Euro 2024: A Football Feast in Germany
Euro 2024 is set to captivate football fans worldwide. It commences on June 14 in Germany with a blockbuster month of elite football action. With fixtures scheduled from Munich to Berlin, the tournament promises high stakes and thrilling football, climaxing with the final in Berlin one month later.
Teams to Watch: Contenders and Dark Horses
This year’s tournament features diverse teams, each bringing their unique strengths and recent forms into the fray. Despite playing at home, Germany enters the tournament unfancied, contrasting their usual powerhouse status. The defending champions, Italy, are also struggling to find form, particularly poignant given their absence from the last World Cup.
With the dynamic Kylian Mbappe, France is tipped as a significant threat. Meanwhile, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, and the Netherlands remain formidable, consistently proving their mettle at major tournaments. England, under Gareth Southgate, cruised through the qualification rounds and are considered strong contenders. They aim to end a 58-year trophy drought with stars like Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane at their peak.
Not to be overlooked, dark horses such as Turkey, Scotland, and Hungary could surprise many, potentially mirroring Greece’s unexpected triumph in 2004 or Iceland’s fairy tale run in 2016.
Fixture Highlights and Broadcast Details
Euro 2024 is structured into six groups of four teams, with the top two from each group automatically advancing to the last-16. The four best third-placed teams will join them in the knockout stages, ensuring a competitive edge throughout the group phase.
Key fixtures to mark on your calendar include:
- Germany vs Scotland at Allianz Arena, Munich, broadcast on ITV at 8 PM.
- Spain vs Italy, a clash of titans at Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, also on ITV at 8 PM.
- England’s journey will see them face Serbia at Arena AufSchalke, broadcast by BBC at 8 PM.
These matches are just the tip of the iceberg, with each game potentially rewriting the narratives for each team involved.
Venues and Viewing Options
Euro 2024 will utilize some of Germany’s most iconic stadiums, setting the stage for memorable battles:
- Matches at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, including the highly anticipated final.
- The historic Westfalenstadion in Dortmund and the modern Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf will host crucial knockout games.
Fans can catch the action live on BBC and ITV, ensuring comprehensive coverage across the UK. The broadcasters share the spoils of both group and knockout stage games.
Knockout Stages and Final Showdown
Post-group stage, the tournament intensifies with the knockout rounds. The setup promises exciting matchups, with the potential for underdogs to continue their journeys or for heavyweights to clash early. The knockout rounds will see:
- The runner-up of Group A face the runner-up of Group B at the Olympiastadion, Berlin.
- There have been intriguing encounters, such as the winner of Group C against a third-place team from Groups D, E, or F at Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen.
The culmination of Euro 2024 will see the semi-final winners meet at the iconic Olympiastadion in Berlin, where one team will etch their name into the annals of football history.
Euro 2024 not only showcases Europe’s finest football talents but also serves as a testament to the sport’s unifying spirit. With a blend of seasoned champions and ambitious challengers, the tournament is poised to offer a month of unmatched excitement and drama. Football fans, mark your calendars and prepare for a summer dominated by the beautiful game.
