UEFA EURO 2016 finals draw: all you need to know
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
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When is the UEFA EURO 2016 draw? How will it work? What are the draw pots? What is the hardest and easiest possible group? How to get tickets. The answers are all here.
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When is the draw?
The draw takes place in Paris on 12 December and starts at 18.00CET.
How does the draw work?
The 23 qualifiers have been divided into four pots based on UEFA national coefficients. France are not included in the pots as they are automatically assigned as team A1, so Pot 1 has five teams.
The teams will be drawn into six groups of four (Groups A to F). The draw starts with Pot 1. One ball is drawn and the team is assigned to Group B, position B1; a second ball is drawn and the team is assigned to Group C, position C1; and so on till Group F.
The draw continues with Pot 4. A ball is drawn and the team assigned to Group A. The position of this team within Group A is also determined by draw. A second ball is drawn from Pot 4 and assigned to Group B; again the position within Group B is drawn. The procedure is repeated for all teams in Pot 4.
The draw continues with Pot 3 and concludes with Pot 2. Each time a team is drawn the position within the relevant group is determined by draw. The top two in each section plus the four best third-placed sides advance to the knockout phase.
Which teams are in which pot?
What is the hardest possible group?
According to the coefficients it is Germany, Italy, Czech Republic and Turkey. The 'easiest' would be Belgium, Ukraine, Hungary and Northern Ireland. But we know better than that. Denmark in 1992 and Greece in 2004 prove that of all major football competitions, the UEFA European Championship is one when every (under)dog has its day.
How can I get tickets for the finals?
A million tickets were allocated in the summer but if you missed out then never fear: ticket sales for supporters of national teams that have qualified for UEFA EURO 2016 start after the final draw in December. Then, in March and April, there will be a ticket resale portal for fans that purchased tickets in June/July 2015 who might want to sell their tickets.
How will UEFA EURO 2016 work?
You will find everything you need to know here.