The 2024 European Championship is rapidly approaching and, with that, the excitement continues to build.
England are the favourites, despite never winning the tournament, with France second favourites.
Perhaps Les Bleus should be placed above England given that they knocked out the Three Lions in the quarterfinals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Germany are the hosts of the tournament and have therefore been drawn into Group A. Joining them in that group are Switzerland, Scotland and Hungary.
The Sporting News takes a look at the tournament's schedule along with its format and opening game.
MORE: England predicted EURO 2024 squad
When does EURO 2024 start? Schedule and format of tournament
The UEFA European Championship takes place this summer, with the group stage to begin June 14, 2024.
The opening game of the tournament will see hosts Germany face Scotland in Munich at the Allianz Arena. Kick-off is scheduled to take place at 9:00 p.m. local time (8pm UK and 3pm ET).
The tournament will then continue for the rest of the month, with the knockout stage beginning June 29, 2024, with the Round of 16.
The final will take place in Berlin on July 14, 2024, to crown the winner and close the competition.
| Round | Dates |
| Group Stage | June 14-26, 2024 |
| Round of 16 | June 29-July 2, 2024 |
| Quarterfinals | July 5-6, 2024 |
| Semifinals | July 9-10, 2024 |
| Final | July 14, 2024 |
What time do Euro 2024 games kick off?
Matches at Euro 2024 will kick off in one of three time slots (in local CET time): 3 p.m., 6 p.m., or 9 p.m.
Here is how those times translate to some of the major territories:
| Time Zone | 3 p.m. CET | 6 p.m. CET | 9 p.m.CET |
| USA/Canada (ET) | 9 a.m. | 12 p.m. | 3 p.m. |
| USA/Canada (PT) | 6 a.m. | 9 a.m. | 12 p.m. |
| UK (BST) | 2 p.m. | 5 p.m. | 8 p.m. |
| India (IST) | 6:30 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 12:30 a.m.* |
| Australia (AEST) | 11 p.m. | 2 a.m.* | 5 a.m.* |
*Following day
Full list of teams at Euro 2024
As tournament hosts, Germany were the only team to have qualified for Euro 2024 before the October qualifying matches.
Here are the teams who joined them over the course of the closing fixtures.
| Team | Qualification method |
| Germany | Hosts |
| Belgium | Group F — 1st place |
| France | Group B — 1st place |
| Portugal | Group J — 1st place |
| Scotland | Group A — 2nd place |
| Spain | Group A — 1st place |
| Turkiye | Group D – 1st place |
| Austria | Group F — 2nd place |
| England | Group C — 1st place |
| Hungary | Group G — 1st place |
| Slovakia | Group J — 2nd place |
| Albania | Group E – 1st place |
| Czechia | Group E – 2nd place |
| Denmark | Group H — 1st place |
| Netherlands | Group B — 2nd place |
| Romania | Group I – 1st place |
| Switzerland | Group I – 2nd place |
| Slovenia | Group J — 2nd place |
| Serbia | Group G — 2nd place |
| Croatia | Group D – 2nd place |
| Italy | Group C — 2nd place |
| Poland | Playoff final |
| Georgia | Playoff final |
| Ukraine | Playoff final |