Euro 2024 standings, fixtures and results
(All times GMT)
Group Stage
Group A
Friday, June 14
Germany vs Scotland: ITV, 8pm (Allianz Arena, Munich)
Saturday June 15
Hungary vs Switzerland: ITV, 2pm (RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne)
Wednesday June 19
Germany vs Hungary: BBC, 5pm (MHPArena, Stuttgart)
Scotland vs Switzerland: BBC, 8pm (RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne)
Sunday, June 23
Switzerland vs Germany: BBC, 8pm (Waldstadion, Frankfurt)
Scotland vs Hungary: BBC, 8pm (MHPArena, Stuttgart)
Group B
Saturday, June 15
Spain vs Croatia: ITV, 5pm (Olympiastadion, Berlin)
Italy vs Albania: BBC, 8pm (Westfalenstadion, Dortmund)
Wednesday, June 19
Croatia vs Albania: ITV, 2pm (Volksparkstadion, Hamburg)
Thursday, June 20
Spain vs Italy: ITV, 8pm (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen)
Monday, June 24
Albania vs Spain: BBC, 8pm (Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf)
Croatia vs Italy: BBC, 8pm (Red Bull Arena, Leipzig)
Group C
Sunday, June 16
Slovenia vs Denmark: ITV, 5pm (MHPArena, Stuttgart)
Serbia vs England: BBC, 8pm (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen)
Thursday, June 20
Slovenia vs Serbia: ITV, 2pm (Allianz Arena, Munich)
Denmark vs England: BBC, 5pm (Waldstadion, Frankfurt)
Tuesday, June 25
England vs Slovenia: ITV, 8pm (RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne)
Denmark vs Serbia: ITV, 8pm (Allianz Arena, Munich)
Group D
Sunday June 16
Poland vs Netherlands: BBC, 2pm (Volksparkstadion, Hamburg)
Monday, June 17
Austria vs France: ITV, 8pm (Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf)
Friday, June 21
Poland vs Austria: ITV, 5pm (Olympiastadion, Berlin)
Netherlands vs France: BBC, 8pm (Red Bull Arena, Leipzig)
Tuesday, June 25
Netherlands vs Austria: BBC, 5pm (Olympiastadion, Berlin)
France vs Poland: BBC, 5pm (Westfalenstadion, Dortmund)
Group E
Monday, June 17
Romania vs Ukraine: BBC, 2pm (Allianz Arena, Munich)
Belgium vs Slovakia: ITV, 5pm (Waldstadion, Frankfurt)
Friday, June 21
Slovakia vs Ukraine: BBC, 2pm (Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf)
Saturday, June 22
Belgium vs Romania: ITV, 8pm (RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne)
Wednesday, June 26
Slovakia vs Romania: BBC, 5pm (Waldstadion, Frankfurt)
Ukraine vs Belgium: BBC, 5pm (MHPArena, Stuttgart)
Group F
Tuesday, June 18
Turkey vs Georgia: BBC, 5pm (Westfalenstadion, Dortmund)
Portugal vs Czech Republic: BBC, 8pm (Red Bull Arena, Leipzig)
Saturday, June 22
Georgia vs Czech Republic: BBC, 2pm (Volksparkstadion, Hamburg)
Turkey vs Portugal: ITV, 5pm (Westfalenstadion, Dortmund)
Wednesday, June 26
Georgia vs Portugal: ITV, 8pm (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen)
Czech Republic vs Turkey: ITV, 8pm (Volksparkstadion, Hamburg)
Third-place ranking
Top four qualify for last-16. Teams level on points will be split via goal-difference, then goals scored and finally on a disciplinary tiebreaker.
Knockout rounds
Last-16
Saturday, June 29
1: Group A runner-up vs Group B runner-up: 5pm (Olympiastadion, Berlin)
2: Group A winner vs Group C runner-up: 8pm, (Westfalenstadion, Dortmund)
Sunday, June 30
3: Group C winner vs Group D/E/F third-place: 5pm (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen)
4: Group B winner vs Group A/D/E/F third-place: 8pm (RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne)
Monday, July 1
5: Group D runner-up vs Group E runner-up: 5pm (Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf)
6: Group F winner vs Group A/B/C third-place: 8pm (Waldstadion, Frankfurt)
Tuesday, July 2
7: Group E winner vs Group A/B/C/D third-place: 5pm (Allianz Arena, Munich)
8: Group D winner vs Group F runner-up: 8pm (Red Bull Arena, Leipzig)
Quarter-finals
Friday, July 5
1: Winner match 2 vs Winner match 4: 5pm (MHPArena, Stuttgart)
2: Winner match 6 vs Winner match 5: 8pm (Volksparkstadion, Hamburg)
Saturday, July 6
3: Winner match 3 vs Winner match 1: 5pm (Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf)
4: Winner match 7 vs Winner match 8: 8pm (Olympiastadion, Berlin)
Semi-finals
Tuesday, July 9
1: Winner quarter-final 1 vs Winner quarter-final 2: 8pm (Allianz Arena, Munich)
Wednesday, July 10
2: Winner quarter-final 3 vs Winner quarter-final 4: 8pm (Westfalenstadion, Dortmund)
Final
Sunday, July 14
Winner semi-final 1 vs Winner semi-final 2: BBC & ITV, 8pm (Olympiastadion, Berlin)
