Euro 2024 explained - Germany set for feast of football
Europe's finest are to battle it out across 10 German stadiums in summer 2024 - with thrills on the pitch, sunshine in the stands and football fever guaranteed.
bundesliga.com tells you everything you need to know about the big tournament...
What is Euro 2024?
European football organising body UEFA holds a European championship contested by national teams every four years. The next edition will be held in Germany in summer 2024, and is called Euro 2024.
The competition takes a similar format to the World Cup - six groups of four teams will be contested on a round-robin basis, with the top two in each group and four best third-placed teams progressing to a knockout phase.
Things then get very tense, with the 16 remaining teams playing a series of elimination rounds, with extra-time and penalty shoot-outs required if scores are level. The final two teams will contest a final, with the winners to be crowned European champions - and sure to become heroes of their own nation.
When is Euro 2024?
The tournament will be played out over a month from 14 June to 14 July 2024 - with a total of 51 matches being contested to find which team succeeds Italy as European champions.
Where will Euro 2024 be played?
As host country, all the matches are to be played in Germany.
A total of 10 stadiums are to be used - those of Bundesliga clubs Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, VfB Stuttgart, Eintracht Frankfurt, RB Leipzig and Cologne, plus the homes of Bundesliga 2 clubs Hertha Berlin, Schalke, Hamburg and Fortuna Dusseldorf.
The opening match will be played in Munich on 14 June, and the final is to be contested at Berlin's Olympiastadion on 14 July.
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Who will take part in Euro 2024?
Germany have automatically qualified for the tournament as host nation, with the remaining 23 spots to be filled by the 53 European teams currently contesting a qualification process.
By November 2023, the identity of 20 of the qualified teams will be known, but the final three will not be determined until March 2024 after qualifying play-offs are contested.
The draw for the group stage will take place in December 2023 in Hamburg. Fans can then start looking forward to particular games, with 36 group matches scheduled.
What will it be like to be in Germany during Euro 2024?
In one word - incredible!
If you are lucky enough to get a ticket - with sales starting in October 2023 - then you can get set for some keenly contested encounters as the continent's biggest stars battle it out for glory.
Many people in Germany will be rekindling memories of 2006, when the country last hosted a major international tournament; the World Cup. That saw the birth of a popular new way of watching football - of fans gathering together in huge numbers to watch matches on giant screens in public spaces.
The phenomenon of 'public viewing' (to use the English phrase that has entered the German language) will be back in force up and down the country again during Euro 2024.
Berlin, for instance, has developed a tradition of hosting a 'fan mile' in the heart of the city. For Euro 2024 it is planning "the mother of all fan miles" in front of the iconic Brandenburg Gate, which will be turned into "the biggest goal in the world".
Euro 2024 has already broken new ground by being the first European Championship to make sustainability a key component of its scheduling. The group stage has been arranged with three regional clusters to ensure fans can easily travel from venue to venue by public transport.
Expect sunshine, face paint, fun and loads of football!
Who will win Euro 2024?
We'll just have to wait and see which team gets to lift the trophy as European champions in Berlin in July 2024, but you can expect plenty of twists and turns along the way.
Italy were gelled into an impressive team by coach Roberto Mancini in the last Euros, held in 2021 instead of 2020 as planned due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They face an uphill battle to retain their crown judging by the quality of their squad, however.
Watch: RB Leipzig's Dani Olmo will be aiming to inspire Spain to Euro 2024 glory
England, runners-up last time, will be eager to win their first major tournament since 1966 - non more so than their captain and all-time record goalscorer, Harry Kane.
France will be confident of going far in the tournament after narrowly missing out on lifting the 2022 World Cup despite a Kilian Mbappe hat-trick in the final.
Spain, featuring Leipzig's Dani Olmo, have a strong recent record in the tournament.
Level with Spain as the most successful side in European Championship history with three tournament wins are Germany. They will be hoping to give their country something to cheer, with massive young talents like Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala and Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz poised to light up the event.
Whatever happens - Europe is all set for a feast of football in summer 2024 with Germany the place to be!
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