This summer’s delayed European Championship promises to be a tournament like no other.
UEFA have scrapped the traditional format of bringing the continent’s best players to one country for a festival of football and, instead, will stage the competition across Europe.
From Glasgow to Baku and Seville to Saint Petersburg, some teams are having to travel thousands of miles in such a short space of time over the course of the group stage.
Switzerland (6,218 miles), Poland (5,876 miles) and Belgium (5,690) are the three teams who will cover the most distance, while host nations like England, Italy, Spain, Holland and Germany will be able to enjoy home comforts for most of the tournament.
Because of the pan-European format, UEFA announced in January that each team has chosen a base from which they will travel to and from their group games.
Using that list, Sportsmail has plotted each team’s travel plans for the group stages from the initial flight from home to their training camp and to each and every match away from their base.
Switzerland (6,218 miles), Poland (5,876 miles) and Belgium (5,690) will cover the most distance across Europe in the Euro 2020 group stages
UEFA are staging the competition across the Europe with Italian capital Rome one host venue
Group A
Italy are the first host nation in the competition and will play all three of their group games at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, including the first match of the tournament against Turkey on June 11.
Roberto Mancini’s side will then have the added bonus of welcoming Switzerland and Wales to Rome, meaning they will not need to travel outside of their homeland in the first nine days of the tournament.
That is a huge boost given the other venue Rome has been paired with. Baku in Azerbaijan held the 2019 Europa League final and will now play host to matches at Euro 2020.
Wales have decided to base themselves in Baku, which makes sense given they play their first two games there.
So the initial journey from Cardiff to Baku is 2,597 miles and then the journey from Baku to Italy for their third and final group game is 1,931 miles, giving Robert Page’s men a total travel distance of 4,953 miles in the group stage.
| TEAM | MATCH 1 | MATCH 2 | MATCH 3 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | vs Turkey – 0 miles | vs Switzerland – 0 miles | vs Wales – 0 miles | 0 miles |
| Turkey | vs Italy – 3,022 miles | vs Wales – 1,931 miles | vs Switzerland – 0 miles | 4,953 miles |
| Wales | vs Switzerland – 2,597 miles | vs Turkey – 0 miles | vs Italy – 1,931 miles | 4,528 miles |
| Switzerland | vs Wales – 2,359 miles | vs Italy – 1,931 miles | vs Turkey – 1,931 miles | 6,221 miles |
Italy will play three home games in the group stage while Wales are basing themselves in Baku
Turkey are also setting up camp in Baku. The flight from Istanbul to the Azeri capital and then the journey from Baku to Rome to play Italy is 3,022 miles.
Their flight back from Italy to Baku is 1,931 miles and that is where they will stay to play Wales and Switzerland – giving them a total distance of 4,953 miles.
But it is Switzerland who have the most frustrating travel plans in Group A, having bizarrely based themselves in Rome when they play in Baku twice.
So the Swiss go from Bern to Rome to set up camp and then fly to Baku to play Wales (2,359 miles), before flying back to Rome to play Italy (1,931 miles).
They then leaving Italy for Azerbaijan once again to take on Turkey (1,931 miles).
That gives Xherdan Shaqiri and Co a whopping 6,218 miles to cover in the group stage alone.
Group B
Denmark and Russia are both host nations in Group B with Copenhagen and Saint Petersburg welcoming group stage matches.
But when they meet each other, in the third match, it is the Russians who will have to give up home advantage to travel to Scandinavia.
A draw was held back in November 2019 to decide which team would play all three group stage games at home and it was the Danes who came out the hat.
Therefore, Denmark travel no distance with all their games against Finland, Belgium and Russia on home soil at Parken Stadium.
