Everyone loves international tournaments, right? It’s a chance to cheer on your own country, watch a silly amount of football every day for a few weeks and see players and teams you don’t normally get a look at.

That’s why there’s so much excitement building around Euro 2024. After the COVID-19 pandemic pushed Euro 2020 back a year and then the winter 2022 World Cup, international tournaments are coming around thick and fast.

It won’t be long before Euro 2024 is underway, so here’s everything you need to know about this summer’s competition.

Euro 2024 will take place in Germany during the summer of 2024 and will run from 14 June to 14 July.

Two countries – Germany and Turkey – announced bids to host Euro 2024 back in 2017 and the Germans took 12 of the 17 votes total.

Hosts Germany qualified automatically as is tradition, which means 23 spots were up for grabs in the Euro 2024 qualifying rounds.

53 nations were divided into ten groups, with seven groups containing five teams and three containing six. Each team played everybody in their group home and away, with the winners and runners-up of each group advancing to the Euro 2024 finals.

There are still three remaining spots that will be decided via the play-offs. These will take place in March 2024 with 12 teams taking part. The teams were selected based on their performance in the 2022/23 Nations League, and, obviously, they couldn’t have already qualified for the finals.

With three places at the tournament still up for grabs, the March international break will see the Euro 2024 play-offs get underway. Made up of 12 teams, the fixtures have now been announced for which nations will compete against one another.

Six one-off games will decide the teams that make it to three respective play-off finals, with the victors in said finals securing their spot at this summer’s European Championship.

The only home nation involved in the play-offs is Wales, who host Finland in Cardiff on Thursday 21 March.

A number of iconic German stadiums will be used for Euro 2024, including nine that were selected to host games at the 2006 World Cup.

Games Hosted

Games Hosted

Games Hosted

Games Hosted

Games Hosted

Games Hosted

Games Hosted

Games Hosted

Games Hosted

Games Hosted

The Allianz Arena and Signal Iduna Park – grounds which host the Bundesliga’s two biggest teams Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund – have been selected as the stadiums to host the Euro 2024 semi-finals.

They are two of the largest club grounds of the ten stadiums chosen for the tournament, with only the Olympiastadion boasting a higher capacity.

As was perhaps to be expected, the final of Euro 2024 will take place on 14 July 2024 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. It is the current home of Hertha Berlin and one of the most famous and physically imposing stadiums in Europe.

It is also one steeped in history both in relation to football and away from football. It was built for the 1936 Olympics under orders from Adolf Hitler in what was essentially one of the largest political propaganda stunts ever attempted. Those were the games where Jesse Owens, a black athlete for the USA, won four golds despite Hitler hoping the event would show the supremacy of the Aryan race.

In football terms, it hosted three matches at the 1974 World Cup and six at the 2006 World Cup, including the final between Italy and France. It was a host stadium for the 2011 Women’s World Cup and also held the 2015 Champions League final.

The Olympiastadion is located in the far west of the city, very close to Grunewald Forest. It is easily accessed on both the U-bahn and the S-bahn for travelling fans.

The six groups for Euro 2024 have been revealed, with some mouth-watering match-ups taking place this summer.

Group A sees Scotland face hosts Germany, while England reside in a relatively comfortable Group C. The ‘group of death’ is undoubtedly Group B, with underdogs Albania being handed no mercy in their second European Championship campaign.

Each international tournament brings with it a new batch of kits for fans to enjoy on their favourite players and to buy themselves. Euro 2024 is no different, with some delicious strips set to be on display in Germany.

England’s shirts have gone down well, while Belgium have produced a couple of corkers, too. However, the away kits for Scotland and Spain are two designs that leave a lot to be desired.

Panini is the renowned sticker producer for football albums of various competitions, but UEFA have signed the rights over to Topps to be their new exclusive partner for the European Championship until 2028.

Collectors around the continent will be swapping cards and buying packs in the hope of completing their sticker albums over the summer, with elusive shinies and other special items up for grabs.

There are a number of high quality international teams eyeing Euro 2024 glory this summer.

Kylian Mbappe’s France will hope to add to their 2018 World Cup and 2021 Nations League triumphs with a third continental trophy, but England boast an incredible amount of depth in attack and have been tipped to end their silverware drought.

Portugal, winners in 2016, boast a well-rounded squad still led by Cristiano Ronaldo, though their chances of glory will hinge more on the performances of players like Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes.

Germany shouldn’t be dismissed, especially on home soil, while Spain could make a deep run if they can match their possession-heavy style with efficient finishing. Defending champions Italy‘s squad isn’t as talented or street-wise as it was three years ago but Luciano Spalletti could turn them into dark horses.

There are all sorts of brilliant ways Euro 2024 could pan out in Germany. Heavyweights like England, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Italy will all expect to reach the knockout stages, but there are bound to be shocks along the way.

Unfancied nations like Austria, Scotland and Hungary could turn over some more established countries in the group stages, but right now it’s hard to look past France as eventual winners.