Germany Hosts Euro 2024 Draw As Contenders To Learn Fate
The draw for Euro 2024 takes place in the port city of Hamburg on Saturday when France, England and the other leading contenders will learn the path to potential continental glory that awaits them next summer.
The Elbe Philharmonic Hall, overlooking the river which runs through Germany’s second-largest city, will be the venue for the draw, just over six months before the start of the tournament which runs from June 14 to July 14.
Not everyone’s minds will be on next year’s finals just yet as the draw takes place in a city plunged into sub-zero winter temperatures and with top-flight club football the centre of attention across the continent.
Yet Saturday’s event marks the start of the real countdown to the European Championship for the 20 nations who have so far qualified alongside hosts Germany.
Last year’s beaten World Cup finalists France and an England side that has never before been continental champions are in the first pot of seeds along with Portugal, Spain, Belgium and the hosts.
Recent performances and the depth of talent available to their respective coaches, from Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann to Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, make France and England stand out among the favourites.
There will be pressure on England to go one better than at the last Euro in 2021, when they lost the final on penalties to Italy at Wembley.
“I think we have to accept that. Pressure comes when expectation is different from reality and reality is we are going to be one of the teams capable of winning,” England manager Gareth Southgate said recently.
Germany, meanwhile, are in crisis on the field having lost six of 11 games played since a second consecutive exit from the World Cup in the group stage last year.
That form cost Hansi Flick his job as coach but they have just suffered back-to-back defeats under his successor Julian Nagelsmann.
“We’ve an unbelievable amount of work to do in every position,” Nagelsmann told local media after the recent 2-0 reverse in Austria.