Bjorn Kuipers is the referee. Bjorn Kuipers of the Netherlands will officiate the 2020 European Championship final between England and Italy on Sunday at Wembley Stadium. He has been chosen by UEFA because he was not involved in the match-up between these two sides during the tournament.
Kuipers has been a referee since 2000 and has taken charge of several matches in Europe, including three Champions League finals (all lost by Juventus). The 48-year-old also took charge of this year's World Cup final in Russia, where France defeated Croatia 7-5 on June 14. He is considered one of the best referees in Europe and has been praised for his performance during the tournament.
He has been appointed as the fourth official at Wembley is Sérgio Ramos of Portugal. This is the first time that an English stadium will host the European Championship final.
The Champions League final is traditionally held over May Day weekend but due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year's edition will be held later in June. Wembley Stadium has set up special isolation facilities for the day they are needed, which include a medical room with doctors on call. Special security measures have also been put in place to prevent any further spread of the virus.
On May 7, UEFA named Bjorn Kuipers as the referee for the final. On May 7, 2014, UEFA appointed Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers as the final referee. He presided over the 2011 UEFA Super Cup, the 2013 UEFA Europa League Final, and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Final. This will be his first European Championship final.
Kuipers has been a full international referee since 1998 and was one of the first referees to work with VAR during the 2012-13 season. He is regarded as one of the best in the business and has been praised for his excellent performances throughout Europe this year.
The UEFA Champions League, known before 1990 as European Champion Clubs' Cup, is a annual club football tournament contested by the top clubs from Europe's top soccer leagues. A total of 12 teams have qualified for the competition through their performance in domestic league tables. The quarter-finals are played over two legs on a home-and-away basis while the rest of the stage is single-legged. The final is held at the end of the season over one day in May or June.
The UEFA Europa League is a yearly club football tournament contested by the top clubs from Europe's top soccer leagues. A total of 32 teams have qualified for the competition through their performance in domestic league tables. The semi-finals are played over two legs on a home-and-away basis while the rest of the stage is single-legged.
England will meet Italy in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday after defeating Denmark in extra time in the semi-finals. The contest at Wembley Stadium will begin at 8 p.m. It will be England's first appearance in a European Championship final, and their first tournament final since the 1966 World Cup.
Italy beat Germany in the other semi-final match on Saturday night. That game was also decided by a penalty shoot-out after both teams finished level at 1-1 following normal time. England midfielder Harry Kane scored both of his countries' penalties.
The Italians won 3-1 after extra time with two goals from Joachim Loew's former club Werder Bremen star Antonio Candreva and one from Ciro Immobile. England defender Chris Smalling missed the decisive spot-kick but it made no difference to the outcome as Italy advanced to its second consecutive European Championship final.
In other matches on Saturday: France defeated Ukraine 2-0 to qualify for its second European Championship final; Portugal overcame Estonia 4-3 on penalties after the game ended 0-0 after 90 minutes of play; and Spain got past Switzerland 7-6 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 after 120 minutes of play. All of these games were played at different locations.
France will face Germany in the other semifinal on Sunday.
The 2020 UEFA Euro final will take place on Sunday, July 11 (7/11/2021) at 3:00 p.m. ET at Wembley Stadium in London. The game will be televised on ESPN and TUDN, as well as live streamed on fuboTV, ESPN+, Sling, and other live TV streaming platforms.
The UEFA Europa League final is held about a week after the UEFA European Championship final. The Europa League final will be held on Thursday, May 15 (10/15/2020) at Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The game will be televised by Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and by DAZN in Germany. For the first time, the UEFA Europa League final will be available to stream online.
The UEFA Champions League final is held around six weeks after the UEFA European Championship final. The Champions League final will be held on Saturday, June 6 (15/6/2020) at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The game will be televised by ABC in the United States, BT Sport in the UK, and be streamed online via UEFA.com.
The UEFA Super Cup is held about a month after the UEFA European Championship final. The UEFA Super Cup will be held on Friday, August 2 (8/2/2020) at Old Trafford in Manchester. The game will be televised by BeIN Sports in Iran, India, and Afghanistan, and by Fox Sports in Australia.
As England lost on penalties, the TV audience peaked at 31 million viewers. The Euro 2020 final has a TV audience of 30.95 million people, according to overnight data. Ratings peaked during extra time in England's match against Italy on Sunday at Wembley Stadium, which was aired on both the BBC and ITV. It was viewed by an average of 34.5 million people.
The final was also shown in over 150 other countries, with many more watching via streaming services. Brazilians were among those who watched the match live on television or online.
Brazil won 2-1 after extra time with goals from Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Jesus. The latter goal was scored directly after being sent off for England substitute Jordan Henderson.
The penalty shoot-out was decided within minutes as France beat Croatia 4-2. Stunning results in the group stage saw France, Portugal, Spain and Germany reach the knockout stages. The last four teams will be announced on Monday.
Euro 2016 was the first European Championship to be held in multiple countries, with France, Poland and Ukraine all reaching the final. It was also the first time that England had not been crowned champions since 1948.
France won the championship after defeating Portugal 1-0 in the final.
Carley will also be in charge of Scotland's match against Wales in the second round of Six Nations action on Saturday, February 13. Following this, he is not scheduled to referee any further Six Nations matches until 2021. He has been praised for his work by both coaches and players, with Scotland's Scott Johnson saying "he does a great job".
Carley has been a full international referee since 2008, when he took charge of his first game, between England and France. To date he has taken part in three more games as a referee, including one World Cup group stage match. The other two were between England and Australia at Twickenham in 2011 and between England and New Zealand a year later at Eden Park.
He has also served as an assistant referee in two further games, both internationals: Canada vs United States at BC Place in 2015 and Georgia vs Russia in 2018 during the Rugby World Cup. Both matches ended in draws.
Carley has also worked with the TMO during televised games, reviewing potential penalties or try-scoring opportunities. The TMO can communicate with the referees via a microphone attached to the back of their shirt. Carley has also worked as a linesman, working mainly in the Premiership but also in the Top 14 and Challenge Cup.
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