All eyes will be on the UEFA EURO 2020 draw in Bucharest on Saturday evening, as next summer’s extravaganza starts to take shape.
The Three Lions will find out who else they’ll be facing on home soil in the group stage of the Finals which is being staged by 12 different cities across Europe.
And ahead of the draw, here’s a quick rundown of how it works and what to expect…
When will it happen?
The draw will take place from 5pm GMT on Saturday 30 November 2019, in the Romanian capital Bucharest. It will be shown live on the BBC in the UK, or you can watch via UEFA.com
How does it work?
The draw will see the 24 qualified nations (four nations still TBC, after March’s play-offs) split into six groups of four teams, after being drawn out from four pots.
For the nations hosting venue stadiums, such as England, they have already been pre-paired in the same groups to ensure they play at least two home games.
What are the pots?
The draw involves the two-top finishers in the ten qualifying groups (completed in November 2019) and the eventual four play-off winners (decided in March 2020).
Pot 1: Belgium, Italy (hosts), England (hosts), Germany (hosts), Spain (hosts), Ukraine
Pot 2: France, Poland, Switzerland, Croatia, Netherlands (hosts), Russia (hosts)
Pot 3: Portugal, Turkey, Denmark (hosts), Austria, Sweden, Czech Republic
Pot 4: Wales, Finland, Play-off winner A (Iceland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania), Play-off winner B (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland), Play-off winner C (Scotland, Norway, Serbia, Israel), Play-off winner D (Georgia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Belarus)
So how might the groups look?
Group A (Rome, Baku)
Italy
France/Poland/Switzerland/Croatia
Portugal/Turkey/Austria/Sweden/Czech Republic
Finland/Wales
Group B (Saint Petersburg, Copenhagen)
Belgium
Russia
Denmark
Finland/Wales
Group C (Amsterdam, Bucharest)
Ukraine
Netherlands
Portugal/Turkey/Austria/Sweden/Czech Republic
Winner play-off A or D*
Group D (London, Glasgow)
England
France/Poland/Switzerland/Croatia
Portugal/Turkey/Austria/Sweden/Czech Republic
Winner play-off C
Group E (Bilbao, Dublin)
Spain
France/Poland/Switzerland/Croatia
Portugal/Turkey/Austria/Sweden/Czech Republic
Winner play-off B
Group F (Munich, Budapest)
Germany
France/Poland/Switzerland/Croatia
Portugal/Turkey/Austria/Sweden/Czech Republic
Winner play-off A or D*
* The path for the team from Pot 4 will be determined as follows:
If Iceland, Bulgaria or Hungary win Path A then they go in Group F; the winner of Path D complete Group C. If Romania win Path A then they go in Group C; the winner of Path D complete Group F.
Due to decisions of the UEFA Executive Committee, the following teams cannot be drawn together in the group stage:
• Bosnia and Herzegovina / Kosovo*
• Serbia / Kosovo*
• Russia / Kosovo*
• Ukraine / Russia (the restriction also applies to St Petersburg as group match venue)
*These clashes cannot happen during the group stage, because Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Serbia are all in the play-offs and therefore in the same pot. Kosovo are part of play-off Path D and have been assigned to play in Group C or F.
All restrictions apply only to the group stage. It can therefore not be excluded that the above-mentioned teams would meet during the knockout stage of the tournament.
What about the EURO 2020 Finals?
The tournament kicks-off in Rome on 12 June 2020, with the group stage running up to four matches a day until 24 June. The top two nations in each group and the four best runners-up progress to the straight knockout fixtures, with the round of 16 staged between 27-30 June. The quarter finals take place in Saint Petersburg, Baku, Munich and Rome on 3-4 July. And Wembley Stadium hosts the semi-finals on 7 and 8 July, before the final is also under the Arch on Sunday 12 July.
Can I still get tickets to watch EURO 2020 games live?
Yes! You can find out more about the next allocation of tickets to go live.
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