91Èȱ¬

The number of fans who can attend the semi-finals and final of Euro 2020 has been increased to more than 60,000 people.

The UK government has announced that the audience capacity at Wembley stadium, which is where the final matches of Euro 2020 will be held, will be at 75% capacity for all three games.

The increase means they'll be the largest crowds the country has seen come together for a sporting event in more than 15 months.

"It is great news that so many fans will be able to watch the final three matches of Euro 2020 at Wembley," said Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin.

He added: "This tournament has been a beacon of hope to reassure people that we are returning to a more normal way of life and this is a further step along that road.

"I am grateful to the prime minister and the UK government for their hard work in finalising these arrangements with us, to make the tournament final stages a great success in Wembley."

Coronavirus restrictions in England were originally set to be completely relaxed on 21 June. However, the government decided to postpone the changes until 19 July to help control the spread of the Delta variant and give more time for more adults to be vaccinated.

Easing of restrictions in Scotland is also being delayed and current Covid rules in Wales are being reviewed, while the next planned easing in Northern Ireland is set for 5 July.

However, despite the delays to the lifting of all Covid rules currently in place, the matches at Wembley, along with other sporting events, are being allowed extra crowd capacity under the government's Events Research Programme.

Fans attending the games at Wembley will need to follow a number of strict entry requirements, including having a negative Covid-19 test or proof of full vaccination, which means two vaccine doses, 14 days before the fixture they are attending.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said it's "concerned about easing of restrictions in some of the host countries" for games at Euro 2020, according to Robb Butler, an executive director at the WHO's regional office for Europe.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "We have worked extremely closely with Uefa and the Football Association to ensure rigorous and tight public health measures are in place whilst allowing more fans to see the action live.

"The final promises to be an unforgettable moment in our national recovery from the pandemic."