England’s draw for next year’s Euro 2024 final could certainly have been more difficult as they were drawn in Group C against Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia. Gareth Southgate’s men reached the final two years ago and will be the best players in their group.
Scotland, who have qualified for a second consecutive European Championship, have a tougher group.
They will face Germany, Switzerland and Hungary in Group A. Scotland’s first match is the opening match of the tournament against Germany, the hosts, on June 14.
“You can look at it on paper, but the matches are not played on paper. You like to avoid one or two teams, especially in pot three and pot four, but all the teams we play against are more than capable,” said England manager Gareth Southgate after the draw in Hamburg.
Southgate also said he wants to give England players involved in the European finals at the end of the season a break before meeting their international teammates to help them psychologically. Read more from Mike McGrath here.
When is it?
Euro 2024 starts on June 14 and the group stage runs until June 26. The knockouts run from June 29 and the final will be played in Berlin on July 14.
Where is it?
The tournament will be held in Germany, with 10 host cities: Dortmund, Hamburg, Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Gelsenkirchen.
How to watch on television
As has been the case for some time, in Great Britain the BBC and ITV/STV will share the broadcasting rights for the European Championship. The matches will be split between both broadcasters and a shared final will be shown on both networks.
What are England’s matches?
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June 16, 2023, vs Serbia, Gelsenkirchen
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June 20, 2023, vs Denmark, Frankfurt
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June 25 vs Slovenia, Cologne
What are Scotland’s matches?
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June 14, 2023, vs Germany, Munich
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June 19, 2023, vs Switzerland, Cologne
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June 23, 2023, vs Hungary, Stuttgart
What are the groups?
Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland
Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
Group C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England
Group D: Playoff team 1, Netherlands, Austria, France
Group E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Playoff team 2
Group F: Turkey, Playoff Team 3, Portugal, Czech Republic
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Playoff team 1 is: Poland, Estonia, Wales, Finland
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Playoff team 2 is: Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Iceland
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Playoff team 3 is: Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg
Southgate plans extra break for players who reach the European final
Gareth Southgate wants to give players involved in the European finals a ‘psychological break’ before they face England and step up preparations for a major tournament win.
The England manager is ready for some of his squad to postpone next summer’s 2024 European Championship encounter with the Champions League final taking place on June 1 and the finals starting two weeks later. Southgate is planning two friendlies on home soil, possibly away from Wembley, before heading to Germany.
Before the last European Championship, in 2021, players from Chelsea and Manchester City were involved in the Champions League final and met later. Players can also be involved in the Europa League or Europa Conference finals at the end of the campaign.
“We had that last time at the European Championship with Chelsea-Man City, so we are used to dealing with that. You would like to have all the players for all the pre-season camps, but that is not our reality. have had to deal with in the past,” said Southgate.
“So we know what it should look like. It’s important that they get some kind of psychological break in between, but the longer they play, the less you can give them, is of course the reality.”
City defends the Champions League title, while Arsenal has the ambition to go far in the tournament. Newcastle and Manchester United are not in the top two of their groups, but can progress to the Europa League with one round to go.
Southgate has taken his team for friendlies ahead of previous tournaments, with St James’ Park mentioned as a possible venue for one of the matches. The draw in Hamburg last weekend saw them play Serbia on June 16, while Denmark and Slovenia were their other opponents in Group C.
“We have the dates of our matches in,” said Southgate. “What we have to do now is, now that we know the draw, we can look more clearly at the opponents about those matches.”
How many countries will be present at Euro 2024?
A total of 24 teams will participate in the tournament. Twenty teams qualified for the tournament, with Germany also automatically receiving a place as host. The last three places are determined via the play-offs.
What is the draw for the play-offs?
Three teams qualify through the play-offs, one from each ‘path’ after two draws in one match. Wales will have to fight their way past Finland and then Poland or Estonia to reach next summer’s Euros.
Path A
Poland vs Estonia
Wales vs Finland
Path B
Israel vs Iceland
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Ukraine
Path C
Georgia vs Luxembourg
Greece vs Kazakhstan
When are the play-off games?
Path A
21 March: Wales vs Finland and Poland vs Estonia
March 26: Wales or Finland vs Poland or Estonia – the winner will qualify for Euro 2024
Path B
21 March: Israel vs Iceland and Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Ukraine
March 26: Israel or Iceland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina or Ukraine – winner qualifies for Euro 2024
Path C
21 March: Georgia vs Luxembourg and Greece vs Kazakhstan
March 26: Georgia or Luxembourg versus Greece or Kazakhstan – the winner will qualify for Euro 2024
What is the tournament format?
The top two teams from each group of four qualify for the round of 16, along with the top four third-place teams. The tournament will then follow a one-leg knockout format until the champion is crowned in the final.
How do I buy tickets?
Fans can request tickets for each team via the UEFA Euro 2024 ticket portal.
Who are the favorites to win Euro 2024?
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England, France 7/2
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Germany 6/1
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Spain 7/1
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Portugal 8/1
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Belgium 14/1
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Italy, Netherlands 16/1
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Denmark 33/1
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Croatia 50/1
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Scotland 80/1
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