UEFA EURO 2016 finals draw made in Paris
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Article summary
Hosts France kick off UEFA EURO 2016 against Romania before facing Albania and Switzerland in Group A, holders Spain taking on Croatia, Czech Republic and Turkey.
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Article body
- Romania to play UEFA EURO 2016 opening game against hosts France in Saint-Denis on 10 June
- Holders Spain up against Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia as they bid for third straight title
- The top two in each group plus the four best third-placed teams progress to round of 16
- Full schedule
- 800,000 tickets for fans of the 24 finalists go on sale Monday
- Venue guide: the ten host cities
Hosts France will play Romania, Albania and Switzerland in the group stage of UEFA EURO 2016, with holders Spain starting their bid for a third successive European crown against the Czech Republic before taking on Turkey and Croatia in Group D.
The draw
Group A: France (hosts), Romania, Albania, Switzerland
Group B: England, Russia, Wales, Slovakia
Group C: Germany, Ukraine, Poland, Northern Ireland
Group D: Spain (holders), Czech Republic, Turkey, Croatia
Group E: Belgium, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Sweden
Group F: Portugal, Iceland, Austria, Hungary
Draw facts
- Albania got the better of France in their two centralised friendlies played in conjunction with the UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying competition, drawing 1-1 in Rennes before winning 1-0 at home in Elbasan with a goal from Ergys Kaçe.
- France and Romania drew 0-0 at UEFA EURO 2008; France beat Switzerland 3-1 in Coimbra to qualify for the UEFA EURO 2004 quarter-finals and eliminate the Swiss.
- England and Wales, both members of the United Kingdom, have met on 101 occasions, England winning 66 matches and Wales 14.
- Poland finally ended their 18-game winless run against Germany when they defeated the world champions 2-0 in Warsaw during the UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying campaign, Arkadiusz Milik and Sebastian Mila scoring. The return fixture in Frankfurt finished 3-1 to Joachim Löw's side, who went on to top the group.
- Poland and Ukraine co-hosted UEFA EURO 2012.
- Spain overcame Croatia 1-0 in their final group match at UEFA EURO 2012 thanks to Jesús Navas's 88th-minute strike to advance at their opponents' expense.
- Belgium beat Italy in a Brussels friendly in November 2015, coming from behind to win 3-1. Jan Vertonghen, Kevin De Bruyne and Michy Batshuayi netted for the hosts in reply to Antonio Candreva's early goal.
- Iceland and Portugal had never met until they were drawn together in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2012. Portugal won both games, Cristiano Ronaldo leading the way in a 3-1 victory in Reykjavik and Nani scoring twice in a 5-3 success in the Porto return.
Knockout system:
Round of 16 (all times CET)
Match 1: Runner-up Group A v Runner-up C (15.00, 25 June, St-Etienne)
Match 2: Winner D v Third-place B/E/F (21.00, 25 June, Lens)
Match 3: Winner B v Third-place A/C/D (18.00, 25 June, Paris)
Match 4: Winner F v Runner-up E (21.00, 26 June, Toulouse)
Match 5: Winner C v Third-place A/B/F (18.00, 26 June, Lille)
Match 6: Winner E v Runner-up D (18.00, 27 June, St-Denis)
Match 7: Winner A v Third-place C/D/E (15.00, 26 June, Lyon)
Match 8: Runner-up B v Runner-up F (21.00, 27 June, Nice)
• For which third place team will play in each tie, see Article 17.03 of the Official Regulations
Quarter-finals
1: Winner Match 1 v Winner Match 2 (21.00, 30 June, Marseille)
2: Winner Match 3 v Winner Match 4 (21.00, 1 July, Lille)
3: Winner Match 5 v Winner Match 6 (21.00, 2 July, Bordeaux)
4: Winner Match 7 v Winner Match 8 (21.00, 3 July, St-Denis)
Semi-finals
1: Winner QF1 v Winner QF2 (21.00, 6 July, Lyon)
2: Winner QF3 v Winner QF4 (21.00, 7 July, Marseille)
Final
Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 (21.00, 10 July, St-Denis)