Hungary will pitch Budapest to host the 2020 European football championship, which will be held for the first time in 13 different countries, the country’s football association (MLSZ) said Tuesday.
“The MLSZ has agreed with the government to bid for hosting rights at Euro 2020,” association president Sandor Csanyi told a joint press conference with Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Michel Platini, president of football’s European governing body UEFA.
Ahead of the September 12 deadline for confirming bids to UEFA, Csanyi said a new 65,000-seat national stadium in Budapest, due to be completed by 2017, would be presented as a potential venue.
He did not say if Budapest would bid to host group matches, or the semi-finals and final: two possible options for candidate cities.
Unlike previous editions, which have been hosted by just one or two countries, Euro 2020 will be spread across 13 countries, with one match city per host nation.
Hungary has never hosted a top-level UEFA club or international tournament before.
Candidate cities have until April 25, 2014 to submit their bid dossiers. UEFA is scheduled to name the 13 hosts in September 2014.
Hungary to pitch Budapest as Euro 2020 host
