Euro 2024 draw: What time is it today and which teams could England face?
England could face former winners in a nightmare Euro 2024 group when the draw is made at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall today, yet Gareth Southgate will reinforce his message that nothing short of winning the tournament will represent success.
Southgate’s team are top-seeded in Pot 1 but there is pedigree among the teams in next summer’s finals. With the seedings ranked on qualification – rather than previous tournaments – Italy are in the lowest pot. Denmark, winners of the 1992 finals, are in the second pot, while the Netherlands and Croatia are in Pot 3.
The measure of England’s progress under Southgate in the last seven years could be heard in team meetings this season as players gathered at St George’s Park. Expectation is now to win the tournament, regardless of who they are drawn against in the group stages.
Scotland will also be in the draw, while Wales will need to successfully navigate March’s play-offs to secure their place for the Euro. A total of three teams will qualify via the play-offs to make up the final 24 nations.
When is the draw?
The draw will be made in Hamburg today (Saturday, December 2). Hamburg is one of the 10 host cities for Euro 2024 and has been picked to stage four group games and a quarter-final.
What time is the draw?
The draw ceremony begins at 6pm local time, so 5pm UK time. The draw itself is expected to last 20 minutes.
How can I watch the draw on TV?
The draw will be shown on BBC2 and the BBC iPlayer. It will be streamed live on UEFA.com and the official UEFA EURO 2024 app.
Which teams have qualified and what are the pots?
Pot one: Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, Belgium, England
Pot two: Hungary, Turkey, Romania, Denmark, Albania, Austria
Pot three: Netherlands, Scotland, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic
Pot four: Italy, Serbia, Switzerland, Play-off Winner A, Play-off Winner B, Play-off Winner C
Who are the top seeds?
Germany are in Pot 1 as hosts and are joined by Portugal, France, Spain, Belgium and England.
Who could England face?
Hardest draw: England, Denmark, Netherlands, Italy
Softest draw: England, Albania, Slovenia, Serbia
What is the draw for the play-offs?
Three teams qualify via the play-offs, one from each ‘path’ after two single-leg ties. Wales will need to navigate their way past Finland and then either Poland or Estonia to reach next summer’s Euros.
Path A
Poland vs Estonia
Wales vs Finland
Path B
Israel vs Iceland
Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Ukraine
Path C
Georgia vs Luxembourg
Greece vs Kazakhstan
When are the play-off fixtures?
Path A
March 21: Wales vs Finland and Poland vs Estonia
March 26: Wales or Finland vs Poland or Estonia - winner qualifies for Euro 2024
Path B
March 21: Israel vs Iceland and Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Ukraine
March 26: Israel or Iceland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina or Ukraine - winner qualifies for Euro 2024
Path C
March 21: Georgia vs Luxembourg and Greece vs Kazakhstan
March 26: Georgia or Luxembourg vs Greece or Kazakhstan - winner qualifies for Euro 2024
How does the draw work?
The 24 qualifying teams are divided into four pots, according to their performances in qualifying. The best six teams – including Germany as hosts – will be in pot 1, the next six in pot 2, then pot 3 and pot 4.
Of the six teams in each pot, one will be drawn in each of the six Euro 2024 groups, with Germany already guaranteed their position as the first side in Group A. Each group will therefore contain one top-ranked team, one second-ranked team, one third-ranked team and one fourth-ranked team.
In addition, each team will be randomly allocated a starting position in each group. This is for administrative reasons, so that teams and organisers know which teams are appearing in which locations on which day.
There are five matches that Uefa has prohibited from taking place in the group stage of the tournament, should both teams happen to qualify. They are:
Bosnia-Herzegovina/Kosovo
Serbia/Kosovo
Ukraine/Belarus
Azerbaijan/Armenia
Spain/Gibraltar
When is the tournament?
The opening match of the finals will be on Jun 14 at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena and will feature hosts Germany. The final will be on Sunday, July 14.
What is the tournament format?
The top two teams from each group of four will qualify for the round of 16, along with the four best third-place teams.
Euro 2024 starts on June 14, with the group stage running until June 26. The knockouts run from June 29, with the final being played on July 14 in Berlin.
How do I buy tickets?
Following the draw today, fans will be able to apply for tickets for any team in the Uefa Euro 2024 ticket portal.
Who are the favourites to win Euro 2024?
England 4/1
France 4/1
Germany 7/1
Spain 8/1
Portugal 9/1
Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, 14/1
Croatia, Denmark 33/1
Odds correct on December 2
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