The UEFA executive committee has decided to cancel the 2020 UEFA Under-19 EURO, which was due to be played in Northern Ireland, because of the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 crisis and difficulties in moving the tournament.

Given that the Euros also decide qualification to the Under-20 World Cup - to be played in May 2021 - UEFA have decided to allocate their five spots at the tournament to the highest-ranked teams in the association.

As a result, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal will be UEFA’s allocated teams at the tournament.

Furthermore, in light of the worrying situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the UEFA executive committee has decreed that games in UEFA club and international competitions will not be played in Armenia and Azerbaijan until further notice.

After having monitored the situation that broke out in late September, which had already resulted in the movement of one Europa League playoff and two Nations League fixtures, UEFA have ruled that the conditions for playing matches in those countries at this present time are not optimal.

The Football Federation of Armenia and the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan, along with their respective clubs, will be called upon to propose alternative venues for coming fixtures in UEFA competitions.

The situation in the region will continue to be monitored, but the UEFA executive committee’s decision will not influence the planning of games in the UEFA EURO 2020 that will be hosted in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku next year.