Everyone loves international tournaments, right? It’s a chance to cheer on your own country, watch a silly amount of football every day for a few weeks, and see players and teams you don’t normally get to have a look at.
That is why there is so much excitement building around Euro 2024. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic which pushed Euro 2020 back a year and then the winter 2022 World Cup, it feels like the international tournaments are coming around thick and fast. It won’t be long before Euro 2024 is underway.
Here is a look at the route to the final from here, and all you need to know about the big game itself.
Before teams start thinking too much about the final, they need to make it to the tournament first. Hosts Germany have qualified automatically, which means 23 spots are there to play for.
53 nations have been divided into ten groups, with seven groups containing five teams and three containing six. Each team will play everybody in their group home and away, with the winners and runners-up of each group advancing to the Euro 2024 finals.
The remaining three spots will be decided via the play-offs. These will take place in March 2024 with 12 teams taking part. These teams will be selected based on their performance in the 2022/23 Nations League, and, obviously, they mustn’t have already qualified for the finals.
Group A
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Cyprus |
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|
2. |
Georgia |
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|
3. |
Norway |
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|
4. |
Scotland |
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|
5. |
Spain |
Group B
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
France |
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|
2. |
Gibraltar |
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|
3. |
Greece |
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|
4. |
Netherlands |
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|
5. |
Republic of Ireland |
Group C
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
England |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
|
2. |
North Macedonia |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
|
3. |
Ukraine |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
4. |
Malta |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
|
5. |
Italy |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
Group D
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Armenia |
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|
2. |
Croatia |
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|
3. |
Latvia |
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|
4. |
Turkey |
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|
5. |
Wales |
Group E
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Albania |
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|
2. |
Czech Republic |
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|
3. |
Faroe Islands |
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|
4. |
Moldova |
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|
5. |
Poland |
Group F
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Austria |
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|
2. |
Azerbaijan |
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|
3. |
Belgium |
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|
4. |
Estonia |
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|
5. |
Sweden |
Group G
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Bulgaria |
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|
2. |
Hungary |
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|
3. |
Lithuania |
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|
4. |
Montenegro |
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|
5. |
Serbia |
Group H
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Denmark |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
|
2. |
Northern Ireland |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
|
3. |
Slovenia |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
|
4. |
Kazakhstan |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
|
5. |
Finland |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
|
6. |
San Marino |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
Group I
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Andorra |
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|
2. |
Belarus |
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|
3. |
Israel |
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|
4. |
Kosovo |
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|
5. |
Romania |
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|
6. |
Switzerland |
Group J
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Portugal |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
3 |
|
2. |
Bosnia & Herzegovina |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
|
3. |
Luxembourg |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
4. |
Slovakia |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
5. |
Iceland |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
-3 |
0 |
|
6. |
Liechtenstein |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
-4 |
0 |
|
Round |
Dates |
|---|---|
|
Group Stage |
14/06/2024 – 26/06/2024 |
|
Round of 16 |
29/06/2024 – 02/07/2024 |
|
Quarter-finals |
05/07/2024 – 06/07/2024 |
|
Semi-finals |
09/07/2024 – 10/07/2024 |
|
Final |
14/07/2024 |
As was perhaps to be expected, the final of Euro 2024 will take place on July 14, 2024 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. It is the current home of Hertha Berlin and one of the most famous and physically imposing stadiums in Europe.
It is also one steeped in history both in relation to football and away from football. It was built for the 1936 Olympics under orders from Adolf Hitler in what was essentially one of the largest political propaganda stunts ever attempted. Those were the games where Jesse Owens, a black athlete for the USA, won four golds despite Hitler hoping the event would show the supremacy of the Aryan race.
In football terms, it hosted three matches at the 1974 World Cup and six at the 2006 World Cup, including the final between Italy and France. It was a host stadium for the 2011 Women’s World Cup and also held the 2015 Champions League final.
The Olympiastadion is located in the far west of the city, very close to Grunewald Forest. It is easily accessed on both the U-bahn and the S-bahn for travelling fans.