Lisbon draw looms large
Friday, November 28, 2003
Article summary
Sixteen nations will be divided into four groups when the draw for the UEFA EURO 2004™ finals takes place.
Article body
Spotlight on Lisbon
The draw is being staged at the Pavilhão Atlântico in Lisbon at 12.00CET. UEFA Chief Executive Gerhard Aigner and his successor, Lars-Christer Olsson, will conduct proceedings in front of 2,000 guests and the world's media.
Final lineup
Aside from the hosts Portugal, the nations involved are: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Seeding system
As the host country, Portugal is positioned at the top of Group A. The remaining teams will be split into four pots, with title-holders France seeded alongside Sweden and the Czech Republic in the first pot. Seedings are based on the performance of teams in qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and EURO 2004™.
Trophy presentation
On Sunday, the voice of the famous Portuguese singer Dulce Pontes will reverberate around the auditorium at the start of the ceremony, scheduled to last less than an hour. One of the highlights of the event will come when Laurent Blanc, a member of France's victorious team at UEFA EURO 2000™, delivers the Henri Delaunay trophy. Some 250 drums from the Tocá Rufar band will sound after the result of the draw is known.
Hundreds of journalists
The expected audience will include delegations from the 16 finalists and representatives of UEFA, Euro 2004, S.A. and the Portuguese government. A significant section of the auditorium has also been reserved for around 700 journalists from around the world.
UEFA EURO 2004™ seedings
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