From June 14 to July 14, some of the best teams in Europe will meet for the UEFA European Championship – commonly referred to as the Euros. After a qualification process that began in March 2023, a final list of 23 countries and host Germany will meet at Euro 2024 – the 17th edition of the tournament that determines a continental champion.
We’ve put together a guide to help you prepare for the tournament – from the participating teams to the storylines sure to make headlines this summer.
Also, don’t forget – Copa America, South America’s equivalent tournament, will be held concurrently on U.S. soil at the same time. June and July are guaranteed to be exciting times at home and abroad, so make sure you’ve brushed up on everything you need to know.
Your Guide to Copa America 2024
Copa America and the Euros are both in June and July – learn all you need to know about both marquee Summer 2024 events!
Before you dive into the rest of the Euro 2024 guide, let’s discuss when the tournament stages will occur. The Euros begins with group stages before shifting to a four-stage knockout tournament. There will be 51 total games in Euro 2024.
Euro 2024 Dates
| Tournament Stage | First Date | Last Date |
|---|---|---|
| Group Stage | June 14 | June 26 |
| Round of 16 | June 29 | July 2 |
| Quarterfinals | July 5 | July 6 |
| Semifinals | July 9 | July 10 |
| Final | July 14 | July 14 |
What are the Euros / European Championship?
The European Championships were first held in 1960 and have been held every four years since then, with the exception of Euro 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was held in 2021 with limited crowds.
The tournament proper remained a competition between four teams until 1980 when it was expanded to eight teams. Euro 1996, held in England, was the first time the tournament expanded to 16 teams. In 2016, the competition was expanded to 24 teams – the same format that exists today.
Unlike Copa America – the South American continental championship tournament featuring all 10 members – participants in the Euros must qualify. All 55 member countries of UEFA are eligible to participate in qualifying for the final 24 tournament spots. However, for Euro 2024, Russia was not permitted to participate in qualifying due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. This will mark Russia’s first absence from the Euros since 2000.
Fun Fact – Only 17 teams applied to participate in 1960. After the home and away knockout stage, the Soviet Union (winner), Yugoslavia (runners-up), Czechoslovakia (third place), and France were left to compete in the final tournament.
To host the tournament, interested governing bodies in countries must formally apply. The hosting of Euro 2024 was decided in September 2018, when Germany’s bid was proclaimed victorious over Turkey’s by a 12-4 vote. While Germany and Turkey were the only two that officially bid for hosting duties, there was initially interest from the Netherlands, Estonia-Russia, and Denmark-Finland-Norway-Sweden.
Who is playing in Euro 2024?
As hosts of the tournament, Germany receives an automatic bid and does not have to go through qualifying. The rest of the field includes a who’s who of soccer-playing countries—Belgium, England, France, Italy, Spain, etc.—alongside several teams that didn’t participate in Euro 2020. In total, 19 of the 24 teams return, with Albania, Georgia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia being the exceptions.
Euro 2024 will feature six total groups, each with four teams.
| Group | Team #1 | Team #2 | Team #3 | Team #4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A | Germany | Scotland | Hungary | Switzerland |
| Group B | Spain | Croatia | Italy | Albania |
| Group C | Slovenia | Denmark | Serbia | England |
| Group D | Poland | Netherlands | Austria | France |
| Group E | Belgium | Slovakia | Romania | Ukraine |
| Group F | Turkey | Georgia | Portugal | Czech Republic |
Fun Fact – Only eight countries have won the Euros: Germany (3), Spain (3), Italy (2), France (2), Netherlands (1), Greece (1), Denmark (1), and Portugal (1). The Euros have only been won consecutively by the same country once – Spain in 2008 and 2012.
To advance to the Round of 16, teams must finish in one of three places: group winner, group runners-up, or best four third-placed teams among any groups.
Along the road of determining who will reach the knockout stages, there will be plenty of great group stage games. Among the most intriguing are a series of games in Group B, which many consider this tournament’s Group of Death – and for good reason.
Group Date Team Team Description Group B June 15 Spain Croatia Rematch of the 2023 Nations League Final (Spain won) Group B June 20 Spain Italy Five World Cups, five Euros titles combined Group B June 24 Croatia Italy Known as the 'Adriatic Derby' – Croatia hasn't lost to Italy since 1942 Group C June 20 Denmark England Two favorites in Group C – winner likely takes the group Group D June 21 Netherlands France Title favorite France against another of Europe's best – winner takes Group D
Which cities are hosting Euro 2024?
