Turkey’s Euro 2024 Group: Draw Results and Analysis
The EURO 2024 group draw took place at the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany, the host nation of the upcoming tournament.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) was represented at the draw by President Mehmet Büyükekşi, Vice President Mustafa Eröğüt, Board Member Hamit Altıntop, General Secretary Taner Senseven, and National Team Coach Vincenzo Montella.
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Turkey, entering the draw from Pot 2, was placed in Group F alongside Portugal, Czech Republic, and the winner of Play-off Path C (featuring Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, and Luxembourg).
A total of 21 teams participated in the draw. The remaining 3 spots will be filled after the EURO 2024 play-off matches scheduled for March 21-26.
EURO 2024 is set to be held from June 14 to July 14, 2024.
Group Stage and Knockout Rounds to Determine Euro 2024 Champion
In EURO 2024, 24 teams will compete across 6 groups of four. The top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 16.
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From the round of 16 onwards, the tournament will proceed in a single-elimination knockout format.
Germany to Host Euro 2024 Across 10 Cities
EURO 2024, taking place from June 14 to July 14, 2024, will be hosted by 10 cities in Germany. The host cities for EURO 2024 in Germany are Berlin, Cologne, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Dortmund, Leipzig, Gelsenkirchen, Stuttgart, and Düsseldorf.
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The opening match of the championship will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich, while the final will be played at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
The group stage matches will conclude on June 26, with the round of 16 commencing on June 29.
The quarter-finals are scheduled to begin on July 5, followed by the semi-finals on July 9. The EURO 2024 champion will be crowned in the final match at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on July 14.
Euro 2024 Group Lineups
Following the draw, the groups are as follows:
Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland
Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
Group C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England
Group D: Play-off Path A winner (Poland, Wales, Finland, Estonia), Netherlands, Austria, France
Group E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Play-off Path B winner (Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Iceland)
Group F: Turkey, Play-off Path C winner (Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg), Portugal, Czech Republic
Turkey’s First Match Against Play-off Path C Winner
Drawn into Group F in Hamburg, Germany, the Turkish national team will play their first match against the winner of Play-off Path C on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Dortmund.
The winner of the play-off final between Georgia/Luxembourg and Greece/Kazakhstan will be Turkey’s first opponent.
Turkey will play their second group match against Portugal on Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Dortmund, and their third match against Czech Republic on Wednesday, June 26, in Hamburg.
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The Group F match schedule is as follows:
June 18, 2024:
Turkey vs Play-off Path C winner
Portugal vs Czech Republic
June 22, 2024:
Turkey vs Portugal
Play-off Path C winner vs Czech Republic
June 26, 2024:
Czech Republic vs Turkey
Play-off Path C winner vs Portugal
Minister Bak’s Assessment of the Euro 2024 Draw
Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak commented on the national team’s Group F draw, which includes Portugal, Czech Republic, and the Play-off Path C winner (Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg), stating on social media, “I wholeheartedly believe in our Boys and wish them success.”
EURO 2024, with the participation of 24 teams, will be held in Germany from June 14 to July 14, 2024.
National Team Coach Montella: We Will Now Focus on Studying Our Opponents
National Football Team Coach Vincenzo Montella, evaluating Group F, where they will face Portugal, Czech Republic, and the Play-off Path C winner (Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg) at the 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024), mentioned that every match in the tournament could be challenging.
Speaking to the press after the draw in Hamburg, Germany, Montella stated that they had no specific preference for the draw. “From this point on, our task is to thoroughly analyze our opponents,” he said.
When reminded that the draw was similar to Turkey’s group in EURO 2008, Montella said, “Drawing Portugal and Czech Republic might bring EURO 2008 to mind. However, expectations and many things can be very different here. Turkey entered the EURO 2008 draw from the fourth pot, and we all saw what happened in that tournament. So, there may be unknowns, unexpected and unforeseen things here.”
Montella emphasized that every match in major tournaments can be tough. “Thirty years have passed since my football and coaching career began. In tournaments like these, every match is difficult, and the differences in strength between teams are quite small. I respect those who comment on social media, but these are my views,” he stated.
To the question, “Can we achieve our first official victory against Portugal?” Montella笑着 replied in Turkish, “Inshallah, whoever wins.”
TFF President Mehmet Büyükekşi: Hopefully, We Will Achieve Another First by Winning Against Portugal
Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President Mehmet Büyükekşi, evaluating Group F for the 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024), which includes Portugal, Czech Republic, and the Play-off Path C winner (Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg), stated that they want to bring firsts to Turkey.
Mehmet Büyükekşi spoke to the press after the draw in Hamburg, Germany.
Expressing their desire to achieve a first by winning against Portugal, Büyükekşi said, “Good luck, Portugal is a very important country in football. We have never beaten them before in official matches. As you know, we have been achieving firsts in this period. We defeated Germany in Germany after 72 years. Again, for the first time, we are participating in a tournament as group leaders. Hopefully, we will achieve another first by winning against Portugal. Unfortunately, we have never won against them. In 2008, as you know, Portugal and Czech Republic were also in the same group with us. Hopefully, we can show success like in 2008 or even better. The most important thing is our form and performances.”
