This Saturday, the Euro 2024 group-stage draw in Hamburg will reveal the opponents for Spain, Germany, and the rest of the contenders. Both Spain and Germany will begin as seeded teams, eyeing a path that avoids potential pitfalls as the groups come into focus. Italy, Croatia, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Denmark are among the teams awaiting their places in the six groups that will form the opening phase of the tournament.
The draw is scheduled to take place at the Elbphilharmonie, with the curtain rising on the group stage in Hamburg at 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT). Germany, as hosts, will secure the top seed in Group A, kicking off the competition in front of a lively home crowd.
The Champions Draw for the 2023-24 season will be visually summarized in an infographic, illustrating the pot structure and the flow of teams into the groups. The teams seeded in Pot 1 include the reigning group champions, with Germany joining them alongside Portugal, France, Belgium, and England. This arrangement ensures that their first matches do not clash with other headliners.
From the moment the pots are drawn, Spain’s schedule is shaped by three additional drums, which reflect results from the qualifying phase and the competition’s coefficients. In the second drum, Hungary and Romania lead the way ahead of Serbia and Switzerland, while Türkiye topped its own group, placing them alongside Croatia, Denmark, and Albania, with Austria slotted second after Belgium (F).
The Albanian squad, coached by Sylvio Mendes Sylvinho, will be back in the European Championship after winning its group, narrowly ahead of the Czech Republic and Poland, which advanced to the play-offs. Albania’s return adds a compelling narrative to the draw as teams chase a coveted place in the finals.
The third drum is expected to feature a mix of strong sides and surprising contenders. Among them, the Netherlands, guided by Ronald Koeman, finished second in Group B behind France. The Dutch faced a dramatic exit from the World Cup in Qatar after losing to Argentina on penalties in the quarter-finals, a memory that adds texture to their quest for the upcoming tournament.
Scotland is set to renew its rivalry with Spain, a matchup that saw a 2-0 victory for Spain in their March clash. Meanwhile, Croatia, led by Luka Modrić, secured second place in their group after Turkey, and will be one of the opponents Spain defeated to win the Nations League on penalties (0-0/4-2) in Rotterdam last June.
Slovenia, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic will round out the third drum, each finishing second in their campaigns behind Denmark, Portugal, and Albania. The draw will determine which of these teams faces the defending champions in Group C or D, depending on the pot allocations.
The fourth drum can bring together Italy, Serbia, and Switzerland with the playoff winners, who will emerge from a bracket featuring teams like Poland, Ukraine, and Greece. The playoff path will be decided through a series of semi-finals and finals scheduled between March 21-26, with winners Georgia-Luxembourg and Greece-Kazakhstan vying for a place in the finals alongside Israel-Iceland and Bosnia-Ukraine, among others.
The ceremonial day includes performances by Jonas Kaufmann and violinist David Garrett, marking the occasion as the teams learn their exact groups through a live draw. The group placements will be officially confirmed as the tournament runs from June 14 through July 14, with the top two teams from each of the six groups advancing to the knockout stage, along with the four best third-placed teams.
The tournament’s centerpiece venues span multiple cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Cologne, Munich, and Stuttgart, forming a diverse and vibrant hub for fans across the country.
Drum distribution:
1: Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, Belgium and England.
2: Hungary, Türkiye, Romania, Denmark, Albania and Austria
3: Netherlands, Scotland, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Czech Republic
4: Italy, Serbia and Switzerland with play-off winners