Euro 2024 marks the first time Germany has hosted the tournament since – well, its complicated. West Germany was sole host of the competition in 1988, but Germany—Munich more specifically—hosted several games during the pan-European Euro 2020 competition. So, in summation, Euro 2024 marks the first time ever that a unified Germany will host the entire tournament.
Ten cities across Germany will host various stages of Euro 2024. Two things of relative note—Leipzig hosting means a former East Germany city is represented for the first time. Secondly, several stadium names listed below may be unrecognizable. Due to sponsor purposes, many will take on generic names for Euro 2024—noted below with asterisks.
| City | Stadium | Capacity | Tenant(s) | Rounds Held |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin | Olympiastadion | 71,000 | Hertha Berlin | Group Stage, R16, QF, Final |
| Cologne | Cologne Stadium* | 43,000 | FC Köln | Group Stage, R16 |
| Dortmund | BVB Stadion Dortmund* | 62,000 | Borussia Dortmund | Group Stage, R16, SF |
| Düsseldorf | Düsseldorf Arena* | 47,000 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | Group Stage, R16, QF |
| Frankfurt | Frankfurt Arena* | 47,000 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Group Stage, R16 |
| Gelsenkirchen | Arena AufSchalke* | 50,000 | FC Schalke 04 | Group Stage, R16 |
| Hamburg | Volksparkstadion Hamburg | 49,000 | Hamburger SV | Group Stage, QF |
| Leipzig | Leipzig Stadium | 40,000 | RB Leipzig | Group Stage, R16 |
| Munich | Munich Football Arena* | 66,000 | Bayern Munich | Group Stage, R16, SF |
| Stuttgart | Stuttgart Arena* | 51,000 | VfB Stuttgart | Group Stage, QF |
Fun Fact – Frankfurt Arena (called Deutsche Bank Park) will host Group Stage and Round of 16 games. The stadium hosted two games during the 2023 NFL season, between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs, as well as the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots.
Where can I watch Euro 2024?
You can watch Euro 2024 in English and Spanish thanks to broadcast partnerships with FOX Sports and Univision / TUDN. Keep an eye on releases from both networks for specific channel assignments.
Conveniently, Copa America 2024 will be contested at the same time and kicks off one week later on July 20. Much to the benefit of fans, FOX Sports and Univision / TUDN also have the rights to the Euros, meaning the best from Europe and the best from the Americas will feature on both networks for hours almost every day.
Mornings and afternoons with the Euros, evenings with Copa America – what could be better?
Fun Fact – The Euro 2021 final between winners Italy and runners-up England was viewed by nearly 6.5 million people on ESPN/ABC and 2.9 million people on Univision. Both are the most-watched Euros games in English- and Spanish-language U.S. TV, to date.
Why should I be excited for the Euros?
Frankly, you shouldn’t need any additional reasons to tune in and see who is crowned European champion. But if you do, please consider these the below among the many reasons why you should be locked into your couch or local bar for Euro 2024.
- Provided he’s healthy, 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo (ever heard of him?) will feature in his fifth Euros tournament with Portugal—a number only equaled by Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Will this be Ronaldo’s last chance to win a trophy for his country?
- Want a preview of some of the best young teams in the world, likely to be among the favorites when the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is on U.S. soil? Look no further than the likes of England, Spain, France, etc. The top tier of European teams are among the best in the world – reason enough to tune in.
- After every tournament draw, fans immediately like to identify a Group of Death. Well, Euro 2024 has a great one featuring teams with multiple FIFA Men’s World Cup and Euros titles. Spain, Italy, and Croatia form a powerful threesome. Spain recently won the 2023 Nations League by defeating Croatia. Italy is the defending Euros champion. Croatia were the 2018 FIFA Men’s World Cup runners-up and lost to eventual champion Argentina in the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup semifinals. Storylines abound in this group that deserves the Group of Death moniker.
- Do you enjoy the cultural element of tournament hosting and seeing an entire country enjoy the spotlight? Euro 2024 will be the last time a singular country hosts the tournament until at least 2036. The 2028 tournament will be hosted by England, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The 2032 edition will be hosted by Italy and Turkey.
Fun Fact – Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the most all-time goals scored in the Euros with 14 spread across his five tournaments (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2021).