The European Football Championship commences in Germany

The European Championship 2024 kicks off on Friday, June 14 in Germany. This marks the 17th edition of Europe's premier football tournament, hosted across 10 cities in Germany with 24 national teams participating.

The opening match of Euro 2024 is scheduled to start at 22:00 Cyprus time at the Allianz Arena in Munich, where Germany will face Scotland.

French referee Clément Turpin will officiate the opening match.

Germany, the tournament host, is placed in Group A alongside Scotland, Hungary, and Switzerland. Hungary and Switzerland will play their first match on Saturday, June 15.

Here are the complete group compositions:

• Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland
• Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
• Group C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England
• Group D: Poland, Netherlands, Austria, France
• Group E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine
• Group F: Turkey, Georgia, Portugal, Czech Republic

Unfortunately, the national teams of Greece and Cyprus did not qualify for the tournament. Turkey will begin their campaign on Tuesday, June 18 against Georgia.

Italy, the reigning European champions who won the tournament in 2021, will be defending their title. Originally scheduled a year earlier, the championship was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.