As anticipation builds for the Euro 2024 finals, set to take place in Germany, football enthusiasts eagerly await the draw that will shape the group stage of the tournament. Here is a comprehensive guide to the draw, providing insight into the participating teams, the seeding process, and potential outcomes.
Teams:
- Twenty-one of the 24 final places have been secured, with hosts Germany earning automatic qualification. The remaining 20 teams qualified through the European qualifiers, with the top two from each group making the cut.
- Three teams are yet to be determined, with their fate resting on the playoffs scheduled for March. These teams qualified based on their performance in the Nations League.
Seeding:
- Teams have been seeded according to their overall European qualifiers rankings, with Germany automatically placed in Pot 1 as hosts.
- There are six teams in each of the four pots, and the three playoff winners will be placed in Pot 4.
Pots:
Pot 1: Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, Belgium, England
Pot 2: Hungary, Turkey, Romania, Denmark, Albania, Austria
Pot 3: Netherlands, Scotland, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic
Pot 4: Italy, Serbia, Switzerland, Playoff Winner A (Poland/Wales/Finland/Estonia), Playoff Winner B (Israel/Bosnia/Ukraine/Iceland), Playoff Winner C (Georgia/Greece/Kazakhstan/Luxembourg)
Draw Procedure:
- Teams will be drawn into six groups, each containing four teams.
- The draw begins with Pot 1, with Germany automatically allocated to Group A.
- Subsequent pots (A, B, C, D, E, F) determine each team’s position within their group, dictating the fixture order.
- Teams play each other once in the group stage, with group winners and runners-up advancing to the round of 16, along with the four best third-placed teams.
Possible Outcomes:
- Italy, defending champions, may face a challenging group as they find themselves in Pot 4, not based on FIFA ranking but on their performance in the qualifiers.
- Potential scenarios include Italy facing France, Hungary, and the Netherlands, or a rematch with England, whom they defeated in the Euro 2020 final.
- England and Scotland could find themselves drawn into the same group, echoing their grouping in Euro 2020.
- Croatia, World Cup 2022 semi-finalists, are positioned in Pot 3.
Finals:
- The tournament kicks off on June 14 in Munich, with hosts Germany facing the team drawn as A2.
- The Euro 2024 final is scheduled for July 14 in Berlin.
- Matches will be held across ten cities in Germany, including Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Stuttgart.
