UEFA has pushed the Women's Euro 2021 back by 12 months to avoid a clash with the rearranged men's Euro 2020 tournament.
European football's governing body announced last month that Euro 2020 – which was due to begin in June and be played in 12 cities across the continent – had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The tournament's new dates will see it begin on June 11, 2021 and finish exactly a month later, which would have seen it overlap slightly with the women's competition's previous kick-off date of July 7.
But with UEFA eager to ensure the women's European Championship – hosted in England – gets the attention it deserves, the decision has been made for it to take place from July 6-31, 2022.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: "When we had to take an urgent decision on the postponement of Euro 2020, we always had the impact on Women's Euro 2021 in mind.
We may be moving to 2022, but that means more time for you to get excited, more time for you to get behind your team and more time for you to register for updates at https://t.co/d40akMitvV.
— UEFA Women's EURO 2021 (@WEUROEngland21) April 23, 2020
One thing’s for sure, it will be worth the wait! pic.twitter.com/EExQNGtrqh
"We have carefully considered all options, with our commitment to the growth of women's football at the forefront of our thinking. By moving Women's Euro 2021 to the following year, we are ensuring that our flagship women's competition will be the only major football tournament of the summer, providing it with the spotlight it deserves."
Nadine Kessler, UEFA's chief of women's football, added: "The core question guiding us together with the English FA was: What is best for women's football?
"With the Olympics now being confirmed for summer 2021, we firmly believe that moving to 2022 is in the best interests of the tournament, the players, the fans, women's football partners and everybody involved in all areas and at all levels of the game.
"Women's Euro 2021 is Europe's biggest women's sport event. It is also among the biggest sports events in the world, and therefore needs and deserves a platform of its own. This decision puts us in a position to deliver a tournament that attracts global attention, maximises media coverage and increases stadium attendances, and is therefore helping us to meet our core objective of inspiring the next generation of footballers."
