England’s draw for next year’s Euro 2024 finals could certainly be more difficult; In Group C, Slovenia would be drawn with Denmark and Serbia. Gareth Southgate’s men reached the final two years ago and will be the top seed in their group.
Scotland, which qualified for the European Championship for the second time in a row, has a tougher group.
They will face Germany, Switzerland and Hungary in Group A. Scotland’s first match will be the opening match of the tournament against host Germany on 14 June.
“You can look at it on paper, but games are not played on paper. “You’d be happy to avoid one or two teams, especially in the three and four pots, but all the teams we’re playing are extremely talented,” England manager Gareth Southgate said after the draw in Hamburg.
Southgate also said he wanted to give England players a break to take part in the end-of-season European finals before meeting up with their international team-mates to help them psychologically. Read more from Mike McGrath here.
When?
Euro 2024 will start on 14 June and the group stages will continue until 26 June. The qualifiers will be held starting from 29 June and the final will be played in Berlin on 14 July.
Where?
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 TV
As has been the case for some time, the BBC and ITV/STV in the UK will share broadcast rights to the European Championship. Matches will be split between both broadcasters and a joint final will be shown on both networks.
What are England’s fixtures?
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16 June 2023 vs. Serbia, Gelsenkirchen
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June 20, 2023, etc. Denmark, in frankfurt
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June 25 vs. Slovenia, Cologne
What are the fixtures of Scotland?
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June 14, 2023 vs. Germany, Munich
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19 June 2023 vs. Switzerland, Cologne
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23 June 2023 vs. Hungary, Stuttgart
What are 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: Türkiye, Playoff team 3, Portugal, Czech Republic
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Play-off team 1 will be one of the following: Poland, Estonia, Wales, Finland
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Playoff team 2 will be one of the following: Israel, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine, Iceland
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Playoff team 3 will be one of the following: Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg
Southgate plans to give extra break to players heading into European finals
Gareth Southgate wants to give players taking part in the European finals a “psychological break” before meeting England and stepping up preparations for victory in a major tournament.
The England manager is preparing for some of his squad to meet for Euro 2024 next summer to be postponed, with the Champions League final due on June 1 and the finals starting in two weeks’ time. Southgate plans to play two friendlies on home soil, possibly away from Wembley, before heading to Germany.
Before the last European Championship in 2021, Chelsea and Manchester City players took part in the Champions League final and met later. Players will also be able to qualify for the Europa League or European Conference finals at the end of the campaign.
“We had it with Chelsea v Man City in the Euros last time, so we’re used to dealing with that again, you want all the players to be in all the training camps, but that’s not our reality. We’ve dealt with that in the past,” Southgate said.
“So we know what the game should be like, it’s important for them to have some kind of psychological break every now and then, but of course, the longer they play, the less you can give them, that’s the reality.”
While City defend their Champions League title, Arsenal have ambitions of going further in the tournament. Newcastle and Manchester United are not in the top two in their groups, but they may be relegated to the Europa League with one more match left to be played.
Southgate has previously taken his team on the road for friendlies before tournaments; St James’ Park had been mentioned as a possible venue for one of the matches. In the draw held in Hamburg at the weekend, they were drawn with Serbia and their other rivals in Group C, Denmark and Slovenia, on June 16.
“We’ve got the dates for our games,” Southgate said. “What we need to do now is, now that we know the draw, we can look at the opponents a little more clearly in these matches.”
How many countries will participate in Euro 2024?
A total of 24 teams will compete in the tournament. 20 teams qualified for the tournament, and Germany automatically became the host. The last three places will be determined by the play-offs.
How much are the play-off draws?
Three teams qualify for the play-offs, one from each ‘track’, after two single match draws. Wales will need to get past Finland and then either Poland or Estonia to reach next summer’s Euros.
Road A
Poland – Estonia
Wales vs Finland
Road B
Israel – Iceland
Bosnia and Herzegovina – Ukraine
Road C
Georgia vs Luxembourg
Greece vs Kazakhstan
When are the play-off matches?
Road A
March 21: Wales – Finland and Poland – Estonia
March 26: Wales or Finland – Poland or Estonia – winner qualifies for Euro 2024
Road B
March 21: Israel – Iceland and Bosnia and Herzegovina – Ukraine
March 26: Against Israel or Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Ukraine – winner qualifies for Euro 2024
Road C
March 21: Georgia – Luxembourg and Greece – Kazakhstan
March 26: Georgia or Luxembourg – Greece or Kazakhstan – winner qualifies for Euro 2024
What is the tournament format?
The top two teams from each four groups will qualify for the round of 16, along with the four best third-place teams. The tournament will then follow a single-legged knockout format until the champion is crowned in the final.
How can I buy tickets?
Fans can apply for tickets for any team via the UEFA Euro 2024 ticket portal.
Who are the favorites for 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
Do you have some early predictions for the summer’s big event? Take a look at these Euro 2024 betting offers and free bets.