By Contributing Author
We have seen many sporting events cancelled during 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. One of those is the football European Championships, which will take place a year later in 2021.
The tournament is one of the most prestigious behind the World Cup, and losing it is a big blow for football. Fans will have to wait another year before they can watch the games and see who is crowned the champion of Europe.
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The move will play into the hands of some teams, while could have a detrimental effect on others and that is something to watch moving forward, to see how everyone reacts.
Something else to consider is the 2022 World Cup. The move pushes this tournament a year closer to that, so whoever wins Euro 2021 will be in prime position to make a charge at the World Cup, just one year later.
Who Will the New Euro 2021 Competition Benefit?
If there is a team to benefit from the tournament move, then it has to be England. Gareth Southgate’s young side will have another year to come together and get experience under their belts.
We saw how much potential they had when losing in the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup against Croatia, and they looked a team to be going places.
They have been installed at the 9/2 favourites for the 2021 European Championships, which is no surprise at all. Punters will remember their performances in Russia and be backing them based on that.
Within the space of just over a year, England could be looking at winning two major trophies, it is certainly the start of a huge time for the nation, and one that could be remembered for many years.
Will France Suffer?
France have been fantastic in recent years. They finished runners up in the 2016 European Championships before going on to win the 2018 World Cup.
A four-year spell where they were expected to dominate started in 2016 and was expected to end in 2020. That was with the European Championship, which are now not taking place.
They have players who will be a year older, and it will be interesting to see how they cope with the additional year.
France are not exactly an old team, but they will have another year behind them, and don’t have too many young players coming into their squad.
If there is a loser from the tournament moving, then out of the front runners it appears to be the French team.
Do Europe Have an Advantage Ahead of the 2022 World Cup?
The move certainly won’t harm them, and it could well help. Any team that does well in the Euro 2021 tournament will know they are only a year away from another big event and can carry the momentum forward.
Usually we have two years and other qualifying events between competitions, but this time around we will have none.
This is going to help those who do well, and potentially hinder anyone that performs poorly. These teams usually have two years to reset and try again but will only have one this time.
We saw a European team with the 2019 World Cup in Russia when France lifted the trophy, and it would be no surprise to see them do it again in 2022.