Today, the first whistle of EURO 2020 in Rome kicks off festivities

This is the occasion to also start the UEFA Festival in European host cities

Rome is ready for EURO 2020, the football tournament and an anniversary that got delayed one year by Covid. Today is the inauguration of the largest sporting event in Europe and it will happen in the Italian capital where the first game of the tournament, between Italy and Turkey, will also take place (9 pm CET).

EURO 2020, however, is also special because it is meant as the 60th anniversary of the format, which is why games will be played in 11 cities across the continent, with the final taking place on 11 July in London. That ‘birthday’ is the cause for the European football authorities to organize a month of celebratory activities in each of the cities, known together as the UEFA Festival.

UEFA Festival to galvanize a spirit of joy and celebration among fans and citizens

In Rome, the festival will be inaugurated with a symbolic ribbon-cutting in Piazza del Popolo by mayor Virginia Raggi.

The fulcrum of the UEFA Festival will be the Football Village in the same piazza which will be made up of two macro-areas. In one, a stage dedicated to shows, entertainment, music and cultural initiatives has been set up, and two large screens in which all the EURO 2020 matches will be projected.

In the other macro-area, organized as an exhibition space, there are stands managed by the various sponsors of the tournament, with entertainment activities and gastronomic products, 3-on-3 soccer fields and teqball open to citizens, as well as children’s play area.

The Football Village will be framed by 4 Hotspots located by Roma Capitale near via del Corso: Piazza San Silvestro, Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, Piazza Mignanelli, Largo dei Lombardi. From the Media Center on the Terrazza del Pincio, journalists and international media will be able to tell the feelings and moods of a city that, thanks also to EURO 2020, is regaining normality. 

Outside the Media Center, a Food Area will offer the main products of the Roman culinary and gastronomic tradition, and the Dome, with a diameter of 10 meters, will host an exhibition with memorabilia and historical photos of the Italian national team.

Some important details about attendance

Overall, the Piazza del Popolo will be able to host up to 2,000 people. Capacity will be monitored through a people counting service managed by security personnel - approximately 300 volunteers recruited by the City Council. To access the exhibition area, which has a capacity of 1,000 seats, one will have to have their body temperature measured and fill in a special self-certification at the entrance.

In the other half of the square, dedicated to the shows, entertainment and broadcasting of all EURO 2020 games, the capacity will be 1,000 seats and to access it, it will be necessary to book daily on euro2020roma.com.

Access, free of charge, will therefore be allowed to those who book on the website from midnight on the day of the event. There are three booking intervals from 10:00 to 13:50, from 14:00 to 19:50, and from 20:00 to 23:45. Between shifts, the areas will be completely emptied and the common areas and toilets will also be cleaned.