FA hope Wembley can be ‘at least 50 per cent full’ for Euro 2020 Final
The Football Association have not ruled out having a capacity crowd for this summer’s Euro 2020 final.
But FA chief executive Mark Bullingham says they are expecting the stadium to be half full for the matches it hosts.
Under current Covid-19 guidelines, fans will be in attendance for games at Wembley during the rescheduled tournament.
England’s three group games there will be played in front of a crowd at 25 per cent capacity, with that figure guaranteed throughout the whole competition.
The FA are hoping, however, that the number of fans allowed at games could rise in the knockout stage.
On Friday, Wembley was handed a last-16 match – after Dublin was unable to host it – meaning England could play at home again if they win Group D. Both semi-finals and the final will also be at Wembley.
The FA have until June 2 to tell Uefa how many supporters will be allowed in for those knockout games and it will be up to the authorities to decide the exact figure.
The FA are currently expecting Wembley to be 50 per cent full for the knockout stages, but they would naturally love the stadium to be full if it was deemed safe by the authorities.
“That obviously isn’t our decision,” said Bullingham.
“We would obviously love the final to be full, if the authorities were to allow that. From our perspective, we think that 50 per cent might be more realistic at the moment.
“But if the situation improves, and the authorities allow, we would love the final to be full. We want as many fans as possible to be able to experience the Euros.
“We are guaranteed 25 per cent for the whole tournament. Our hope and expectation is that we get up to a higher number after the group games – so if you view the round of 16 game together with the semi-final and final.
“We always had the date of the end of February to tell Uefa what our uplift scenario was for the group games, but we have actually got until June 2 to tell them what our number can be for the round of 16 game, semi-final and final.
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“Our hope is that we will be at least 50 per cent full for those games, but clearly that is not our decision. That’s for the authorities to make.”
Speaking after Wembley had been handed an additional last-16 game, Bullingham said: “We are delighted to be able to help Uefa and stage the game.
“They asked a couple of weeks ago whether we would be able to help out and both we and the Government were very keen to help.
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“We also liaised with the Irish FA to check that they were comfortable, which they were. From our perspective, it is absolutely fantastic to get another game at Wembley and it’s another chance for fans to come and experience the Euros.
“It is an incredibly tough route to the final for us, but this gives us another potential opportunity for a game at home for the Three Lions – which is brilliant for us as well.
“So, from our perspective, it is really positive news and we are looking forward to having fans in our fantastic stadium for another game at the Euros.”