Euro 2024 group stage draw in full as Germany kick off 30 games in 12 days (2024)

The Euro 2024 group stages begin with Germany kicking off the tournament and 12 days of action will fly by as we determined who will make the knockout stages

Germany will get Euro 2024 underway on Friday when they host Scotland as they begin an epic four weeks of football on the continent.

Italy rock up as defending champions after claiming glory at Wembley three years ago but they're being largely overlooked when it comes to the favourites. France will be hoping to add to the triumphs of 1984 and 2000 with Kylian Mbappe spearheading their attack.

England are tipped to give them the toughest ride as the Three Lions dream of a success to replicate that of 1966. Spain and Portugal are also strong contenders.

Germany's stadium infrastructure should make for great optics with Borussia Dortmund's iconic Signal Iduna Park and Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt among the incredible structures. As in 2006, when the Germans hosted the World Cup, the tournament will kick-off in Munich and finish in Berlin.

The group stages will come thick and fast. Often with these tournaments it feels like they fly by with games daily. In fact it'll all be over within 12 days - and then we're into knockouts. Here's the lowdown and the dates of the opening stages of the Euros.

Group A

Hosts Germany will be out to dispel the demons of recent past with their tournament performances not making for good reading. With Julian Nagelsmann at the helm they'll be expecting to top a group that doesn't, on paper at least, pose any great threat.

They begin the tournament on Friday with a game against the Scots at the Allianz Arena in Munich, which is where they began the last tournament they hosted back in 2006. The other three teams in the group are going to all fancy their chances of progressing and, going down to the final round of games, Scotland's clash with Hungary could be defining.

Group B

Rarely have the defending European champions been so easily discarded as a possible winner by so many people. Italy claimed Euro 2020 as they took advantage of their impressive form going into the tournament but have since been unable to even qualify for the World Cup.

Spain, winners on three occasions, most recently in 2012, will believe they can be a threat once more despite not having the stellar names of the past. Croatia have shown themselves to be an excellent tournament outfit, making the semi-finals at the recent World Cup. Albania, whilst well supported, are expected to be the whipping boys.

Group C

England could be embarking on their last ever tournament with Gareth Southgate at the helm and he'll be determined to go one better than he did three years ago. The Three Lions are expected to make light work of their group, beginning with Serbia.

They'll kick off their tournament in Gelsenkirchen, at the stadium where they tasted penalty shootout defeat to Portugal back in 2006. Denmark are England's second game and are expected to provide the biggest threat, although the semi-finalists of Euro 2020 are not the force they were then. Slovenia and Serbia could find themselves competing for a possible best third-place spot.

Group D

France, for all their quality, will feel they should've won more with their golden generation. This group have captured a World Cup but missed out on the last two Euros, losing to Portugal in the final on home soil eight years ago. They're expected to top their group with the Netherlands, who they play in Leipzig, their toughest opponents.

The Dutch have a host of injury problems and are not the force of old. It could present an opportunity for both Poland and Australia. The Netherlands play Austria in their final game in Berlin's cathedral, the Olympiastadion, which could be a winner takes all clash.

Group E

Belgium's golden generation have largely called it a day but they still have some shining lights and are tipped to top their group with relative ease. Below them it is anyone's guess with Ukraine likely to be everyone's second favourite team as their players look to prove some joy for their troubled nation.

Their three matches are in Munich, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart with support likely to be high. Playing Belgium last could work in their favour if they've already qualified with games featuring them, Romania and Slovakia all likely to be competitive affairs. The Romanians didn't lose a game during their ten qualifying outings.

Group F

Another of the more competitive groups with Portugal, among the tournament groups, set to have some stern tests before the knockouts. Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to have his last chance at landing another Euros following his triumph in 2016.

Turkey and the Czech Republic, who have previously gone deep in his tournament, will battle it out for second spot with Georgia potentially finishing pointless given the calibre of opponents they'll be facing. Turkey's partisan supporters will get to make two trips to Dortmund's iconic stadium in the space of four days.

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