The limited capacity of the stadiums that will host the matches of the Europeans, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, could cost 194 million euros in losses for the host cities.
To reveal it is a study by Pitchinvasion.net, a company that deals with data relating to football. According to his research, without the limitations imposed by the health crisis, London would be the city able to derive the greatest economic benefits from the tournament, with an estimated gain of 23.3 million euros, followed by St. Petersburg (25.7 million) and Budapest (20 million). Amsterdam is the city that could earn the least, with an estimated € 3.1 million.
But with the restrictions on access to stadiums, indeed London it could suffer the largest losses, with a difference of 65.8 million from the estimated gain under normal circumstances and with a full stadium. The second city to suffer the most losses would be Dublin, with a difference of 25.3 million euros. In third place we find Glasgow, with an estimated loss of 19.3 million. Budapest’s revenue may remain unaffected, following the city’s decision to fully open its stadium. St. Petersburg will benefit from hosting three additional matches after the Dublin retirement, securing extra revenue of € 13.3m.
The only Italian city involved in the event is Rome, where four games will be played, including the opening match between Italy and Turkey. According to Pitchinvasion.net the capital will suffer a very large damage from Covid: compared to the expected 15.3 million euros, it should collect only 3.8 million with a deadweight loss of 11.5.
The study began by gathering information on the 12 cities initially designated as hosting the tournament and the replacement city, Seville, the number of matches scheduled for each city, where the teams will play and the capacity of the stadiums to predict the number of visitors. Subsequently, information on the average spending per night of tourists in the host countries was sought. This information includes costs for accommodation, restaurants and other expenses, but excludes transportation costs. It was possible to find data for visitors from all 24 countries participating in the tournament.
Subsequently, the study considered different participation scenarios. First, a normal scenario has been assumed where the stadiums are full and fans from every nation can participate in their teams’ matches. The total profit each city would make under these circumstances was then calculated. Finally, provisional stadium access data provided by each host city was used to calculate the anticipated revenue for cities from spending by visitors to this summer’s tournament.