quickly adapted to the professional level and even earned a call-up to the Nigeria national team for friendly matches against Zimbabwe and Jamaica as part of their preparations for the.
Several 1xCup graduates have built successful careers in Europe. Martins Idowu plays in Serbia, Peter Ahisu in Bulgaria, and Okere Ebube in North Macedonia. Lawani Clinton, Bada Moses, and Raheem Ibrahim Ogede have continued their football careers with professional clubs in Nigeria. Meanwhile, Nwana Okechukwu and Kayode Akinyemi are representing their homeland in the Egyptian and Beninese leagues.
The 1xCup 2026 will continue this mission. Starting with the knockout stage, scouts from professional clubs will be in attendance at the tournament’s matches. This means that every participant will have a chance to prove themselves, get noticed by experts, and perhaps write a new chapter in their football history.
1xCup 2026 is open to everyone
Nigeria’s most prestigious grassroots tournament has helped football talent shine and demonstrated that our country is capable of organizing large-scale sports events. The list of participants in the qualification was made publicly available, and every fan can follow the match results and the standings on the official 1xCup Instagram page.
The tournament’s matches are drawing huge interest from viewers, so the organizers have expanded their media coverage. The 1xCup Podcast is set to launch very soon, featuring well-known figures from Nigeria’s football community who will discuss the main storylines and standout players of the fourth season, as well as share exclusive insights with fans.
Watch from the front row as the next generation of football stars is born, and follow the action from the grassroots tournament on the official 1xcup.ng website or on the project’s Instagram page.
