Uefa, European football’s governing body, had sent out tenders to broadcasters and agencies on February 6.
The tender divided Europe into 10 separate geographical blocks: the seven biggest markets, with the big five of France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the UK joined by Scandinavia and the Netherlands; the two host countries, Poland and Ukraine; and the balance of the remaining 40 or so countries.
After today’s deadline bidders will be invited to make presentations to Uefa in mid-April, with a shortlist of candidates drawn up by the end of that month. A final decision is expected at the end of May. As with Euro 2008, Uefa’s tender stipulates that a minimum 19 of the 31 matches be shown by a broadcaster with “national coverage”, although, intriguingly, this is not defined further in the tender.