Euro 2020 Postponed Until 2021; England Listed as +450 Favorites

• UEFA announced today that they’re officially postponing Euro 2020 until next summer because of COVID-19
• All leagues across the world have come to a halt because of the virus, which will result in domestic play resuming through the summer
• Find the favorites, odds, and best bet for next summer’s tournament below

In what has been a whirlwind of disappointment across the sports world over the last week because of COVID-19, the European Football world was handed an even bigger blow on Tuesday. UEFA has officially announced that they will be postponing Euro 2020 until the summer of 2021 because of the ongoing fear of coronavirus across the globe.

However, UEFA did also announce today that they intend to complete all domestic and European competitions by June 30th, given that a lot of leagues across Europe do start a new campaign in August/September. The Champions League Final was scheduled for Saturday, May 30th, but expect it to most likely be played in late June/early July at the latest.

Euro 2021 Odds

Odds taken Mar. 17. 

Despite the cancellation of Euro 2020 until next year, England is still the current favorites to win it all, followed by Belgium and defending World Cup champions, France in the Euro 2021 odds.

Postponing Euros Will Benefit England

The Three Lions put forward an impressive showing in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, reaching the semifinals where they lost a heartbreaker in extra time to Croatia. They went on to lose in the third-place match against Belgium, but overall, they played relatively well in Russia. Fast forward to now and they have basically the same squad, with the addition of several new players who have bolstered their squad even more.

Youngsters such as Declan Rice and Jadon Sancho have appeared in numerous Nations League and Euro qualifying matches, with both adding a ton of skill and pace in the midfield; most notably Sancho on the attack. The Dortmund star is one of the brightest talents in the world right now and it’s scary to think just how much better he could be in a year.

Breaking: UEFA have confirmed that Euro 2020 has been postponed until 2021.

The tournament will now take place between June 11 and July 11 2021. pic.twitter.com/NzpkJ7HREi

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 17, 2020

England’s two main strikers Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford both suffered serious injuries earlier this year. Kane has returned to light training after tearing his hamstring, but it was very unlikely that he would be fit enough to star for Gareth Southgate this summer.

Rashford meanwhile, has been dealing with a stress fracture in his lower back and although he will probably return to Manchester United before the season is over, there were doubts that he would be ready to play full-time for England by the time June rolled around.

With another year until the tournament, England will certainly benefit in many different ways, especially when it comes to the health of their two talismans. Unless Rashford and Kane get injured again, they’ll be 100 percent ready to help the Three Lions win Euro 2021. Certain players like Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish and United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka also continue to improve and could snatch up a spot on the England squad by next summer.

Belgium Is a Side to Watch

The Red Devils proved just how good they really are in the last World Cup, finishing in third place. Then in Euro qualifying, they dominated, easily winning Group I while going undefeated in ten matches. They also led all sides in the tournament in goals scored, bagging 40 goals, an average of four per match.

However, a lot of their players are in very good form right now so this postponing of the tournament will be disappointing. Kevin De Bruyne is arguably the best midfielder in the world right now, as he enjoys an outstanding year with Man City where he’s tallied 18 assists and scored nine goals. Romelu Lukaku has been on fire in the final third in his first season with Inter Milan, netting 23 goals already this season across all competitions. The 27-year old also put away seven goals in Euro qualifying for Belgium in just ten appearances.

Eden Hazard, who’s had an injury-riddled season at Real Madrid, could find his form next year and carry that momentum into Euro 2021, so for him, this whole situation could be a benefit.

Can France Get it Done?

The French are always a team to watch and after their breathtaking performance in the last World Cup, they’re definitely a favorite heading into Euros. They are stacked from top to bottom, from the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Greizmann, Raphael Varane, Paul Pogba, and N’Golo Kante, among many others. Didier Deschamps has so much talent to choose from and with another year until the tournament, they could be even better. However, they’ve landed in an extremely tough group for next summer.

Belgium Is Best Bet Right Now

Although England has a slight edge on Belgium right now in terms of odds, I like Roberto Martinez’s side as the possible team to win Euro 2021. Their group consists of teams they should have no problem beating, while France is in the “Group of Death”, with Portugal and Germany alongside them. England isn’t in the easiest group either, with Croatia, Czech Republic, and another opponent to be determined later in their pool.

I do think England and France will do very well in Euro 2021, but I believe that Belgium is a top-notch squad that has what it takes to win it all next summer.

Pick: Belgium +500