Wembley perimeter breaches during Euro 2020 Final 11 July 2021 — Incident Report
Football Crowd Safety · Case Study

Wembley Perimeter Breaches Euro 2020 Final

Baroness Casey’s independent review found that on 11 July 2021 thousands of ticketless supporters sought to force entry into Wembley Stadium, creating significant disorder in and around the ground. The review says around 100,000 people travelled to Wembley, approximately 2,000 gained entry without tickets, and the events were a “near miss” that came close to fatalities and/or life-changing injuries.

Date 11 July 2021
Location Wembley Stadium
Incident Type Forced Entry
Fatalities None Reported
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What happened

11 July 2021. The official review refers to the day as “Euro Sunday” and places the incident at the UEFA Euro 2020 Final at Wembley Stadium.

Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London. Brent Council’s follow-up materials place the wider disorder in the Wembley area, including Zone Ex, and refer to Olympic Way and surrounding area in later control measures.

Baroness Casey’s independent review found that on 11 July 2021 thousands of ticketless supporters sought to force entry into Wembley Stadium, creating significant disorder in and around the ground. The review says around 100,000 people travelled to Wembley, approximately 2,000 gained entry without tickets, and the events were a “near miss” that came close to fatalities and/or life-changing injuries.

Why it matters

Injuries: Officially reported in reviewed sources: 19 police officers injured. Beyond that, the Casey review states supporters and staff were put at risk and that fatalities and/or life-changing injuries were narrowly avoided, but I did not locate a verified total for all non-police injuries.

Fatalities: None reported in the reviewed sources. The Casey review describes the event as a “near miss” and says the crowd conditions came close to fatalities, not that fatalities occurred.

The official review framed the event as a serious near miss rather than a minor access-control failure. That distinction matters: the key issue was crowd safety, not just ticketing.

Review disputed details →

Numbers That Matter

100,000
Estimated travelled to Wembley
2,000
Approx. entered without tickets
19
Police officers injured
17
Major mass breaches reported

Incident Timeline

11 July 2021 · Build-up
Large numbers travelled to Wembley, with the review citing around 100,000 people in the area for the UEFA Euro 2020 Final.
Pre-match perimeter pressure
Ticketless supporters sought to force entry, with disorder reported in and around the ground and pressure focused on access points.
Mass breaches
Follow-up reporting on the Casey review described 17 major breaches and approximately 2,000 people gaining entry without tickets.
Post-incident review
The independent review described the event as a “near miss” that came close to fatalities and/or life-changing injuries.

Observed Risk Themes

🚧
Perimeter Breach
Security cordons and entry controls were breached by ticketless supporters seeking access.
🎟️
Ticketless Entry
The review records approximately 2,000 people entering without tickets.
Accessible Entrances
Disabled-supporter entrances were reported as being targeted during the disorder.
📋
Official Learning
Later local and national materials record changes around alcohol controls, event-day management and unauthorised entry deterrence.
⚠️ Source Caveat Some figures vary by source, date range and geography. Where the source file did not verify a single figure, this page preserves that uncertainty rather than tidying it up with a made-up answer.

Conflicting Information

The source file identifies several details where different reports use different figures or scopes.

Disputed Detail
Number of arrests reported after the incident.

The reviewed sources use different figures or scopes, so the detail should be treated with care rather than forced into one clean number.

Source 1

Reuters reported police said 86 people were arrested, including 53 at the venue.

Source 2

The Guardian reported an operation that had led to 51 arrests across London.

These figures may reflect different counting dates, geographies, or subsets of arrests. I have not reconciled them beyond stating the difference.

Disputed Detail
Number of ticketless people inside the stadium versus wider ticketless crowd outside.

The reviewed sources use different figures or scopes, so the detail should be treated with care rather than forced into one clean number.

Source 1

Casey review executive summary says approximately 2,000 gained entry without tickets.

Source 2

Casey foreword says the day was spoiled by a horde of 6,000 or more ticketless fans.

