During the weekend, the European football governing body, released the draw for the forthcoming 2024 European Championship (Euro 2024) which means that the tournament is around the corner.
Italy are the reigning champions of the European Championship and there is a very high tendency that the trophy will be won by another country in Euro 2024 edition, due to Italy’s current inconsistent form.
Below are the Five key things to know about the forthcoming Euro 2024:
What is the kick date and host country?
Germany will host the 2024 European Championship from Friday, 14 June, 2024 to 14 July, 2024. The opening game will take place at the Allianz Arena and the final will take place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
How to Purchase tickets for Euro 2024 and when will the sales begin?
Supporters from the countries qualified for the tournament can apply for their tickets through a dedicated portal on the official website of UEFA.
Tickets for the games have been on sale since October this year but via a lottery. The lottery ended on October 26. The sales will continue on the ticketing portal on UEFA website.
Countries that can still qualify for the European Championship:
There are still 12 countries eligible to join the qualified teams for the tournament. These 12 countries will undergo playoffs to earn a spot in the tournament.
The countries are: Poland, Wales, Finland, Estonia, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Iceland, Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan and Luxembourg.
These countries will be placed in three different groups and the playoffs will commence from the semi-finals stage on March 21, 2024.
There will be three finals involving 6 teams on March 26. The winners of the three finals will make it to the tournament.
Stadiums that will be used for the European Championship and the capacity:
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)
Below 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