In March last year, the Euro 2020 tournament was rescheduled to start in June 2021, following the Coronavirus pandemic. The tournament’s unique set-up to be played over 12 stadiums in 12 countries is looking increasingly challenging amidst the continued disruption from COVID-19, and ticketholders need to carefully consider UEFA’s updated refund terms.
The Force Majeure in its terms has been updated to include fixtures being moved locations as a result of the pandemic. Taking this into account with the refund policy:
In the event of the postponement of the match before kick-off for a reason of Force Majeure, the ticket will be valid for the rearranged playing of the match. The applicant will not be entitled to a refund of the tickets if they are unable to attend the rearranged playing of the match.
…means that a match could be rescheduled to a new venue (possibly in a different country) and ticketholders will not be able to seek a refund if they cannot attend.
UEFA is giving fans the option to decline these new terms before 26 January 2021. If a ticket holder declines before the deadline then they will receive a full refund. The advice is to consider your options and act quickly.
There is increasing pressure on UEFA to clarify their plans regarding the Euro tournament, with suggestions that it will not be possible for the tournament to go ahead in its current form with ongoing regulatory restrictions on travel and events.
UEFA maintains the event will go ahead on the dates planned and across 12 cities: Amsterdam, Baku, Bilbao, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome and St Petersburg. However, they have stated they are looking at reduced capacity crowds and even playing behind-closed-doors if necessary. A final decision is expected in early March.
If the organisers cancel a ticketholder’s access due to reduced capacity or behind-closed-doors games, then the ticketholder will be entitled to a full refund regardless of whether they have accepted the updated terms.