Russia, meanwhile, play both Belgium and Finland in their homeland at the Krestovsky Stadium before making the 713 mile trip to Copenhagen to take on Christian Eriksen and Co.
| TEAM | MATCH 1 | MATCH 2 | MATCH 3 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | vs Finland – 0 miles | vs Belgium – 0 miles | vs Russia – 0 miles | 0 miles |
| Russia | vs Belgium – 0 miles | vs Finland – 0 miles | vs Denmark – 713 miles | 713 miles |
| Finland | vs Denmark – 899 miles | vs Russia – 713 miles | vs Belgium – 0 miles | 1,612 miles |
| Belgium | vs Russia – 2,370 miles | vs Denmark – 950 miles | vs Finland – 2,370 miles | 5,690 miles |
Belgium are flying over 4,000 miles more than any of their opponents in the group stage
Finland have two matches in Saint Petersburg in the group stage and have rightly based themselves there but play in Copenhagen first. So the trip from Helsinki to Saint Petersburg to set up camp before heading to Denmark is 899 miles.
Then the flight back to Russia for their final two games is 713 miles, giving Finland a total distance of 1,612 miles.
Belgium have every right to feel the most hard done by in this group, given they are flying over 4,000 miles more than any of their opponents.
Roberto Martinez’s side are choosing to base themselves in Tubize in Belgium so must fly the 2,370-mile round trip to Saint Petersburg twice to play Russia and Finland.
In the middle of that they must fly 950 miles to Copenhagen to play Denmark, giving them a total travel distance of 5,690. It will be interesting to see if it catches up with them later in the tournament.
Group C
In Group C it is Holland who have the pleasure of calling themselves hosts with the Amsterdam Arena the venue for all three of their group games.
The other Group C venue is Arena Nationala in Bucharest and it is in the Romanian capital where you will find Ukraine housed for the group stage.
They face a 1,572 mile trip from Kiev to Bucharest to Amsterdam to take on the Dutch in their first game before making the 1,110 mile journey back to Bucharest for their final two matches giving them a combined distance of 2,682.
| TEAM | MATCH 1 | MATCH 2 | MATCH 3 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holland | vs Ukraine – 0 miles | vs Austria – 0 miles | vs North Macedonia – 0 miles | 0 miles |
| Ukraine | vs Holland – 1,572 miles | vs North Macedonia – 1,110 miles | vs Austria – 0 miles | 2,682 miles |
| Austria | vs North Macedonia – 1,062 miles | vs Holland – 1,162 miles | vs Ukraine – 1,062 miles | 3,286 miles |
| North Macedonia | vs Austria – 289 miles | vs Ukraine – 0 miles | vs Holland – 1,110 miles | 1,399 miles |
David Alaba and Austria must fly to play games in Bucharest twice and Amsterdam once
Minnows North Macedonia are also putting their roots down in Bucharest, with just a 289-mile journey from Skopje for their opening two matches.
They will then make the 1,110-mile trip to Amsterdam to play Holland, giving a total of 1,399 miles.
It is the Austrians who face the furthest distance in Group C after they chose to stay at home and train at Seefeld in Tirol.
They will make the 1,062-mile trip from Austria to Bucharest twice over the course of the group stage, either side of a 1,162-mile journey to Holland.
That gives David Alaba and Co a manageable 3,286 miles to cover.
Group D
Wembley will be the venue for all of England’s group stage matches, as well as both semi-finals and the final of the tournament.
Gareth Southgate’s men have been given a big boost as they eye a first tournament success since 1966, but face a fascinating local derby with Scotland as well as a showdown with Croatia in a repeat of the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.
Hampden Park in Glasgow is also a host venue, meaning the only time Scotland will spend on a plane is the 690-mile trip to London to take on the Three Lions on June 18.
The close proximity of Glasgow to London should have meant travel would not have been much of a problem for Group C but Croatia and the Czech Republic, who had both decided to base themselves in Scotland for the group stage, changed their plans last month.
| TEAM | MATCH 1 | MATCH 2 | MATCH 3 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | vs Croatia – 0 miles | vs Scotland – 0 miles | vs Czech Republic – 0 miles | 0 miles |
| Scotland | vs Czech Republic – 0 miles | vs England – 690 miles | vs Croatia – 0 miles | 690 miles |
| Croatia | vs England – 1,540 miles | vs Czech Republic – 1,077 miles | vs Scotland – 1,077 miles | 3,694 miles |
| Czech Republic | vs Scotland – 869 miles | vs Croatia – 869 miles | vs England – 1,282 miles | 3,020 miles |
England and Scotland both have home games but the Scots will travel down to Wembley
Croatia were supposed to be staying in St Andrews but are instead going to stay put at home in Rovinj, where they have already been training at NK Rovinj Stadium.
