Euro 2020, Copa America postponed until 2021 amid coronavirus crisis

Euro 2020, which was scheduled to kick off June 12, will now take place next year due to the impact of the coronavirus, UEFA confirmed Tuesday.

The tournament will run from June 11, 2021, to July 11, 2021.

All Euro 2020 playoff matches, which were scheduled for the end of March, have been moved to the start of June for the time being.

The Norwegian FA broke the news after meeting with UEFA and member nations in a videoconference Tuesday to discuss the future of domestic and European competitions.

An hour later, CONMEBOL, which governs South American football, followed suit, delaying the Copa America until next year. The tournament will also begin June 11, 2021 and run until July 11, 2021.

UEFA will have to decide how to proceed with other events due to be played next year. The Women's European Championships, the Nations League, and the European Under-21 Championships are all scheduled to take place in the spring and summer of 2021. FIFA's expanded Club World Cup is expected to kick off in June 2021.

"Moving Euro 2020 comes at a huge cost for UEFA but we will do our best to ensure that the vital funding for grassroots, women's football and the development of the game in our 55 countries is not affected," UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement. "Purpose over profit has been our guiding principle in taking this decision for the good of European football as a whole."

As the coronavirus spread and forced leagues across the continent to shut down for the foreseeable future, it became clear Euro 2020 and the Copa America couldn't go on. Competitions now have the license to play into the summer to complete what's left of the seasons.

In a joint statement with UEFA, the European Leagues announced plans to complete all domestic club competitions by June 30. There's no indication when those leagues will resume play.

With champions to be named, Champions League and Europa League places to be determined, and relegation and promotion places to be decided, UEFA gave priority to the leagues, even at the expense of its biggest tournament.

Spread across 12 cities, Euro 2020 posed a significant challenge from a logistical point of view. Several governments across Europe had already imposed strict travel restrictions, making it difficult to imagine staging a tournament that required so much movement.

There were also concerns about the health of players. Several clubs have already entered quarantine, including La Liga's Real Madrid and Serie A's Juventus.

Ceferin called the emergency meeting last week as fears over the coronavirus swept the globe. Ceferin invited all 55 member nations and representatives from the European Club Association, the European League, and world players' union FIFPro.

Prior to the meeting, Gabriele Gravina, president of the Italian football association (FIGC), said he wanted UEFA to postpone Euro 2020 so Serie A and the rest of Europe's leagues have the option of playing through the summer.

UEFA must also rule on the fate of the Champions League and Europa League. Play was suspended in the middle of the round of 16.

UEFA is reportedly considering staging mini-tournaments to expedite each tournament. That would reduce quarterfinals and semifinals from two-legged ties to one-off games.