These are not necessarily direct contradictions. The review distinguishes between the wider ticketless crowd present around Wembley and the subset who actually entered the stadium.

Unverified Details

These points were not verified in the source file and should not be presented as confirmed facts.

Not Verified
Total number of non-police injuries.
Not Verified
Exact number of injured stewards.
Not Verified
Exact number of injured spectators.
Not Verified
A single definitive arrest total covering the same date range and geography across all sources.
Not Verified
A single official casualty ledger for everyone affected at Wembley that day.

References

The references below are drawn from the uploaded incident file and include news, official, parliamentary, policy and academic sources.

01
Reuters · News Article
UK lawmakers demand answers from FA over Wembley scenes
14 July 2021
Reports that ticketless fans breached security cordons and that British police said 19 officers were injured and 86 people were arrested, including 53 at the venue.
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02
Paul MacInnes, Caroline Bannock and Vikram Dodd / The Guardian · News Article
Wembley faced “unprecedented” public disorder at Euro final, says FA
12 July 2021
Contemporary report on the immediate post-match disorder at Wembley and witness accounts of chaos and violence involving ticketless fans.
Visit Source →
03
The Guardian · News Article
Euro 2020: Met chief denies policing of final failed as disabled fans tell of terror
14 July 2021
Reports disabled supporters’ accounts of fear at entrances targeted by ticketless fans and notes police review activity after the disorder.
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04
ITV News London · News Article
“They are not fans. They are thugs”: 19 officers injured after England v Italy Euro 2020 final
12 July 2021
Reports that 19 officers were injured following the Wembley disorder after the England v Italy final.
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05
The Guardian · News Article
England fan disorder at Euro 2020 final almost led to deaths, review finds
3 December 2021
Follow-up reporting on the Casey review, including that more than 2,000 people gained access without tickets, there were 17 mass breaches, and disabled entrances were systematically targeted.
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06
Associated Press · News Article
Euro 2020 final review finds England fans endangered lives
3 December 2021
Reports the review’s conclusion that fan aggression endangered lives and exposed serious safety failures around the final.
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07
Sky Sports · News Article
Euro 2020: FA review on Wembley final disorder finds series of crowd “near misses” which could have led to fatalities
4 December 2021
Reports the Casey review’s findings that about 2,000 ticketless fans got in, around 400 were ejected, and 17 major breaches occurred.
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08
ITV News · News Article
Fan chaos could have led to deaths at Euro 2020 final
6 December 2021
Broadcast follow-up quoting Baroness Casey that the crowd disorder came extremely close to a national tragedy.
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09
Times of India / Reuters wire · News Article
Ticketless England fans breaching Wembley for Euro final led to violence
11 July 2021
Early report describing ticketless fans forcing entry, dense crowds on Olympic Way, drunken disorder, and violent skirmishes outside Wembley.
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10
Reuters · News Article
London police says 19 officers injured around Euro 2020 final
12 July 2021
Confirms 19 officers injured during the policing operation for the final.
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11
Sky Sports · News Article
Euro 2020: Metropolitan Police make 86 arrests in connection with Italy vs England final
12 July 2021
Reports 86 arrests, 53 at Wembley, and details offences including assault, drunkenness and public order offences.
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12
Sky News · News Article
“They’re thugs not fans”: Met Police Federation condemns England supporters after officer attacks
12 July 2021
Reports 19 injured officers and 49 arrests, highlighting public disorder in London after the final.
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13
RTÉ Sport · News Article
England fans banned due to Euro 2020 final disorder
18 October 2021
Reports UEFA disciplinary action following the disorder at Wembley and summarises police and disabled-supporter concerns.
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14
Sky Sports · News Article
UEFA opens disciplinary proceedings against FA for fan behaviour at July 11 Euro 2020 final
2 August 2021
Early post-incident follow-up noting disciplinary proceedings and the FA’s review.
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15
Independent review commissioned by The FA; hosted by Brent Council democracy site · Website Article
The Baroness Casey Review
December 2021
