UEFA Euro 2024: Must-Watch Teams, Dark Horse Predictions, Complete Match Schedule, and More

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Germany will host the opening game of UEFA Euro 2024 on Friday, as the top football teams in the continent get ready to compete over the course of the next month to unseat Italy, the current champions.

UEFA Euro 2024

The Euro 2024 is set to ignite the passion of football fans across Europe as it kicks off on Friday in Germany. The continent’s top teams are gearing up to battle it out over the next month, with the ultimate goal of dethroning the reigning champions, Italy. Germany will open the tournament with a match against Scotland in Munich, setting the stage for a month of thrilling football that will culminate in the final in Berlin on July 14.

This marks the first time since the 2006 World Cup that Germany is hosting a major men’s international tournament. The setting promises to be electrifying, especially after the underwhelming experience of the last European Championship, which was delayed by a year due to the pandemic and held in front of limited crowds in cities scattered across the continent.

This time, the excitement will be concentrated in Germany, with matches played in 10 cities, from Hamburg in the north to Munich in the south. Fans will be able to experience the full atmosphere and camaraderie that make these tournaments so special.

Can Germany Perform at Peak?

Philipp Lahm, captain of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning team and now the Euro 2024 tournament director, hopes the competition will bring people together in a time of division and disunity across Europe. The tournament begins just a week after far-right parties made significant gains in EU parliament elections, and Europe continues to grapple with the crisis of the war in Ukraine.

“I hope at the very least the Euro will lead to a more united Germany again,” Lahm said. A strong performance by the German national team would undoubtedly help foster a sense of unity and national pride. The outlook for Julian Nagelsmann’s team is more optimistic now than it was a few months ago. With a group that also includes Hungary and Switzerland, Germany is expected to advance, given the quality in their ranks, from veteran playmaker Toni Kroos to younger stars like Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala.

“We have gone through difficult phases as a national team, but something big can happen here,” Musiala, of Bayern Munich, told Sportbild.

Mbappe and Co. on an European Mission

While Germany hopes to recapture past glory, France and England are strongly fancied to lift the Henri Delaunay trophy on July 14. France, Europe’s top-ranked nation, has been in the last two World Cup finals. Kylian Mbappe, fresh from sealing his move to Real Madrid, is eager to make up for a disappointing performance at the last Euros, where his penalty miss led to a shoot-out defeat by Switzerland in the last 16.

“Kylian is our captain and a great leader. We will need him to be at his best,” said France coach Didier Deschamps.

Can England Come Victorious?

England, meanwhile, has never been European champions, although they came close in 2021, losing the final on penalties to Italy. Optimism is high this time, fueled by the familiarity star players Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have with German soil, given their stints with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, respectively.

“We want to make history,” England midfielder Declan Rice said this week.

England begins their campaign against Serbia on Sunday in Gelsenkirchen, home of Schalke 04. If both England and France top their groups, they are on course to meet in the semifinals.

Challenges and Contenders

The prospect of Italy defending their title seems remote, especially given they are in the same group as Spain. However, legendary former Azzurri goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon insists, “This Italy team is underrated and very competitive.”

Portugal, champions in 2016, are also strong contenders despite being led by the aging Cristiano Ronaldo, now 39 and playing club football in Saudi Arabia. This edition of the Euros is the third since the competition expanded to include 24 teams, providing opportunities for smaller nations like Georgia, which is making its debut.

However, injuries at the end of a long season have affected some top players. Frenkie de Jong of Barcelona and the Netherlands is out with an ankle injury, while his club teammate Robert Lewandowski will miss Poland’s opening match due to a thigh problem.

UEFA Euro 2024: Groups, Full Match Schedule, Format, and Venues

The UEFA Euro 2024 tournament, hosted by Germany, kicks off on June 14, with the final slated for July 14. Germany will play Scotland in the tournament opener in Munich. Matches will be held in ten cities across Germany, including Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Stuttgart. A total of 24 teams, divided into six groups, will compete in 51 matches.

The group stage runs until June 26, with the 16-team knockout stage starting on June 29. To advance to the knockout stage, teams must finish in the top two of their group or be among the four best third-place finishers.

Groups and Teams

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

Euro 2024 Tournament Format

Teams are divided into six groups of four. The four best third-place teams and the top two finishers from each group move on to the round of 16. The knockout stages include the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final. If matches in the knockout stage are level at the end of normal time, extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout will determine the winner.

Euro 2024

Match Fixtures and Venues

Here is a detailed schedule of the group stage matches, along with their venues and kickoff times:

Group Stage

June 14
Group A: Germany vs. Scotland (Munich Football Arena, Munich,19:00 GMT)

June 15
Group A: Hungary vs. Switzerland (Cologne Stadium, Cologne, 13:00 GMT)
Group B: Spain vs. Croatia (Olympiastadion, Berlin, 16:00 GMT)
Group B: Italy vs. Albania (BVB Stadion, Dortmund, 19:00 GMT)

June 16
Group D: Poland vs. Netherlands (Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, 13:00 GMT)
Group C: Slovenia vs. Denmark (Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, 16:00 GMT)
Group C: Serbia vs. England (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, 19:00 GMT)

June 17
Group E: Romania vs. Ukraine (Munich Football Arena, Munich, 13:00 GMT)
Group E: Belgium vs. Slovakia (Frankfurt Arena, Frankfurt, 16:00 GMT)
Group D: Austria vs. France (Düsseldorf Arena, Düsseldorf, 19:00 GMT)

June 18
Group F: Turkey vs. Georgia (BVB Stadion, Dortmund, 16:00 GMT)
Group F: Portugal vs. Czech Republic (Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig, 19:00 GMT)

June 19
Group B: Croatia vs. Albania (Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, 13:00 GMT)
Group A: Germany vs. Hungary (Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, 16:00 GMT)
Group A: Scotland vs. Switzerland (Cologne Stadium, Cologne, 19:00 GMT)

June 20
Group C: Slovenia vs. Serbia (Munich Football Arena, Munich, 13:00 GMT)
Group C: Denmark vs. England (Frankfurt Arena, Frankfurt, 16:00 GMT)
Group B: Spain vs. Italy (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, 19:00 GMT)

June 21
Group E: Slovakia vs. Ukraine (Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, 13:00 GMT)
Group D: Poland vs. Austria (Olympiastadion, Berlin, 16:00 GMT)
Group D: Netherlands vs. France (Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig, 19:00 GMT)

June 22
Group F: Georgia vs. Czech Republic (Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, 13:00 GMT)
Group F: Turkey vs. Portugal (BVB Stadion, Dortmund, 16:00 GMT)
Group E: Belgium vs. Romania (Cologne Stadium, Cologne, 19:00 GMT)

June 23
Group A: Switzerland vs. Germany (Frankfurt Arena, Frankfurt, 19:00 GMT)
Group A: Scotland vs. Hungary (Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, 19:00 GMT)

June 24
Group B: Croatia vs. Italy (Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig, 19:00 GMT)
Group B: Albania vs. Spain (Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, 19:00 GMT)

June 25
Group D: Netherlands vs. Austria (Olympiastadion, Berlin, 16:00 GMT)
Group D: France vs. Poland (BVB Stadion, Dortmund, 16:00 GMT)
Group C: England vs. Slovenia (Cologne Stadium, Cologne, 19:00 GMT)
Group C: Denmark vs. Serbia (Munich Football Arena, Munich, 19:00 GMT)

June 26
Group E: Slovakia vs. Romania (Frankfurt Arena, Frankfurt, 16:00 GMT)
Group E: Ukraine vs. Belgium (Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, 16:00 GMT)
Group F: Czech Republic vs. Turkey (Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, 19:00 GMT)
Group F: Georgia vs. Portugal (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, 19:00 GMT)

Round of 16

June 29
2A vs. 2B (Olympiastadion, Berlin, 16:00 GMT)
1A vs. 2C (BVB Stadion, Dortmund, 19:00 GMT)

June 30
1C vs. 3D/E/F (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, 16:00 GMT)
1B vs. 3A/D/E/F (Cologne Stadium, Cologne, 19:00 GMT)

July 1
2D vs. 2E (Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, 16:00 GMT)
1F vs. 3A/B/C (Frankfurt Arena, Frankfurt, 19:00 GMT)


July 2
1E vs. 3A/B/C/D (Munich Football Arena, Munich, 16:00 GMT)
1D vs. 2F (Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig, 19:00 GMT)

Quarterfinals

July 5
Quarterfinal 1 (Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, 16:00 GMT)
Quarterfinal 2 (Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, 19:00 GMT)

July 6
Quarterfinal 3 (Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, 16:00 GMT)
Quarterfinal 4 (Olympiastadion, Berlin, 19:00 GMT)

Semifinals

July 9
Semifinal 1 (Munich Football Arena, Munich, 19:00 GMT)

July 10
Semifinal 2 (BVB Stadion, Dortmund, 19:00 GMT)

Final

July 14

Final (Olympiastadion, Berlin, 19:00 GMT)

Summary

UEFA Euro 2024 promises to be an unforgettable tournament, bringing together the best of European football in the heart of Germany. With a rich mix of seasoned champions and hungry underdogs, the stage is set for a month of high drama, emotional highs and lows, and memorable moments. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a casual observer, this tournament will capture the imagination and showcase the beautiful game at its finest. Prepare for a summer of football magic as Euro 2024 unfolds across Germany.

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