Under-19 UEFA European Championships cancelled for second straight year

Iceland's Kolbeinn Sigthorsson celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Euro 2016 round of 16 soccer match between England and Iceland, at the Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice, France. Photo: AP/PTI

The annual Under-19 European Championships in men's and women's soccer were canceled Tuesday for the second straight year.

UEFA said government-imposed rules amid the coronavirus pandemic led to the decision.

The traveling of teams and staging of mini-tournaments would prove very difficult, UEFA said.

The men's tournament was to have more than 50 countries playing in qualifying groups in March, leading to an eight-team final event in Romania starting June 30.

Women's qualifiers were scheduled in April ahead of a final tournament in Belarus in July.

The 2020 editions were canceled in Northern Ireland and Georgia, respectively for men and women.