Euro 2024 Group Stage: Everything You Need to Know
The Henri Delaunay Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Euro 2024 tournament, symbolizing European football championship glory.
The UEFA EURO 2024, one of the most anticipated football tournaments in Europe, has officially kicked off, bringing a month of thrilling matches and passionate rivalries.
Germany is hosting the Euro 2024. UEFA’s decision in September 2018 favored Germany over Turkey in the bidding process. West Germany previously hosted EURO 1988. This tournament marks the first time Germany has hosted the European Championship since reunification. Germany also hosted the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
The tournament commenced on June 14th with the Group A match between host nation Germany and Scotland in Munich. The group stage will continue until June 26th, followed by the round of 16 starting on June 29th. The final match, determining the champion of Europe, is scheduled for July 14th in Berlin.
A total of 24 teams are competing in EURO 2024, distributed across six groups. Each group consists of four nations vying for a spot in the knockout stages.
The Euro 2024 groups are:
- Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland
- Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
- Group C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England
- Group D: Poland, Netherlands, Austria, France
- Group E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine
- Group F: Turkey, Georgia, Portugal, Czech Republic
In the group stage format, each team will play against every other team in their group once. The top two teams from each group will automatically advance to the round of 16. Additionally, the four best third-placed teams will also qualify for the knockout stage, ensuring a competitive pathway for multiple nations.
From the round of 16 onwards, the tournament follows a knockout format. Victorious teams progress through the quarter-finals and semi-finals, culminating in the final match.
Turkey has participated in the European Championship finals six times previously. Their first appearance was in the 1960 finals, where they were eliminated in the first round. They then waited until 1996 to participate again. In EURO 1996, Turkey lost all three group matches and did not score a single goal. EURO 2000 saw them advance from the groups, but they were eliminated by Portugal in the quarter-finals. Turkey achieved their best result in EURO 2008, reaching the semi-finals where they narrowly lost 3-2 to Germany. EURO 2016 saw Turkey win one of their three group matches, while EURO 2020 was a disappointment, with the team losing all matches and scoring only one goal.
In the EURO 2024 qualifiers, Turkey topped Group D, which included Croatia, Wales, Armenia, and Latvia, securing their place in the finals. Drawn into Group F for EURO 2024, Turkey will face Georgia, Portugal, and the Czech Republic.
According to sports data analysis firm Opta, England and France are considered the frontrunners for the tournament. These two nations have nearly identical chances of reaching the semi-finals. Following England and France, the host nation Germany and Spain are also among the favorites.
EURO 2024 matches will be held across 10 cities in Germany, utilizing 10 different stadiums. These host cities and stadiums, along with their capacities, are:
- Berlin: Olympiastadion Berlin (71,000)
- Cologne: Cologne Stadium (43,000)
- Dortmund: BVB Stadion Dortmund (62,000)
- Düsseldorf: Düsseldorf Arena (47,000)
- Frankfurt: Frankfurt Arena (47,000)
- Gelsenkirchen: Arena AufSchalke (50,000)
- Hamburg: Volksparkstadion Hamburg (49,000)
- Leipzig: Leipzig Stadium (40,000)
- Munich: Munich Football Arena (66,000)
- Stuttgart: Stuttgart Arena (51,000)
The official match ball for UEFA EURO 2024 is named FUSSBALLLIEBE. It was unveiled in November 2023 at a special event in front of the Berlin Olympic Stadium by UEFA and Adidas. FUSSBALLLIEBE translates from German to “love of football.”
European Championships are well-known for their mascots. The EURO 2024 mascot, Albärt, was chosen through a vote by UEFA.com users and school children across Europe, receiving 32% of the votes. Albärt is a teddy bear, and was first introduced to German fans in Gelsenkirchen in June 2023.