Euro 2024: Everything we know so far

Except for Brazil and Argentina, most of the world’s top football nations are in Europe. Every four years, the European football nations compete for the highly-coveted European Championship title. The event attracts millions of football fans from Europe and around the world. Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming Euro 2024 competition.

Germany will host Euro 2024

The football powerhouse Germany will host the Euro 2024 competition next summer. It will mark the first time since the German reunification in 1990 that the large European competition will be held on German soil. More recently, in 2006, the Germans hosted the FIFA World Cup. The Euro 2024 matches will be played at the following stadiums across Germany:

· Olympiastadion Berlin

· Cologne Stadium

· BVB Stadion Dortmund

· Düsseldorf Arena

· Frankfurt Arena

· Arena AufSchalke

· Volksparkstadion Hamburg

· Leipzig Stadium

· Munich Football Arena

· Stuttgart Arena

Key dates for the Euro 2024 competition

The Euro 2024 will be held from June 14 until July 14. A total of 24 qualifying national teams, including Germany, will be competing in the prestigious European football tournament. Here is an overview of the key dates to mark in the calendar:

· June 14 – opening game with the host team from Germany

· June 29 – the round of 16 top teams begins

· July 5 – Quarter-finals

· July 9 – Semi-finals

· July 14 – Final

Berlin’s Olympiastadion will host the final match on July 14.

What countries have already qualified for the Euro 2024?

The following nine out of 24 teams have already qualified for the upcoming tournament.

· Germany is automatically qualified as the host country. The Germans have won the Euros three times, in 1972, 1980, and 1996.

· Austria has participated in three previous Euros and achieved its best result in Euro 2020 when it reached the Round of 16.

· Belgium noted its best Euro result in 1980 with being runner-up in the final.

· England has qualified for 10 previous Euro competitions with the best result being runner-up in the previous Euro 2020 final.

· France has won the Euro competition twice – in 1984 and 2000.

· Portugal won the Euro competition in 2016.

· Scotland has only qualified for three Euro competitions and never reached beyond the group stage.

· Spain won the Euro competition three times, in 1964, 2008, and 2012.

· Turkey has succeeded in qualifying five times and its best result was reaching the semifinals in 2008.

The current champion Italy, which defeated England in the Euro 2020 final on penalties, is currently competing for a place among the remaining 15 qualifying slots.

Who are the favourites in the Euro 2024?

Predicting the next Euro champion is challenging due to the number of capable teams that could win. France is considered one of the main favourites according to football pundits. The French team succeeded in reaching the World Cup final where it eventually lost to Messi’s Argentina. In March 2023, France noted an impressive 4-0 victory over the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 qualifying round.

England is the other favourite team. While England has never won the Euro championship, it succeeded in reaching the final in the previous Euro competition. In October 2023, the English national team secured a solid 3-1 victory over Italy at Wembley.

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The German hosts are ranked lower due to disappointing results in the recent international football competitions. However, anything can happen in football and there are other strong teams such as Spain and Portugal.

Favourite and leading players

The French team boasts some of the best football players in the world. Offensive superstars like Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe constitute serious challenges for even the most capable defense players.

England team captain Harry Kane is a formidable attack player who has scored no less than 58 goals for England. Time will tell whether Kane succeeds in the Euro 2024 competition. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is another favorite player who will be crucial in the effort to bring the first Euro championship to England. The Portuguese will naturally rely on their superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Getting tickets for the Euro 2024

The UEFA Euro 2024 released a public ticket sale phase during the period October 3 – October 26. Individuals who failed to secure tickets in October will be notified about new ticket availability on a first-come, first-served basis.

In addition, one million tickets will be offered to supporters of the participating countries after the final tournament draw, which takes place on December 2. Finally, there will be another opportunity to buy tickets for supporters of newly qualified teams during the period March 21 and March 24, 2024.

Conclusion

Football fans from all over Europe and the world are looking forward to the upcoming Euro 2024 competition, which will be held in Germany during the period June 14 – July 14. France and England are currently considered the favourites but there are also other strong teams such as Germany, Portugal, and Spain. Stay tuned for a great tournament with shining stars such as Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe.