Uefa Euro 2020: Trafalgar Square to host key workers for England games

Key workers have been offered exclusive access to watch Uefa Euro 2020 matches in Trafalgar Square.

London will be one of 12 cities hosting the European Championship, which has been delayed by a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Police, transport workers, NHS and ambulance staff will be given the chance to watch the first two England games in the square's fan park.

There are also plans to show a "victory parade" on screen should England win.

Wembley Stadium will stage eight games during the tournament, which runs from 11 June to 11 July, all of them to be shown on giant TV screens in the capital.

"If we continue to keep on top of the virus, we hope to be able to host up to 9,500 fans in the Fan Zone after the initial first two group games - and I cannot think of anything more exciting than thousands of people coming together to cheer the England team on to glory," Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said.

Martin Machray, an NHS nurse, said: "I'm incredibly proud of the tireless work of our brilliant NHS staff and frontline workers over the past year, caring for and protecting the public from this virus.

"I'm delighted that they'll be given priority access to fan zone matches this summer as a token of gratitude, for a bit of fun they truly deserve."

There will also be a family-orientated "Football Village" on Potters Fields Park that will feature free activities and performances.

Gareth Southgate's side will play their three group matches at Wembley, the first against Croatia on 13 June.

Five days later England take on Scotland for the first time since 2017, before hosting the Czech Republic in their final group game on 22 June.

Under the Prime Minister's roadmap out of lockdown, social distancing measures and limits of people gathering outdoors will still be in place for England's first two games.

Free tickets for the fan park will be allocated through a ballot.