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Whatever you call it — be it soccer, football, or soccerball (okay, we made that last one up) — one of the game’s biggest events is just around the corner.
After the global pandemic put paid to the competition in 2020, it was postponed and plenty of sports fans around the world shed a tear or six. Thankfully, though, Euro 2021 kicks off on the 11th of June and it’s shaping up to be a doozy.
Here’s what you need to know and how to watch a few matches.
Who’s in and who’s been left out in the cold?
Of all hopefuls, 24 teams have made it through to the group stages. These teams are the same ones that qualified for Euro 2020 and will battle it out in their groups before heading to the semis and maybe even the finals.
- A — Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, and Wales.
- B — Belgium, Denmark, Finland, and Russia.
- C — Austria, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, and Ukraine.
- D — Croatia, Czech Republic, England, and Scotland.
- E — Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden.
- F — France, Germany, Hungary, and Portugal.
All up, there will be 54 matches played in 12 host cities. The competition will run for a month with the final scheduled for the 11th July.
The players to keep an eye on this year
As always, the Euros will pit top talent from each country against one another, that’s par for the course. But there are a few key players you might want to keep an eye on:
Kevin de Bruyne
Manchester City lad Kevin de Bruyne is playing for Belgium, a team that currently holds the numero-uno ranking, so there’s plenty of pressure on de Bruyne to deliver. Luckily, some solid stats and a reputation as one of the best midfielders in the world means this kid means business. So will he deliver?
Cristiano Ronaldo
With a name that’s practically synonymous with football, Portugal’s star player has always delivered over the years having scored a whopping 103 goals for his nation. But the player many call the best in the world is getting older — at the tender age of 36 he’s near geriatric in football terms! Will this be his final fling?
How to stream Euro 2021
You have two options to get all the matches from the comfort of your home: either you subscribe to a paid streaming service that offers all the matches such as Sky Sports or beIN, or you use a VPN subscription to bypass geo-location restrictions.
With the latter option, you’ll change your server location based on the match you want to watch and then stream local channels. Because a VPN masks your device’s physical location, you have access to pretty much any nation’s on-demand and live streaming channels.
To get you started, try these options:
- From the UK – ITV and BBC
- From Germany – ARD and ZDF
- From Italy – RAI
- And finally from France – TFI and M6
Tie up your boot laces and get set for what’s shaping up to be a cracker of a tournament!
