Euro 2016: All you need to know as England, Wales and Northern Ireland travel to France

 

Euro 2016 will be contested by 24 teams over 30 days at 10 different venues in France.

The tournament kicks off with France playing Romania on Friday, 10 June and the final will take place at the Stade de France in Paris on 10 July. Spain are hoping to retain the title they won in 2008 and 2012.
England will be appearing at their ninth finals, while Wales and Northern Ireland have qualified for the first time.

How does it work?

Good question - because, for the first time, there are 24 teams competing in the finals. That is an increase from the 16 that had taken part in every edition since it was hosted in England in 1996.
With six groups of four teams, it means the top two will qualify for the last 16, plus the four best third-placed finishers. In other words, only eight teams will fail to qualify from the group stage.
One point could be enough to put your team into the last 16 - and from then the tournament goes to a knockout format.

The Euro 2016 draw
Group A	Group B	Group C
France	England	Germany
Romania	Russia	Ukraine
Albania	Wales	Poland
Switzerland	Slovakia	Northern Ireland
Group D	Group E	Group F
Spain	Belgium	Portugal
Czech Republic	Italy	Iceland
Turkey	Republic of Ireland	Austria
Croatia	Sweden	Hungary

Who is going to win?

As Greece proved by pulling off a sensational triumph at Euro 2004, trying to predict a winner is a difficult game.
World champions Germany are understandably one of the favourites, while holders Spain are also short odds with the bookmakers.
Germany finished top of their qualification group but booking their place in France was not without its hiccups - with defeats by Poland and the Republic of Ireland. They have been beaten by France and England since qualifying but remain one to watch.
Spain dominated international football between 2008 and 2012 but failed to qualify from their group at the 2014 World Cup. Could this be a last hurrah for Vicente del Bosque's ageing but brilliant side?

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What are the chances of a home victory?

France won the World Cup as hosts in 1998 - can they repeat the famous success of the team led by Didier Deschamps, Zinedine Zidane and Laurent Blanc?
A run into the latter stages by Les Bleus is likely to help restore national morale in a country still recovering from last year's deadly Paris attacks.
                   
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