MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 16:53:15| >> :600:89764:89764:

Frequently Asked Questions: Euro 2020 finals draw

Frequently Asked Questions: Euro 2020 finals draw
© Reuters
The lowdown on how the process for next summer's tournament will work.

England and Wales will discover their Euro 2020 group stage opponents on Saturday when the finals draw is made.

Here, the PA news agency provides the lowdown on what to expect.

When and where is the draw?

The draw takes place at 5pm UK time on Saturday evening. It is being staged at the ROMEXPO exhibition centre in Bucharest. The Romanian capital is one of 12 cities hosting matches in next summer's pan-European event.

Is the draw being televised?

It will be screened live on BBC Two at 5pm. The programme is scheduled to run until 6.30pm.

What is the format?

The tournament, like Euro 2016, will feature 24 teams. Twenty have already secured their places, the final four will be determined by play-off matches in March next year. There will be six groups, each containing four teams.

The top two teams from each group qualify for the round of 16, with the four best third-placed teams joining them.

Who can England get?

England manager Gareth Southgate will discover his side's Euro 2020 finals opponents on Saturday
England manager Gareth Southgate will discover his side's Euro 2020 finals opponents on Saturday (Steven Paston/PA)

England have already been placed in Group D, and will play their three group stage matches at Wembley. They will definitely be joined by the team which wins play-off Path C, which contains Scotland along with Israel, Norway and Serbia. If Scotland make it in March, they will play two matches at Hampden Park but would have to face England at Wembley.

What about Wales?

Due to a variety of factors, Wales can only be placed in Group A or B in Saturday's draw, and they will be in Pot 4 for the draw alongside first-time qualifiers Finland and the four unknown play-off winners. Group A features Italy, who will play all of their group matches in Rome. The other Group A venue is Baku, which would mean some long journeys for Wales' travelling fans. If Ryan Giggs' side are drawn into Group B, they would definitely face Belgium, Russia and Denmark. Group B games will be played in Copenhagen and St Petersburg.

What would a 'Group of Death' look like for England?

World champions France would be tough opponents for England
World champions France would be tough opponents for England (Owen Humphreys/PA)

The worst case scenario for Gareth Southgate's men would be to be drawn against both of the 2016 European Championship finalists France and Portugal, whilst Serbia are the highest-ranked of the sides in play-off Path C.

And what will Wales hope to avoid?

Ryan Giggs' Wales side can expect to face stiff opposition whichever group they are placed in
Ryan Giggs' Wales side can expect to face stiff opposition whichever group they are placed in (Nick Potts/PA)

Being in the fourth seeding pot means they face a tough draw whether they end up in Group A or Group B. Group A could involve facing an Italy side with home advantage, world champions France and reigning European champions Portugal. Group B would mean facing the world's number one-ranked side Belgium, plus away games against Russia and Denmark.

What is a best-case scenario for both sides?

England might quite like Poland from pot two and the Czech Republic from pot three – although the Czechs beat them in qualification. Israel are the lowest-ranked of the sides in play-off Path C.

And for Wales?

Probably to face Italy, Poland and the Czechs in Group A.

What does the path to the knockouts look like for England?

England will play their last 16 match in Dublin if they win Group D
England will play their last 16 match in Dublin if they win Group D (Brian Lawless/PA)

The semi-finals and final are all at Wembley, but to get back there England would have to play a last-16 match in Dublin and a quarter-final in Dublin if they won Group D. If they finish second, they would be in Copenhagen for the last 16 and St Petersburg for the last eight. For Wales, we will have to wait and see which group they end up in, but the winners of Group A and B play their last 16 matches in London and Bilbao respectively.

What about Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland?

Mick McCarthy's Republic of Ireland side will go into Group E if they win their play-off path in March
Mick McCarthy's Republic of Ireland side will go into Group E if they win their play-off path in March (Niall Carson/PA)

The winners of play-off Path B, which contains Northern Ireland and the Republic, will be in Group E if they qualify in March. This is because the Aviva Stadium in Dublin is the second Group E host city, alongside Bilbao. For that reason, those sides know they will definitely face Spain if they emerge victorious in March.

When does the tournament start and finish?

Wembley will host the Euro 2020 final on July 12 next year
Wembley will host the Euro 2020 final on July 12 next year (Nick Potts/PA)

The opening match takes place in Rome on June 12, the final is on July 12 at Wembley.

ID:381034: cacheID:381034:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:22853:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Wales manager Ryan Giggs gestures to the fans after the match on November 19, 2019
Read Next:
Joe Allen: 'Ryan Giggs has made doubters eat their words'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
10am
Blanch
Nadal
Result
Cachin
Ofner
6 6
3 3
Result
Elahi Galan
Bautista-Agut
64 6 1
77 4 6
Result
Gasquet
Sonego
2 5
6 7
Result
Hanfmann
Mensik
4 63
6 77
10am
Koepfer
Carballes Baena
10am
Kovacevic
Medjedovic
Result
Lajovic
Monteiro
4 3
6 6
Result
Machac
Ruusuvuori
6 1 6
4 6 2
10am
Michelsen
Fonseca
Result
Nishioka
Auger-Aliassime
6 1 4
4 6 6
Result
O'Connell
Arnaldi
4 1
6 6
Result
Purcell
Giron
4 6 77
6 4 62
10am
Ramos-Vinolas
Kotov
Result
Tabilo
Cobolli
7 4 4
5 6 6
Result
Zhizhen
Kecmanovic
3 2
6 6
Result
Azarenka
Maria
6 6
3 1
10am
Eala
Cirstea
10am
Annie Fernandez
Potapova
Result
Gauff
Rus
6 6
0 0
Result
Keys
Camelia-Begu
77 78
63 66
Result
Podoroska
Navarro
2 1
6 6
10am
Karolina Schmiedlova
Jabeur
10am
Swiatek
Wang
10am
Baez
Van Assche
10am
Coric
Zverev
10am
Martin Etcheverry
Shapovalov
10am
Humbert
Van De Zandschulp
10am
Hurkacz
Draper
10am
Marozsan
Cerundolo
10am
Paul
Klein
10am
Rublev
Bagnis
10am
Alexandrova
Krueger
10am
Andreeva
Noskova
10am
Bejlek
Kalinskaya
10am
Boulter
Montgomery
10am
Bronzetti
Rybakina
10am
Collins
Danilovic
3pm
Cristian
Krejcikova
10am
Dolehide
Kalinina
10am
Garcia
Wang
10am
Linette
Sabalenka
10am
Pavlyuchenkova
Saville
Result
Sorribes Tormo
Svitolina
6 7
3 5
Result
Vekic
Sakkari
3 2
6 6
Result
Arango
Yastremska
6 5 4
0 7 6
Result
Osaka
Samsonova
2 6 5
6 4 7
Result
Ostapenko
Bouzas Maneiro
6 6
3 1
Result
Haddad Maia
Errani
6 6
3 2
2.30pm
Lourdes Carle
Kudermetova
2.30pm
Mertens
Stephens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!