Other events in Baltic States

The executive committee of the European football body UEFA on Friday awarded the organization of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship final in 2020 to the Estonian Football Association.

The 2020 U-17 final will be the third major UEFA competition held in Estonia. In 2012, Tallinn and two other Estonian cities, Rakvere and Haapsalu, hosted the UEFA U-19 final, whereas in 2018 the UEFA Super Cup will be played on Aug. 14 at Tallinn's Lillekula Arena, the Estonian Football Association said.

The association said that the final of the U-17 tournament poses a significantly bigger challenge in terms of organization than the U-19 final played here in 2012, as 16 teams take part in the U-17 final compared with eight in the U-19 final.

The Estonian Football Association intends to set up two regional centers - one for North Estonia and the other for South Estonia - and involve local communities and clubs in the organization of the events. The matches played in Estonia will reach millions of viewers through direct broadcasts by Eurosport.

"Hosting the final of the UEFA 2020 U-17 Championship is part of the development concept of Estonian football. Through it we put ourselves to a test as an organization on the one hand, while providing young people the opportunity to compare themselves with Europe's best on the other," Aivar Pohlak, president of the Estonian Football Association, said in a press release.

The association said that while the list of the towns where the matches will be played will be finalized in the next few years, considering the UEFA proximity requirement Tallinn, Rakvere, Keila, Rapla, Paide, Haapsalu, Tartu, Otepaa, Voru, Elva, Polva, Viljandi, Jogeva and Valga would be suitable locations, among others. The eventual list of locations will be set out depending on the development of infrastructure at the locations, Pohlak added.

As the organizer, Estonia will get a slot in the final automatically.

The UEFA European U-17 Championship final will be played in Ireland