Underlining that they are Europe’s youngest team, Büyükekşi said, “Hopefully, our youngsters will have a good season. As you know, we had 7 absentees in our last 2 matches. Hopefully, our injured players will also join the team by the tournament. Our coach is following them. There may also be new young players playing in Europe who will join. Our coach and Hamit Altıntop are also following them.”
Pointing out that Turkey has not had international success since 2008, Büyükekşi added, “Hopefully, this time we will first get out of the group, and then to the round of 16 or maybe the quarter-finals, semi-finals or even more. We know very well that we need to work hard to achieve this. We have good players, young players. We have a good coach, and together with our management, technical team, and footballers, we will work hand in hand and heart to heart and make every effort to achieve this.”
“We Want to Bring Firsts to Our Country Once Again”
Stating that playing the tournament in Germany is an advantage, Büyükekşi said, “Our advantage is that the tournament is being held in Germany. In the friendly match we played with Germany in Berlin, there were 72,000 people in an 80,000-capacity stadium. I guess there were 55-60 thousand Turks. We will play our first two matches in Dortmund, and this stadium in Dortmund is also a 72,000-capacity stadium. Hopefully, many Turkish spectators will fill the stadium here. Our last match is again in Hamburg, which is again one of the cities with the most Turks. In addition, with 3 million Turks living in Germany, and 5 million citizens coming from other countries around Germany, we want to achieve successful results here. We want to make our country smile. We want to bring firsts to our country once again,” he stated.
“What We Need to Do is Focus on Our Own Performance and Motivation”
Speaking about the Play-off Path C winner (Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg) in the group, Büyükekşi said, “It could be Kazakhstan or Greece. However, as a result, all teams are coming to the championship by showing success anyway. What we need to do is focus on our own performance and motivation. First of all, it is important to be a team, we will achieve this together with the management, technical team, and footballers. Hopefully, we will achieve it together with morale and motivation and by working hard. We expect the prayers of all our citizens and we want to celebrate together,” he concluded.
TFF Board Member Altıntop: Our Goal is Not to Lose This Advantage, to Pass the Group Stage, That is Our Goal
Turkish Football Federation (TFF) Board Member Responsible for the National Team, Hamit Altıntop, stated that they had a good draw for Group F in the 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024), which includes Portugal, Czech Republic, and the Play-off Path C winner (Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg).
Answering questions from the press after the draw at the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany, Hamit Altıntop said, “It’s a good draw. When we look at it, Portugal is very strong, and Czech Republic has also caught a good momentum. Play-off Group C being in our group is actually an advantage for us. Our goal is not to lose this advantage, to pass the group stage, that is our goal. This is clear and definite. But of course, there is a long process. I hope our players will improve and be ready to join the team in June. We will have two friendly matches in March. We will evaluate those matches well and hopefully make a good start in Dortmund on June 18. It is a great advantage that our two matches are in Dortmund. An 80,000-capacity stadium. It is a great advantage to be together with our citizens and football fans there. We should not turn this advantage into a disadvantage, we need to prepare well. We should also not lose our humility so that we can keep our concentration high,” he said.
To the question, “Which team would you prefer to come from Play-off Path C?” Altıntop answered, “We had the opportunity to play against Luxembourg twice in a not-too-distant period. There are Georgia, Greece, and Kazakhstan. They have all invested well in their infrastructure. Whichever one comes, we want to reflect our football in the best way and pass the group stage with a good result. The goal is clear.”
“Portugal is the Favorite of This Group”
Hamit Altıntop underlined that Portugal is the favorite of the group and continued:
“We played against Portugal in the World Cup play-offs away with a new coach and a new squad. We played two different halves, there was a penalty situation, it could have been a goal. We don’t need to discuss them too much. Portugal is the favorite of this group. Portugal has made incredible progress in the last 15 years. They have made very, very good progress not only as players but also as coaches. They have achieved very good results in every tournament. They became European champions in 2016. When we compare ourselves with them, there seems to be a bit of distance between us, but in daily football, this can change from match to match. We showed this recently by beating Croatia and Germany. We want to make this continuous. Hopefully, we can reflect this in the tournament.”
To the question, “When the group draws were made, where did you imagine we could go in the tournament?” Altıntop answered:
“Should we proceed based on dreams, yes, we need to dream. Especially in Germany, we want to enter a 7-match period together with our citizens. We will see if it happens or not. Our team is very valuable, we need to give them courage. We need to prepare them correctly with the right warnings. We need to play very, very well in every match. Our players need to show superior performance so that we can reach our dreams. We can definitely do this. Our first goal is to get through the groups, to reach the round of 16. Then, some football luck is needed.”