UEFA EURO 2016 match schedule unveiled

024 - Stade de France in Saint-Denis to host opening and final match

UEFA has today announced the match schedule for the final tournament of the UEFA European Football Championship France 2016 at a press conference which followed a meeting of the UEFA EURO 2016 Steering Group in Paris.

UEFA EURO 2016 will take place from 10 June to 10 July 2016 across ten venues in France, and will for the first time in the history of the competition feature 24 teams on their quest to becoming champions of Europe. The six group winners, the six group runners-up and the four best third-placed teams will qualify for the round of 16. Group winners and group runners-up will only be able to face each other again if they reach the final of UEFA EURO 2016.

Each of the ten host cities will host a minimum of four matches: three group-matches and a knock-out match, with stadiums with bigger capacities staging matches from the quarter-finals onwards.

The opening match and the final will be played at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, the semi-finals at Stade Vélodrome in Marseille and Stade de Lyon, whereas the quarter-finals will be staged at Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, Stade de Bordeaux, as well as in Marseille and Saint-Denis.

All teams will play their group matches in three different locations, thus enabling local fans to see a variety of teams in their neighbourhood. Venues have also been paired for the very same reason, meaning that there will not be games on the same days in the cities of Saint-Denis and Paris; Lille and Lens; Lyon and Saint-Etienne; Marseille and Nice; as well as Bordeaux and Toulouse, respectively.

Hosts France will play its group matches in Saint-Denis, Marseille and Lille.

There will be three standard kick-off times: 15.00CET, 18.00CET and 21.00CET, with the last matches in each group to be played simultaneously.

Speaking at the unveiling of the match schedule, UEFA President Michel Platini said:

"I believe the calendar is great for fans since they will get the chance to see several teams and matches in or around their respective regions. Fans of a particular team are also now encouraged to travel around France to follow their team and discover the beauty the country has to offer.

“As far as the teams are concerned, I think it is great they can rotate between venues. It means nobody will have a so called "home advantage" by playing several times in the same stadium.

“We are already eagerly looking forward to this memorable Rendez-Vous in June of 2016. It promises to be a fantastic celebration of football in a colourful and festive environment."

The full match schedule can be accessed here:

Corporate hospitality sales will kick-off in June 2014, with ticket sales starting in spring 2015 via UEFA.com