The 2024 European Championships are just around the corner, and as we inch closer to the first whistle, the nation’s anticipation is palpable.
England are tipped by the bookmakers to clinch the tournament and bring football home. However, Gareth Southgate’s squad will have more than one formidable adversary to contend with this time. France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and the host nation Germany all pose significant challenges to England’s ambition of ending their 58-year wait for a major tournament trophy.
After a semi-final departure in the 2018 World Cup, a defeat at Wembley in the 2020 Euros final, and a quarter-final exit at the hands of France in Qatar 2022, the Three Lions’ manager is likely heading into his last major tournament. He announced his final 26-man squad on Thursday afternoon.
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Jack Grealish and James Maddison were both left out, while Manchester United’s Harry Maguire was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a calf injury. This opened up opportunities for Eberechi Eze, Cole Palmer, Adam Wharton, and Lewis Dunk to make their debut appearances at a major international tournament with England.
With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about England’s fixtures, potential knockout stage opponents (assuming they qualify), and when each match could potentially take place….
Group stage
The top two in each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, will progress to the Round of 16. England finds itself in Group C and will face Serbia in their opening match.
This will be followed by a Euro 2020 semi-final rematch against Denmark, and Slovenia will be their final group opponents.
UEFA rules stipulate that if two or more teams in the same group have the same number of points, the following criteria are applied in this order:.
– Higher number of points obtained in the matches played among the teams in question.
– Superior goal difference from matches played among the teams in question.
– Higher number of goals scored in matches played among the teams in question.
England has consistently managed to escape the group stage in either first or second place at every European Championships since 2004 – except for the 2008 Euros, which they failed to qualify for – having topped their group in two of the last four editions of the competition.
Here are the full details:.
Sunday, June 16 – Group C: Serbia vs England (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen – kick-off 8pm UK time).
Thursday, June 20 – Group C: Denmark vs England (Waldstadion, Frankfurt – kick-off 5pm UK time).
Tuesday, June 25 – Group C: England vs Slovenia (RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne – kick-off 8pm UK time).
Round of 16
Alright, here’s where things get a bit tricky. If England manage to top Group C, they’re set to face one of the ‘best’ third-placed teams from either Group D, E or F.
This match is slated for Sunday, June 30 at 5pm UK time at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen. The most likely opponents could be Austria from Group D, Romania from Group E or Turkey from Group F.
Should England end up second in Group C, they’ll be pitted against the winner of Group A on Saturday, June 29 at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, with the kick-off scheduled for 8pm UK time. In this scenario, potential adversaries include Germany, Hungary, Scotland and Switzerland, with the host nation being the favourites to top the group.
If England finish as one of the four best third-place teams, there are two possible scenarios. If three of the four best third-place teams hail from Groups A, B, and C, they would go head-to-head with the winner of Group F – which could be Portugal, Turkey, Georgia or Czech Republic.
This match would take place on Monday, July 1 at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt.
On the other hand, if the four best third-place teams come from Groups A, B, C and D, they’d square off against the winners of Group E. Potential opponents in this case could be Belgium, Slovakia, Romania or Ukraine.
This game would be held on Tuesday, July 2 at the Allianz Arena in Munich. With many potential matches depending on who finishes as one of the ‘four best third-placed teams’, how exactly are these four best third-placed teams determined?
UEFA regulations dictate the following criteria for ranking teams, in this order:.
– Higher number of points.
– Superior goal difference.
– Higher number of goals scored.
– Higher number of wins.
– Lower disciplinary points total based on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in group matches (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points).
– Position in the overall European Qualifiers rankings or, if hosts Germany involved, drawing of lots.
Quarter-finals
Looking ahead to the quarter-finals, if England top Group C and win their round of 16 game, they’ll face the victor of the round of 16 match between the runners-up of Group A and Group B. This match will take place at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf on Saturday, July 6 with kick-off at 5pm UK time.
Potential opponents could include Spain, Italy, Scotland or Hungary.
On the other hand, if England finish second in Group C and then triumph in their round of 16 clash, they’ll have to face the winner of the match between the winner of Group B and one of the third-place teams. This match is scheduled for the MHPArena, Stuttgart on Friday, July 5 with kick-off at 5pm UK time.
Possible opponents here could be Spain, Austria or the Netherlands.
If England manage to secure a spot as one of the four best third-place teams and triumph in their round of 16 game, they could potentially face the victor of the round of 16 match between Group D and Group E runners-up. This is only if three of the four best third-place teams originate from Groups A, B, and C.
The match would be scheduled for Friday, July 5 at the Volksparkstadion, Hamburg at 8pm UK time.
However, if the four top third-place teams are all from Groups A, B, C and D, England’s opponent will either be the winner of Group D or the runner-up of Group F. This match would take place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Saturday, July 6, with kick-off at 8pm UK time.
Semi-finals
The Three Lions have reached the semi-final stage twice in the three major tournaments under Gareth Southgate’s leadership. If they replicate this success by topping Group C, winning their round of 16 game and their quarter-final, they’ll face either the winner of Group E, one of the third best teams from Groups A, B, C, D, the winner of Group D or the runner-up Group F.
This match is set for Wednesday, July 10 at the Westfalenstadion, Dortmund with kick-off at 8pm UK time. Conversely, if England finish second in Group C, but win their round of 16 game and the quarter-final, they’ll play at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Tuesday, July 9.
Their opponents could be one of the winners of Group F, one of the third best teams from Groups A, B or C, or the runners-up of Groups D and E. This game would also kick off at 8pm UK time.
Alternatively, if England finishes third as one of the four best third-place teams in Group C and subsequently wins in the round of 16 and quarter-final, they could face either the same opponents as listed in the example above where they finish second in Group C or one of the winners of Group C, one of the third best teams from Groups D, E or F, or the runners-up of Groups A and B. This match would also kick off at 8pm UK time, this time in Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion.
Final
If England manages to make it to back-to-back Euros finals, they’ll go head-to-head with the other winner of the semi-final on Sunday July 14 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, with kick-off at 8pm UK time.
What is the best route for England to get to the final?
While the Three Lions may be favourites with the bookies, the supporters here at home and many other statistician ‘supercomputers’ around the internet, there will not be an easy path for them to reach the final.
In the past, they’ve had to overcome many of the national sides around them at the top of the FIFA world rankings, and taking those into account and barring any major upsets, Southgate’s men are in for a tough draw.
If they do win Group C, England’s first opponents on their way to the final would likely be either Austria/Romania/Turkey at the Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, June 30 before facing off against Italy in a rematch of the 2020 Euros final at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf on Saturday, July 6.
The semi-final opponents for the Three Lions are likely to be France, who previously ousted them from the 2022 World Cup, only to lose to Argentina in the final on penalties. This match is scheduled for Wednesday, July 10 at Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, with a potential final against Spain in Berlin on Sunday, July 14.
However, if England finishes second in Group C and advances to the knockout stages, they could face host nation Germany in the Round of 16. This would potentially be followed by a quarter-final against Spain, a semi-final against the Netherlands, and a final showdown with Kylian Mbappe’s France.