Former winners including Xavi Hernández, Thierry Henry and Peter Schmeichel are among the initial 34 UEFA EURO 2020 ambassadors unveiled on Thursday.

The ambassadors are tasked with supporting a very special 60th anniversary EURO that is taking place across 12 cities from 12 June to 12 July next year. The event was marked in Gruyeres on Thursday morning when a Henri Delaunay Trophy balloon took flight ahead of next year's unique voyage across Europe.

"I am proud that EURO legends such as Peter Schmeichel, David Trezeguet and Luís Figo are actively involved in promoting 60 years of the UEFA European Football Championship," said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.

"As EURO finalists they have all contributed to creating many of the most iconic memories in the history of this great competition, and we look forward to their involvement in supporting UEFA EURO 2020 – an event that will be much closer to football fans than ever before."

The event coincides with the start of the European Qualifiers. All 55 UEFA member associations are taking place in qualifying, with none of the host nations guaranteed a place at the 24-team finals.

The 12 UEFA EURO 2020 host cities are: Amsterdam, Baku, Bilbao, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome and Saint Petersburg.