The group phase will be drawn at the beginning of December – this is the status of the lottery pots.
How does the draw work?
24 teams are playing at EURO 2024 in Germany. The six groups, each with four teams, will be drawn on December 2nd in the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. There are four draw pots with six teams each.
Each group will receive one team from each draw pot in the draw on December 2nd (6 p.m.).
| Place | team |
|---|---|
1 | Germany |
2 | Portugal |
3 | France |
4 | Spain |
5 | Belgium |
6 | England |
| Place | team |
|---|---|
7 | Hungary |
8th | Denmark |
9 | Albania |
10 | Austria |
11 | * |
12 | * |
| Place | team |
|---|---|
13 | Netherlands |
14 | Scotland |
15 | Slovenia |
16 | Slovakia |
17 | Czech Republic |
18 | * |
| Place | team |
|---|---|
19 | Serbia |
20 | * |
21 | * |
22 | Winner Playoff A |
23 | Winner Playoff B |
24 | Winner Playoff C |
* Turkey, Romania, Italy and Switzerland are sure to be there, but their drawing pot is still unclear. The last direct participant will be determined on Tuesday, it will be either Croatia or Wales.
How did the lottery pots come about?
Germany is placed in pot 1 as hosts. The basis for the rest of the seeding list is the UEFA overall ranking from the European Championship qualification. The ten group winners from the qualification will go first, sorted by points and goal difference from the qualifying games. The ten runners-up in the group follow.
At the bottom are the three winners from the three playoff tournaments, regardless of their performance in the groups. Wildcards are provided for them in the draw, as the winners of the playoffs will only be determined after the draw.
Who will play in the playoffs and when?
There are three playoff tournaments, each of which awards a place at the European Championships.
Semi-final playoff tournament C:
Georgia – Luxembourg
Greece – Kazakhstan
Semi-final playoff tournament B:
Israel – Ukraine/Iceland
Bosnia-Herzegovina – Finland/Ukraine
Semi-final playoff tournament A:
Poland/Croatia – Estonia
Wales/Poland – Finland/Ukraine/Iceland
Between Finland, Ukraine and Iceland, the draw must decide who plays in which tournament. This draw will take place on Thursday 23 November (12pm) at UEFA headquarters.
The playoff tournaments will be played in the international match window at the end of March. The six semi-final games will be played in the three tournaments on March 21, 2024, and the three final games will take place on March 26, 2024.
How does the EURO 2024 mode work?
The European Championship will also be played in 2024 with 24 teams in six groups of four teams each. The group winners, the runners-up and the four best of the six third-placed teams reach the round of 16.
This mode has been in effect since 2016. UEFA recently examined expanding the tournament to 32 teams, but initially distanced itself from this idea.
| Year | host | teams |
|---|---|---|
1960 | France | 4 |
1964 | Spain | 4 |
1968 | Italy | 4 |
1972 | Belgium | 4 |
1976 | Yugoslavia | 4 |
1980 | Italy | 8th |
1984 | France | 8th |
1988 | Germany | 8th |
1992 | Sweden | 8th |
1996 | England | 16 |
2000 | Netherlands, Belgium | 16 |
2004 | Portugal | 16 |
2008 | Austria Switzerland | 16 |
2012 | Poland/Ukraine | 16 |
2016 | France | 24 |
2021 | Europe | 24 |
2024 | Germany | 24 |
2028 | Great Britain/Ireland | 24* |
2032 | Italy/Türkiye | 24* |
*current planning