Euro 2020: Seville set to be named as Spain’s host city after Bilbao drops out

A final decision on host venues for the tournament is set to be made on Friday

The Spanish city of Seville is set to be named as a host venue for the rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament after Bilbao was stripped of its hosting rights.

European football’s governing body Uefa has not yet confirmed whether or not Seville had been named, stating only that a final decision on the 12 host cities would be revealed after its executive committee meets later on Friday.

It is understood Bilbao was dropped as a venue on Wednesday after it was unable to guarantee organisers it could host fans in the stadium for matches.

As well as choosing Seville to replace Bilbao, Uefa will make a final decision on whether Dublin and Munich can host matches. All other nine host cities have confirmed they will be able to accommodate supporters at games with limited capacity.

Seville’s 60,000-capacity La Cartuja stadium, which has this year hosted two Copa del Rey finals plus the Spanish Super Cup final, is expected to be named as the venue.

The stadium is set to host all three of Spain’s Group E games plus a last-16 match.

The state of Bavaria on Thursday threw its weight behind a German Football Association (DFB) plan that would see at least 14,500 fans in Munich’s 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena despite rising infection numbers in the country.

“Despite the current negative situation with the pandemic in Germany it is expected that the situation will improve until June,” the DFB said in a statement, hoping it has done enough to be included in the final list of host cities.

“That is why a scenario with a minimum capacity of 14,500 spectators in Munich for the Euros is seen as realistic,” it said.

Germany are scheduled to play all three of their group games in Munich.

The 2020 European Championship was postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Reuters