Primary source. States the events were a “near miss”; says Wembley was close to fatalities and/or life-changing injuries; around 100,000 travelled to Wembley; approximately 2,000 entered without tickets; around 400 were ejected; and the incident involved serious disorder in and around the stadium.
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16
The Football Association · Website Article
An independent review of events surrounding the UEFA EURO 2020 Final at Wembley
3 December 2021
Official FA publication page announcing release of the Casey review.
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17
The Football Association · Website Article
FA CEO Mark Bullingham responds to Baroness Casey’s independent review
3 December 2021
Official FA response apologising for supporters’ experiences and responding to the Casey review findings.
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18
Wembley Stadium · Website Article
Italy v England
Event page for 11 July 2021
Official Wembley event page confirming that Wembley Stadium hosted the UEFA EURO 2020 Final on Sunday 11 July 2021.
Visit Source →
19
Mayor of London · Website Article
Statement from Mayor following disorder in London
12 July 2021
Official statement saying 19 police officers were injured and 86 arrests had been made; also supports action against those who forced entry into Wembley.
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20
Metropolitan Police Service · Website Article
Alleged offences/crimes reported to police in the build up to and during the Euro final at Wembley Stadium on 11 July 2021
Disclosure page published May 2023
FOI disclosure stating that on 11/07 there were 55 crime reports relating to inside or just outside Wembley Stadium, including assault and public-order categories.
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21
Brent Council, Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee · Website Article
The Casey Review of the Final of Euro 2020 - UPDATE
18 April 2023
Local-authority follow-up stating the final was blighted by casual street-drinking and fan disorder, referring to the Wembley area, Zone Ex, and later measures for Olympic Way/surrounding event management.
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22
Wembley National Stadium Ltd / Brent Council appendix hosting · Website Article
Baroness Casey Review -- One year on - WNSL Response
18 April 2023 appendix
One-year operational response describing post-incident changes, especially around alcohol controls and event-day management.
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23
The Football Association · Website Article
Baroness Casey report
24 November 2023
New stocktake report from Baroness Casey on progress made since EURO 2020, including formalising learning, legislation on tailgating, and planning for the 2024 Champions League Final.
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24
UK Government · Website Article
Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill -- Economic Impact Assessment
12 March 2024
Later official policy document using the Euro 2020 final at Wembley as a case example for the risks of unauthorised entry and the need for deterrence.
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25
UK Parliament / House of Lords · Website Article
Football: Casey Review - Hansard
6 December 2021
Parliamentary discussion acknowledging the Casey review and the criminal behaviour at the Euro 2020 final.
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26
UK Parliament, Culture Media and Sport Committee · Website Article
Safety at major sporting events
29 December 2023
Parliamentary report citing the Wembley Euro 2020 final as a near-disaster example involving fake tickets, tailgating, and forced entry.
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27
Sports Grounds Safety Authority · Website Article
Safety at Major Sporting Events
February 2024 submission
Written submission supporting the Casey review and discussing subsequent work on major sporting event safety.
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28
Brent Council · Website Article
Wembley Stadium’s £2billion impact on Brent and London
6 May 2025
Later context on Wembley’s wider regeneration and local economic significance, useful for explaining why the stadium is treated as an event of national importance.
Visit Source →
29
K. Beebeejaun et al. / Epidemiology and Infection / Cambridge University Press; also available via PubMed Central · Academic Paper
UEFA Euro 2020: lessons from the first multi-city international mass gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic
2022
Academic paper on public-health lessons from UEFA Euro 2020. For Wembley, it notes that the large number of cases identified in the final highlighted the importance of effective crowd control measures inside stadia.
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30
PubMed Central · Academic Paper
UEFA Euro 2020: lessons from the first multi-city international mass gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic
2023 archive version
Open-access version of the same academic paper.
Visit Source →

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