In the world of football, there is no dull moment; July 2021 has seen Europe host a thrilling event, one that betting enthusiasts looking for no deposit bonus in South Africa and other jurisdictions would not miss. This is not all, just after Euro 2020, other events are lined up. This calls for all betting enthusiasts who are interested in the remaining matches to click here and know what waits. In the meantime Kate Richardson will be dissecting the next big event in Europe in one year, the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022.
The next big even in Euro calendar
One year from now, Europe will be hosting a major women’s tournament, the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022. Also referred to as the UEFA Women’s Football Championship, the July 2020 tournament will be the thirteenth edition. Just like men’s competition, the event is normally held after every four years. Just like other tournaments, the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 has been affected by COVID 19 pandemic. It was originally set to be played in the summer of 2021 but was rescheduled since this was the time men’s competition was to be held after it was pushed one year ahead.
Also, it was to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, hence pushing forward to July 2022. The tournament is set to kick off on 6th July and end on 31st. England will be hosting the 16 teams, being the second time that this tournament is seeing expanded participation. It will also be special for England as they were the last to host an eight-team Euro cup in 2005. The UEFA Women’s 2022 games will be played in ten venues spread across eight cities. Other firsts for this tournament include North Ireland participating in the competition for the first time and the use of a Video Assistant Referee as well as goal-line technology.
Qualifications
The qualifying stage saw 47 teams compete for the fifteen slots, given that the host nation qualified automatically. It was the first time that Cyprus and Kosovo were having the first team participating at this level. Forty-seven teams were to participate in the qualifiers to determine who takes the remaining fifteen slots in the finals. Unlike in the previous qualifying tournament, the preliminary round had been eliminated; all the entrants were to begin from the group stage which consisted of two rounds.
The forty-seven qualifying sides were divided into nine groups, where two groups had six teams and seven has five teams. Each group had to play a home and away round using the Robin approach. Qualifying teams will be drawn from the winners in the nine groups and the three best runners-up. Since there will be sixteen participating in the final tournament, the remaining six slots will be taken by the teams which qualify in the playoffs. The following teams have already qualified for the finals:
- England, who are the hosts
- Germany who are the winners in Group I
- The Netherlands, the winners in Group A
- Denmark, the winners in Group B
- Norway, winners in Group C
- Sweden, Group F winners
- France; they emerged winners in Group G
- Belgium, the Group H Winners
- Iceland who emerged the Group F Runners-up
- Spain, the Group D winners
- Finland, the Group E winners
- Austria, runners-up Group G
- Italy, the runners-up Group B
- Russia, Switzerland, and North Ireland qualified through play-offs
The final draw for the tournament
On October 28th, 2021, the participating team will know who they will be playing in the group stages come July 2022. The draw will be finally happening after being postponed due to COVID-19. The sixteen teams will be put into four groups, each having four participants. According to reports, the host country will be assigned position A1 while other teams will be selected as per their ranking in stages, with percentage points distributed proportionally.
Participants are waiting with bated breath to see where they will be placed as the draw is always a big determinant of how a team progresses in the tournament. Being placed with the host nation in the same group is a disadvantage as the home advantage factor plays out in the competition. A similar effect is experienced when a team is placed in the same group with the favorites.
What to expect
It is only 500 days to the event that many expect a record-breaking tournament as well as one of the major competitions in the summer of 2022. The event is also a history-making tournament, one that is being given great prominence.UEFA has even gone further to launch a new logo that will be used for the event and given that it will be happening at a time when the whole world is having undivided attention as no other major sporting event is scheduled at that time, it is expected to attract huge focus.
It is also expected that the COVID- 19 situations will have been contained, so fans will be traveling to England, and also the restrictions on the number of fans who can enter the stadium will have been removed. Also, for those who will not be making it for the tournament in England, there will be extensive coverage of all the matches on Free air TVs, radios as well as online platforms. The extensive coverage according to UEFA is meant to give everyone a chance to enjoy the games. “This will ensure all including the committed or curious fans as well as the next generation of stars get a chance to be part of the excitement,” reads a statement that revealed how the tournament will be aired to the public.
Given England’s capability as a host, many expect a superbly organized game and thrilling matches. Can’t wait to see what EURO 2022 Women’s competition has to offer.
