LONDON, Sept 24: Istanbul is the “front-runner” to host the semi-final and final games of Euro 2020, according to English Football Association (FA).

UEFA will stage the 2020 event across 13 cities and 32 countries — more than half of UEFA’s 54-country membership — have expressed an interest in staging matches at the one-off pan-European event. The semis and the final will be held in the same city.

Wembley Stadium in London and Millennium Stadium in Wales are seen as possible hosts but FA Secretary General Alex Horne believes Turkish city of Istanbul is the front-runner.

Berlin, Brussels, Madrid and Kiev are also bidding for the finals package.

“We’ve taken some soundings,” Horne said, adding there is “sympathy for Turkey” after Istanbul’s sole Euro 2020 bid collapsed because it was also bidding for the 2020 Olympic bid.

UEFA President Michel Platini had also previously said he would back Turkey for Euro 2020 if Istanbul missed out on the Olympics of 2020.

Earlier this month, Istanbul together with Madrid had been voted out off the competition to host 2020 Games when Tokyo won the bid to host the maga event.

Horne added: “We get the politics around Istanbul having not got the Olympics ... I would say Istanbul would be the front-runners to host the semi-finals and the final.”—AP