The 15th edition of the sporting event is scheduled to be held in France from June 10th to July 10th. Spain is two-time defending champions.
Photo: www.euro2016.com
For the first time, the final tournament will see 24 teams, having been expanded from the 16-team format used since 1996. The finalists will contest a group stage consisting of six groups of four teams, followed by a knockout stage including three rounds and the final.
This year, fans have no chance to witness the “famous names” such as the Netherlands and Denmark, while Iceland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Albania and Slovakia have made the tournament for the first time in their history. Both Austria and Ukraine are appearing for just the second time, and both were hosts on the occasion that they made the tournament, so this is the first time either has qualified.
The host, France, was chosen on May 28th, 2010, after a bidding process in which they beat Italy and Turkey. It is automatically placed in Group A.
Group A: France, Romania, Albania, and Switzerland
Group B: England, Russia, Wales, and Slovakia
Group C: Germany, Ukraine, Poland, and Northern Ireland
Group D: Spain, Czech Republic, Turkey, and Croatia
Group E: Belgium, Italy, Ireland, and Sweden
Group F: Portugal, Iceland, Austria, and Hungary
The matches will be played in stadiums in ten locations: Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis, Saint-Étienne, and Toulouse. It will be the third time that France hosts the tournament, after the inaugural tournament in 1960 and the 1984 finals. The French team has won the Cup in 1984 and 2000.
The winning team earns the right to compete at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted by the Russian Federation.
The final game will kick off on July 10th, at the national stadium of France Stade de France in Paris.
As with every tournament since UEFA Euro 1984, there is no third-place match./.
BTA