They say that football is the king of all sports. In 2021, this sentiment rings truer than ever before. This year’s football calendar is jam-packed with international, Olympic, and club competition action.
Fans of the beautiful game will get to see the UEFA Euro 2020 take place alongside the Tokyo Olympics, African Nations World Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, and the Copa América. And this is on top of all of the regular national and international club competitions, as well as the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
There were two major cancellations this year. The UEFA Women’s Euro was postponed to 2022, whereas the FIFA U-20 World Cup was canceled outright. The loss of these two events is more than made up, however, by the other entries.
With so much going on, it’s easy for even the most hardcore football fan to get confused. Which is why the football team of 22Bet has created this calendar of all the major football events of 2021.
Bookmark this page to make sure you don’t miss the next big football event!
Football Competitions in January 2021
2020 African Nations Championship (CHAN 2020)
Update: The Morocco national football team won CHAN 2020.
Dates: 16 January – 7 February 2021
The international football calendar kicked off on January 16 with the sixth CAF African Nations Championship (aka CHAN 2020), which took place in Cameroon.
What Makes the CHAN 2020 Football Tournament Special?
For those of you unfamiliar with African football, the African Nations Cup is a national squad competition that is unique in the football world because it only features players who play in the national club championships of the countries they represent. The purpose of this is to strengthen the national tournaments of CAF member nations.
CHAN 2020 Winner
The CHAN 2020’s brightest star was a Moroccan goalkeeper Anas Zniti who became a Man of the Match in the Final game against the Mali team.
The Morocco national football team won CHAN 2020. It competed against the Mali national football team in the final game.
February 2021 Football Events
2020 FIFA Club World Cup
Update: FC Bayern Munich won in the final match against Tigres UANL, 1-0.
Dates: 1–11 February 2021
The next big football event started on the first day of February. The 17th FIFA Club World Cup was held in Qatar.
Who Played in the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup?
The tournament featured the likes of UEFA Champions League winners Bayern Munich, CAF CL champions Al Ahly, AFC Champions League title holders Ulsan Hyundai, CONCACAF CL winners UANL, Auckland City of the OFC, Palmeiras, the champion of the Copa Libertadores, and Qatar Star League champions Al-Duhail (who qualified as hosts).
2020 FIFA Club World Cup Winner
Bayern Munich played against Tigres UANL in the final game and won the match 1-0. The team got the FIFA Club World Cup title.
Football Tournaments in May 2021
2020 – 2021 UEFA Women’s Champions League Final
Update: Barcelona won the UEFA Women’s Champions League final by beating Chelsea 4-0.
Date: 16 May 2021
Fans of women’s football tuned in to watch the finals of the 2020-21 UEFA Women’s Champions League on 16 May, 2021. The final game was played at the Gamla Ullevi stadium in Sweden. Barcelona played a dominant brand of football and make short work of Chelsea.
Lyon’s women team.
2021 UEFA Europa League Finals
Update: Villareal won the Europa League title by beating Manchester United 11-10 on penalties.
Date: May 26, 2021
The finals of the 50th Europa League were held at the Stadion Miejski in Gdansk, Poland.
The tournament was guaranteed to have a new champion this year as last year’s titleholders, Sevilla, qualified for the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League.
2021 UEFA Europa League Finals
As of January 2021, the final match of this year’s Europa League were contested between Villareal and Manchester United. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. Additional time produced no winner. After a long streak of penalties, Villareal ended up taking the Champions League crown by beating the English team 11-10.
UEFA Champions League Finals
Update: Chelsea claimed the Champions League title by beating Manchester City 1-0.
Date: May 29, 2021
This year’s Champions League winner was decided on May 29 at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Turkey.
UEFA Champions League Finals
The finals of this year’s year’s Champion’s League finals was contested between two English Premier League sides, Manchester City and Chelsea.
Despite the fact that Manchester City were heavy favorites in this match, Chelsea ended up claiming the title by winning 1-0.
June 2021 International Football Calendar
UEFA Euro 2020
Update: Italy, Spain, England, and Denmark qualified for the semi-finals of Euro 2020.
Dates: 11 June – 11 July
The 16th edition of Europe’s most prestigious national team competition took place in June-July 2021, having been postponed for a whole year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In honor of the tournament’s 60th anniversary, it was held in 12 separate countries, with the final game taking place at Wembley Stadium in London.
UEFA Euro 2020 Finals
As the finals were at Wembley Stadium, the Three Lions had home-field advantage in the championship game against Italy.
The regular time ended in a 1-1 tie. Overtime did not produce a result. Italy proved victorious in the penalty shootout, with Berardi, Bonucci, and Bernardeschi producing the 3-2 victory.
Least Likely Teams to Win the Euro 2020
The top 3 least likely teams to lift the trophy were Ukraine, Switzerland, and Denmark.
2021 Copa América
Dates: June 11 – July 10
The 47th CONMEBOL Copa América is held in Colombia and Argentina between June 11 and July 10, 2021.
The final match of this football tournament will take place at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez in Barranquilla, Colombia, the home turf of Atlético Junior and the Columbian national team.
On July 10, Brazil will play the winner of the Argentina-Colombia semi final game.
2021 Copa América Finals
Reigning champions Brazil were the favorite to lift the trophy, having such world superstars as Neymar on their rosters.
They faced Argentina in the final. Ángel Di María scored the match’s only goal, helping Argentina secure a 1-0 victory.
Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics
Dates: July 23 – August 8
While Olympic football is nowhere near as popular as FIFA-governed international football, it is still deserving of a mention in our calendar of football events in 2021. Both men’s and women’s football tournaments will be held as part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Check out the men’s tournament teams and schedule here.
Tokyo National Stadium, Saitama Stadium and Int. Stadium Yokohama.
What Makes Olympic Football Different from Other Competitions?
If you’re not familiar with men’s Olympic football, then the easiest way to think about it is as the U-23 World Cup. This means that only players born after December 31, 1996 will be able to participate in the tournament, as it is still officially being called the 2020 event. The women’s tournament does not have an age restriction.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Football Favorites
Brazil are the current reigning Olympic Champions, having won the tournament on their home turf during the Rio 2016 games. They are also the current tournament favorites, but Spain and Argentina follow closely behind. Germany enter the tournament as the current women’s champions.
Canceled 2021 Football Events:
2021 FIFA U-20 World Cup
Cancellation date: December 24, 2020.
The under 20 edition of the FIFA World Cup was supposed to take place in Indonesia in 2020. The event was first moved to 2021 and then canceled altogether on December 24, 2020.
When Will the Next Edition of the U-20 FIFA World Cup Take Place?
The next edition of the U-20 FIFA World Cup will take place in 2023 in Indonesia.
UEFA Women’s Euro 2021
Rescheduled to: July 6 – July 31, 2022
The UEFA Women’s Euro 2021 was supposed to take place in England in this summer, with the final game being played at Wembley Stadium. However, the tournament was postponed to 2022, most likely to avoid it clashing with the men’s edition of the same tournament and the Copa America.
This article was updated on 06.07.2021
