The Euro 2024 draw took place in Hamburg, Germany, and it was revealed that Italy will face a tough task in defending their title as they have been drawn in Group B where they will face Spain, Croatia, and Albania. The opening match of the tournament will see hosts Germany take on Scotland in Munich, with the final set to take place in Berlin’s Olympic stadium.
The draw ceremony was disrupted by unexplained noises that competed for attention with the team names being read out on stage on Saturday. The interruption, which seemed to sound like sexual noises, was clearly heard for several minutes on the ceremony broadcast from a concert hall in Hamburg. UEFA director of competitions Giorgio Marchetti noted the noise in his commentary before continuing with the draw for the last six places for lower-ranked teams in the 24-nation tournament lineup. The sound continued sporadically until the draw was completed.
The Germans, three-times winners, will kick off the one-month tournament in Munich on June 14, with the final on July 14 in Berlin’s Olympic stadium. The draw was held at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, one of the 10 host cities of the tournament. Germany will also face Hungary and Switzerland in Group A.
France and the Netherlands will face each other again after coming through the qualifying campaign in the same group, drawn in Group D alongside Austria and the winner of playoff A. England, beaten finalists in Euro 2020, are in Group C alongside Denmark, Slovenia, and Serbia. Group E sees Belgium take on Romania, Slovakia, and the winners of playoff B, while Group F features Portugal, Turkey, Czech Republic, and the playoff C winners.
The hosts qualified automatically and 20 teams advanced through the European qualifiers. Three teams are still unknown and will come through the playoffs in March. The top two in each of the six Euro 2024 groups proceed to the round of 16 along with the four best third-placed finishers. The final three tickets will be determined via playoffs in March.
In the semi-final playoffs on March 21, Poland will face Estonia and Wales will take on Finland in path A. In path B, Israel will play against Iceland, while Bosnia and Herzegovina will face Ukraine. In path C, Georgia will take on Luxembourg and Greece will play against Kazakhstan. The playoff finals will be on March 26.
The groups for Euro 2024 are as follows:
– Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland
– Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
– Group C: England, Denmark, Slovenia, Serbia
– Group D: France, Austria, Netherlands, Playoff winner A
– Group E: Belgium, Romania, Slovakia, Playoff winner B
– Group F: Portugal, Turkey, Czech Republic, Playoff winner C
The draw for Euro 2024 has set the stage for an exciting tournament, with defending champions Italy facing a tough task in Group B. The interruption during the draw ceremony added an unexpected element to the event, but the draw was successfully completed, and the stage is now set for the tournament to begin in June.
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