UEFA’s most recent return-to-play protocols allow spectators to attend both international and club competitions fixtures. The number of spectators is capped at 30 percent of a stadium’s capacity. This explicitly exclude away fans, who are barred from attending games “until further notice.”
Working within this framework and their own public health guidelines, national and local authorities ultimately decide whether fans can attend games, and if so, how many can attend.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) is monitoring the situation across the continent.
UEFA Club Competitions 2020/21: Initial Group Stage Games
This season, there are 80 clubs currently playing in UEFA club competitions: 32 in the Champions League and 48 in the Europa League.
Over the first two rounds of group stage games in both competitions, every club played at home once and away once. Of the 80 games played, 27 (34 percent) hosted home fans.
These 27 games took place in 13 different countries, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, and Ukraine.
For example, in the Champions League, 14,850 people watched Dynamo Kiev play Juventus at the Olimpiyskiy stadium on 20th October. On the same day, 5,000 people watched Stade Rennais play FK Krasnodar at Roazhon Park, while 999 people watched RB Leipzig play İstanbul Başakşehir at the RB Arena.
In the Europa League, 10,500 people watched Dinamo Zagreb play Feyenoord at the Stadion Maksimir on 22nd October, while 3,000 people watched Rapid Vienna play Arsenal at the Allianz Stadion.
Continual Monitoring
FSE will continue to monitor the return of spectators throughout the season with a view to providing regular updates.
As stated in our 2020 UEFA Super Cup Report, FSE believes it is possible for fans to attend UEFA club and national team competitions games safely if the correct public health measures are put in place and clearly communicated.