St. Petersburg could increase Euro 2020 crowd capacity
The Henri Delaunay trophy of the UEFA Euro 2020 is presented on the Magere Bridge in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, May 14, 2021. (EPA Photo)


The crowd capacity at the Euro 2020 matches in St. Petersburg could be increased to 75% depending on the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are ready to raise the level to 75% if the epidemiological situation allows it," Boris Piotrowski, vice governor of the Russian city, told the state agency Ria Novosti on Saturday.

The venue has previously promised that half the capacity of the stadium can be used.

Russia currently has no coronavirus lockdown but limits on public events exist with sporting arenas having to keep every second seat empty.

The stadium in St. Petersburg, which will host six group games and a quarterfinal, has a normal capacity of around 70,000.

Euro 2020 is being played with 24 teams in 11 cities across Europe with at least 25% of stadium capacity set to be available for all games.

Earlier, Bilbao and Dublin were removed as host cities for the Euro because they could not guarantee having enough fans in stadiums, and the games were moved to Seville, St. Petersburg and London.

The tournament, which was postponed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, kicks off in Rome on June 11.