When is the draw for Euro 2024? Date, time of UEFA event to determine European Championship groups

Dominic Booth

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When is the draw for Euro 2024? Date, time of UEFA event to determine European Championship groups image

Fans of international football in Europe haven't got too much of a wait before the next major tournament is upon us.

After the 2022 World Cup took place in November and December due to the hotter climate in host nation Qatar, it's a shorter than usual wait for the European Championship, which usually comes two years after a World Cup.

But Euro 2024 in Germany is now just months away, with the qualification process nearing a close for all the hopeful nations.

So, what's next? The draw is always an event that invites plenty of interest and excitment, and The Sporting News goes through the details of that tournament draw, which is nearly here.

MORE: All the teams who have qualified for Euro 2024, plus qualifying latest

When is the draw for Euro 2024?

The Euro 2024 full tournament draw takes place on Saturday, December 2. The draw ceremony is due to begin at 6 p.m. CET in Hamburg, Germany at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in the city, which is one of the host venues for the competition.

What time is the Euro 2024 draw?

Here's how that 6 p.m. CET start time translates into the major territories around the globe:

  Date Kickoff time
USA Sat, Dec 2 12:00 p.m. ET
Canada Sat, Dec 2 12:00 p.m. ET
UK Sat, Dec 2 5:00 p.m. GMT
Australia Sun, Dec 3 4:00 a.m. AEDT
India Sat, Dec 2 10:30 p.m. IST
Hong Kong Sun, Dec 3 1:00 a.m. HKT
Malaysia Sun, Dec 3 1:00 a.m. MYT
Singapore Sun, Dec 3 1:00 a.m. SGT
New Zealand Sun, Dec 3 6:00 a.m. NZDT

How does the Euro 2024 draw and format work?

With Germany qualifying automatically as hosts, another 20 places at Euro 2024 are assigned to teams who have come through the qualification process, as winners and second place finishers from the 10 qualifying groups.

The final three spots at Euro 2024 will be contested by 12 teams based on their performance at the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League. Playoffs will be played in March to whittle down the 12 teams to a final three — obviously from sides who haven't qualified for the tournament through the first available route.

The teams will be split up into four pots (1, 2, 3 and 4) based on their results in qualifying. There are six groups (A to F), with Germany already allocated in position A1 — meaning they're the top ranked team in Group A. Groups B to F will then be drawn, with four teams in each group.

The three teams who progress through the play-offs will be in Pot 4.

In terms of how the tournament works, the 24-team group stage will be followed by a Round of 16, with the top two from each group and four best third-placed sides all getting through. It's then a straight knockout to the final.

The draw will be broadcast on UEFA's official website and app and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Getty Images

When is Euro 2024? Tournament dates

Euro 2024 will run from June 14 to July 14, 2024 with Germany playing the opening fixture in Munich, with the final set for Berlin's Olympiastadion a month later. As well as those two cities, Cologne, Dortmund, Dussledorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Leipzig, Stuttgart and, of course, Hamburg, are the chosen host venues.

The following teams already have their places booked at the tournament via qualifying:

  • Germany (hosts)
  • Albania
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • England
  • France
  • Hungary
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Scotland
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Turkiye

Dominic Booth

Dominic Booth Photo

Dominic joined the Sporting News in November 2022, initially working on our World Cup coverage as a freelance sub editor. He was previously a sport content editor and Man United writer at the Manchester Evening News and is a regular at both Old Traffords, football and cricket.