That means they will fly to Wembley and back for the opening game against England on Sunday, a 1,540-mile trip, before making a return trip to Glasgow (2,154 miles) for matches against Scotland and the Czech Republic.
That gives them a total distance of 3,694 miles.
The Czechs, meanwhile, were supposed to be using Scotland’s national training centre at Oriam throughout Euro 2020 but will now be based in Prague.
They will fly to Glasgow first up for two matches with Scotland and Croatia, a total round trip of 1,738 miles.
After returning to Prague, the Czechs will then make the 1,282-mile round journey to Wembley and back for their final group clash with England at Wembley, giving them a total distance of 3,020.
Group E
One imagines there are not many better places to play football in June or July than Seville and that is exactly where Spain will be after the city stepped in to replace Bilbao recently.
Spain will play Sweden, Poland and Slovakia at the impressive La Cartuja while Saint Petersburg’s Krestovsky Stadium is also being used in Group E – after Dublin dropped its right to host games.
Sweden are staying at home so will fly to Spain and back (3,708 miles) and Saint Petersburg and back twice (858 miles for each journey) for their last two games, giving a total distance of 5,424 miles.
| TEAM | MATCH 1 | MATCH 2 | MATCH 3 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | vs Sweden – 0 miles | vs Poland – 0 miles | vs Slovakia – 0 miles | 0 miles |
| Sweden | vs Spain – 3,708 miles | vs Slovakia – 858 miles | vs Poland – 858 miles | 5,424 miles |
| Slovakia | vs Poland – 971 miles | vs Sweden – 0 miles | vs Spain – 2,224 miles | 3,195 miles |
| Poland | vs Slovakia – 1,280 miles | vs Spain – 3,316 miles | vs Sweden – 1.280 miles | 5,876 miles |
Spain are playing all three of their group games in Seville with Poland travelling 5,876 miles
Slovakia are setting up camp in Saint Petersburg, the location for their first two games.
They will make the 971-mile journey from Bratislava to Russia to take on Poland and Sweden before then flying 2,224 miles to take on Spain in Seville.
Poland have a huge amount of distance to cover, given they have chosen to base themselves at home in Sopot.
Robert Lewandowski and his team-mates will make the 1,280-mile round journey to Saint Petersburg twice, either side of a game in Seville which is a round trip of 3,316 miles, giving them a total distance of 5,876.
Group F
Nobody seems to know which Germany team will turn up at the Euros, given their erratic form under Joachim Low in recent months.
But it is their final tournament under their legendary boss and he will be hoping to go out with a trophy.
They have a great chance of coming through a tough group that also includes France and Portugal with three home games in Munich, meaning they don’t leave Germany in the group stage.
The Puskas Arena in Budapest is the other venue in Group F and that means Hungary have the pleasure of playing their first two games on home soil before flying to Munich and back for a total distance of 696 miles.
| TEAM | MATCH 1 | MATCH 2 | MATCH 3 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | vs France – 0 miles | vs Portugal – 0 miles | vs Hungary – 0 miles | 0 miles |
| Hungary | vs Portugal – 0 miles | vs France – 0 miles | vs Germany – 696 miles | 696 miles |
| France | vs Germany – 850 miles | vs Hungary – 1,546 miles | vs Portugal – 1,546 miles | 3,942 miles |
| Portugal | vs Hungary – 1,534 miles | vs Germany – 348 miles | vs France – 348 miles | 2,230 miles |
Germany’s form has been erratic in the build-up but they have three group games in Munich
France will be using the facilities at their national training base at Clairefontaine throughout
France are based at their national training base at Clairefontaine so will fly to Munich and back (850 miles), as well as Budapest and back twice (a round trip of 1,546 miles) to complete their travel.
Kylian Mbappe and Co will be confident of adding to the World Cup title they won in Russia three years ago with such a staggering amount of talent in their squad.
Cristian Ronaldo and his Portugal colleagues – the reigning European champions – are based in Budapest.
They will make the 1,534-mile trip to Budapest before flying 348 miles to Munich to play Germany before making the 348-mile trip back to Budapest to take on the French.