The Best Betting Sites for Euro 2024 A Glance at the Participants

Road to EURO 2024: Highlights and Insights from the Qualification Rounds

The qualification rounds for EURO 2024 were filled with excitement, records, and notable achievements. Portugal emerged as the standout team, achieving a flawless record by winning all 10 of their qualifiers against Slovakia, Luxembourg, Iceland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Liechtenstein. This marked the first time in history that Portugal navigated an entire European Championship qualification campaign without a single defeat, positioning them as strong contenders for their second title following their 2016 success. Portugal also topped the scoring charts with 36 goals, including a historic 9-0 victory over Luxembourg.

Making a historic debut, Georgia secured their place in EURO 2024 by defeating Greece in a dramatic penalty shootout during the play-offs. This achievement followed a successful UEFA Nations League campaign, and Georgia’s qualification marks their first appearance in a major tournament since gaining independence.

Youth and experience played a significant role in the qualification rounds. Ukraine boasted the youngest average starting XI at 25 years and 272 days, showcasing their vibrant and promising squad. In contrast, Slovakia featured the oldest average starting XI among the qualified teams, with an average age of 29 years and 264 days. The qualifiers also saw record-breaking individual performances: Andorra’s Ildefons Lima, at 43 years old, became the oldest player to feature, while Spain's 16-year-old Lamine Yamal became the youngest player and scorer in qualification history.

Belgium's Romelu Lukaku was the top scorer of the qualification campaign, netting 14 goals and breaking records along the way. Lukaku's scoring prowess included two hat-tricks, demonstrating his lethal finishing ability and playing a crucial role in Belgium's successful qualification.

These stories and achievements from the qualification rounds set the stage for an enthralling EURO 2024, promising high-level competition and memorable moments.

Inside Euro 2024: The Championship In Facts and Numbers

1. The upcoming Euro 2024 tournament will be the first European Football Championship to incorporate “Connected Ball Technology”. This signifies that the ball is not just a mere inflated sphere but instead houses tracking systems that link up with UEFA's officiating teams, enabling them to make more well-informed decisions. When combined with VAR, this implementation is expected to contribute to making Euro 2024 one of the most impartial tournaments ever organized.
2. UEFA revealed on 8 March 2017 that two nations, Germany and Turkey, had declared their desire to host the tournament prior to the 3 March 2017 deadline.
3. European Championship matches will be played on German territory for the third time.
4. Four of the ten host cities (Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen, and Cologne) place the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region in North Rhine-Westphalia at the forefront of UEFA Euro 2024.
5. EURO 2024 marks the fifth consecutive appearance for Poland in the European Championship, showcasing their enduring presence on the international stage.
6. Cristiano Ronaldo's participation in EURO 2024 marks his remarkable sixth appearance in the final tournament, underscoring his enduring impact on the European stage.
7. Seven matches mark the demanding road each finalist must conquer in the pursuit of the EURO 2024 title.
8. Before EURO 2024, Portugal has participated in eight European Championships throughout their rich footballing history.
9. Nine is the number of all the former champions that secured their spots in the tournament: Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain.
10. Ten cities have been selected to stage all the matches: Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Stuttgart.
11. Eleven distinct nations have clinched the trophy since the tournament's inception.
12. Albärt is set to become the twelfth EURO mascot, succeeding Pinocchio, who debuted as the first mascot in 1980. Albärt earned his name through a vote involving UEFA.com users and schoolchildren from across Europe.
13. Тhirteen marks the total number of times Germany, Spain, and France alone have reached the final of the tournament throughout its history. This figure surpasses the combined total of eight other historical finalists.
14. Hosts Germany will make their fourteenth appearance at the EURO final tournaments, surpassing all other nations in participation.
15. Fifteen consecutive victories, spanning from 23 March 2019 to 2 July 2021, define Italy's remarkable football journey, encompassing both qualifying matches and final tournaments.
16. Cristiano Ronaldo boasts an impressive record of captaining Portugal in sixteen appearances across multiple UEFA European Championships, solidifying his status as one of the most influential leaders in the tournament's history.
17. The upcoming UEFA European Championship marks the seventeenth edition of this prestigious tournament, showcasing the enduring legacy and excitement that has characterized European football for decades.
18. Italy holds the record for the most draws in the history of the tournament, with eighteen instances, reflecting their competitive spirit and ability to hold their ground on the European stage.
19. Throughout the tournament's history, a total of nineteen European different countries have had the honor of hosting matches, symbolizing the widespread appeal and reach of the UEFA European Championship.
20. Twenty is the number of victories the Netherlands has achieved in the tournament's history, in 39 matches, giving them the highest winning percentage record (51.3%).

More Interesting and Important Facts That Matter

• The tournament will last for 31 days, commencing with the opening match in Munich on 14 June and concluding with the final in Berlin on 14 July.
• The victorious team will receive 40 gold medals, while the runners-up will be awarded 40 silver medals.
• A total of 51 matches will be played over 22 matchdays.
• Germany will rely on the support of 16,000 volunteers to ensure the successful execution of the tournament.
• The EURO 2024 final at Olympiastadion Berlin will host 71,000 spectators.
• Over 80% of the 2.7 million tickets will be allocated to the fans of participating teams and the general public.
• An investment of €32 million underpins the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy for EURO 2024, aiming to make it the most sustainable European Championship ever.
• The total prize money for the participating teams remains at €331 million, the same as for UEFA EURO 2020.