What is the protocol for postponing games at Euro 2024?

Stadium staff look to clear flooding during Turkey vs Georgia at Euro 2024
Stadium staff look to clear flooding during Turkey vs Georgia at Euro 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)

We’re less than a week into Euro 2024 and it already feels like we’ve had a little bit of everything. 

We’ve had a thumping win for hosts Germany, victories for big hitters like Spain, England, France, Italy and the Netherlands, while Slovakia provided the biggest shock so far when they beat Belgium.

Add into the narrative an injury worry for one of the tournament’s best players after Kylian Mbappe rearranged his nose on Kevin Danso’s shoulder, plus an unexpected classic between Turkey and tournament newbies Georgia and all-in-all, it’s been an excellent first round of group stage matches.

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Just to make British fans feel at home, we’ve also had some biblical downpours, with the aforementioned Turkey-Georgia instant classic being played in torrential rain in Dortmund.

Berlin’s two fan zones had to close on Tuesday due to weather warnings, meaning tens of thousands of fans had to run for cover.

So what happens if the weather gets even worse in Germany and rain threatens a postponement? Here’s a look at what the UEFA rulebook says.

What happens if a game has to be postponed at Euro 2024?

You need to delve deep into the UEFA guidebook to find out what happens if matches have to be rescheduled. Part III, Article 29 of the European Championship regulations, to be precise.

These rules state that if a match cannot start or be finished, then it will ‘as a rule’ be either played in full or completed the next day. It is up to the host to ensure that the required facilities are available and can be operated.

If the match cannot be rescheduled for the next day, the UEFA administration will sort a new date, as close to the original date as possible.

Rescheduled matches - as a rule, again - will be played at the same venue, but if this is not possible, the UEFA administration must approve an alternative venue.

Any rescheduled matches can be played without spectators ‘for cases of extreme urgency’ and back-up stadiums must be guaranteed by the host association.

Here's hoping this will be our last mention of Article 29 this summer.

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Joe Mewis

For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.