Euro 2024 - all you need to know

Published on: 02 December 2023

Defending champions Italy will be at Euro 2024 in Group B alongside Spain, Croatia and Albania

It may have only just ticked over into December, but it won't be long before the summer comes around and Euro 2024 is upon us.

Can Gareth Southgate guide the Three Lions to silverware? Can Steve Clarke's Tartan Army make a statement in a major tournament? Will Rob Page's Wales side be able to make it through the play-offs and join their fellow home nations?

These are just three questions avid fans will have, as top European teams jostle for position on the global stage.

Now that the draw has been completed, and each team's potential route to glory established, BBC Sport provides the lowdown on all the key details for Euro 2024.

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When will the tournament commence?

Held in Germany, Euro 2024 will officially begin on Friday, 14 June 2024 at the Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Munich. Scotland will be the team facing the hosts in the first match to kick off the tournament.

It will continue for a month and conclude on Sunday, 14 July at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

This will be the first time that Germany has hosted the tournament since reunification, with the 1988 edition held in West Germany.

When will tickets go on sale?

Tickets were initially on sale to the public from 3 to 26 October and were allocated through a lottery.

Fans of qualified nations are now able to apply for tickets via the specific fan portal on the Uefa website. Select your country and follow the instructions to apply for yours.

Who are the favourites?

At the time of writing, England and France are both 4/1 with the bookmakers, while hosts Germany are 7/1.

The next closest is Spain at 8/1, while Scotland are 80/1 to go all the way.

What are the groups?

Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland

Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania

Group C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England

Group D: Play-off winner A, Netherlands, Austria, France

Group E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Play-off winner B

Group F: Turkey, Play-off winner C, Portugal, Czech Republic

Play-off winner A: Poland, Estonia, Wales, Finland, Estonia

Play-off winner B: Israel, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine, Iceland

Play-off winner C: Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg

The groups are set for Euro 2024How can I watch it?

BBC and ITV will share broadcasting coverage of Euro 2024 in the UK, following the pattern that was in place for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and previous European Championships.

Full schedules, as well as confirmation of the BBC's punditry team for the tournament, will be confirmed closer to the beginning of the tournament.

Where are England and Scotland going to be playing?

England's group-stage matches: 16 June v Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, 20 June v Denmark in Frankfurt, 25 June v Slovenia in Cologne.

Scotland's group-stage matches: 14 June v Germany in Munich, 19 June v Switzerland in Cologne, 23 June v Hungary in Stuttgart.

Who could they meet in the knockouts?

If England top Group C, they will face one of the third-placed teams from Group D, E or F in the last 16.

The Three Lions would face the winner of Group A in the last 16 if they finish second in the group.

If Scotland top Group A they'll face the second-placed team from Group C, so one of England, Denmark, Slovenia and Serbia.

Should Steve Clarke's side finish second they'll face the second-placed team from Group B, so one of Spain, Albania, Croatia, Italy.

Both sides could also progress as one of the four best third-placed teams in the group stage.

What's still to be decided?

Twelve teams have a shot at qualification through the play-offs, with the likes of Wales, Poland and Ukraine all being afforded a second opportunity because of their Uefa Nations League ranking.

Split into three paths, Poland, Wales, Finland, Estonia, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Iceland, Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan and Luxembourg will take part in the play-off semi-finals on 21 March 2024.

Six teams will advance to the three finals, held on 26 March, and the winners of those matches will qualify for the Euro 2024 group stage.

Wales face a semi-final against Finland and if they overcome that, will have to defeat either Poland or Estonia to reach the summer tournament in Germany.

If Wales were to qualify they would be in Group D, which looks like one of the toughest groups, and their group-stage games would be: 16 June v Netherlands in Hamburg, 21 June v Austria in Berlin, 25 June v France in Dortmund.

Who are the form teams?

Coming into the tournament, six teams were unbeaten during qualifying - France, England, Portugal, Belgium, Romania and Hungary.

Portugal are the only side who won every match, ending qualifying having scored 36 goals and conceding only two.

Spain and Scotland lost only one match, while Turkey and Austria also qualified with equally impressive records.

Despite Portugal winning every single qualifying match, they did not have the top goalscorer across these games. That honour is reserved for Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku, who notched 14 goals in just eight matches.

Which stadiums might we see?

The aforementioned Allianz Arena and Olympiastadion will both be seen throughout the tournament but teams will also visit the likes of Cologne and Dortmund.

Signal Iduna Park, home of Borussia Dortmund's 'yellow wall' will host matches from Group B, F and D, while also being selected as one of the venues for the last 16 and the semi-finals.

Here is the full list of venues for the tournament:

    Berlin: Olympiastadion (70,000 capacity)Cologne: Cologne Stadium (47,000),Dortmund: BVB Stadion Dortmund (66,000)Dusseldorf: Dusseldorf Arena (47,000)Frankfurt: Frankfurt Arena (48,000)Gelsenkirchen: Arena AufSchalke (50,000)Hamburg: Volksparkstadion Hamburg (50,000)Leipzig: Leipzig Stadium (42,000)Munich: Munich Football Arena (67,000)Stuttgart: Stuttgart Arena (54,000)

Are there any key omissions?

Manchester City forward Erling Haaland and Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard will play no part in the competition in the summer as Norway failed to qualify.

In the same group as Spain and Scotland, they didn't accumulate enough points to gain an automatic spot and cannot qualify via the play-offs either.

Sweden are another notable nation that will not play a part in Germany, failing to qualify for the first time since 1996.

Source: bbc.com