ISTANBUL

The UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said Thursday that the 24-team tournament could be played in fewer than the planned 12 countries.

"We are always concerned about the situation but we are absolutely sure that the Euro will be played. The plan is that we do the Euro exactly as it is. But I have to say that, instead of 12 countries, we could do a Euro in 11, in eight, in five [countries] or in one country," Ceferin told Spanish TV network Movistar+.

Ceferin said that the single-elimination format in the 2019-20 season was an interesting system and they received positive feedback from the clubs about this format.

"A final eight is probably very hard to do calendar-wise, but for me a final four, a week of football, might be a great event," adding that a final four may be an option, but after the 2024-25 season.

Ceferin stressed that the financial situation of clubs, leagues and UEFA is not as good as in the past due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He added that unless the pandemic ends as soon as possible, all economies, including football, will experience serious problems. The result could be a complete disaster.

The postponed 2020 European Football Championship -- widely known as the UEFA EURO 2020 -- is normally expected to be held in 12 countries between June 11 to July 11, 2021.