PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 21 ARE PROHIBITED TO PLAY REMOTE TABLE GAMES AND ON CATEGORY A GAMING MACHINES
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WARNING: IRRESPONSIBLE GAMBLING MAY BECOME THE CAUSE OF GAMBLING ADDICTION
PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 21 ARE PROHIBITED TO PLAY REMOTE TABLE GAMES •PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ARE PROHIBITED TO PLAY •WARNING: IRRESPONSIBLE GAMBLING MAY BECOME THE CAUSE OF GAMBLING ADDITION
EURO 2024 is perhaps the most anticipated football tournament on the continent in the last four years as Italy tries to defend its title in Germany. But this time, there will be many more contenders for the trophy; France and England are already considered the clear favourites. Still, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and the German hosts are also keen to get their hands on the coveted trophy.
Although the first European Football Championship was held in 1960, the concept is much older. It dates back to 1927, when Henri Delaunay, the administrator of the French Football Federation, first proposed a pan-European football tournament. He later became UEFA's first Secretary General, but he passed away before the tournament was officially launched. The trophy was named in his honour.
The Delaunay Cup originally featured a boy juggling and the words 'Championnat d'Europe' on the back with 'Coupe Henri Delaunay' on the front. In 2008, it was redesigned to be larger and more in line with modern UEFA trophies. The latest one is made of silver, weighs approximately 17.5 pounds, and stands just over 23 inches high. You will also now find the names of the winning countries engraved on the back.
Germany and Spain are the most successful countries in the tournament's history, with three titles each. Spain is the only country to have successfully defended its title, having done so in 2012. Germany has played the most matches (53), scored the most goals (75), and also won the most of those matches (28). In 1984, France was the only country to win all its matches (five out of five). In 1992, Denmark won the title with only two wins in five matches.
Over the years, EURO has become increasingly popular with TV viewers, and in 2016, the total live audience for the 51-match tournament grew to 2 billion.
The European Football Championship is divided into five rounds: group stages, a round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals:
UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations) chose the host country for Euro 2024 and the specific cities where the matches will be held through a competitive tender process. Germany won the bid to host the tournament, and various cities in the country were selected as venues based on certain criteria, such as infrastructure and geographic location.
Euro 2024 will feature 24 teams, the same as all previous tournaments since 2016. The national teams will compete in group stages, followed by play-offs, semi-finals and a final to decide the European champions. The current champions are the Italians.
In addition to the host country, Germany, the following teams qualified for the main tournament: Albania, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Italy, Croatia, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, France, Spain, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Ukraine, Poland, Turkey and Hungary.
The teams that have secured their place in the main qualifying round of the European Football Championship are placed in groups:
France, Germany, England, Portugal and Spain are considered favourites for the 2024 European Football Championship.
Spain shook off the defeat in Glasgow to qualify for Euro 2024 as Group A leaders. They performed well at Euro 2020 under Luis Enrique. However, after the unsuccessful World Cup, the coach left his post, and Luis de la Fuente will lead the Spaniards into battle this summer.
Though home advantage certainly gives Germany an advantage as hosts, it does not mean an automatic place in the final. Die Mannschaft's performance in 2023 was a disaster. But since then, the Germans have stepped up and hope to bounce back at home with Julian Nagelsmann at the helm. Germany has a very talented midfield, which the return of Toni Kroos has strengthened. They will undoubtedly have a lot of support, but this team will lack the defensive quality needed to win a major tournament.
Portugal can rival any country in the world in terms of talent. Its team has a host of stars and will go into Euro 2024 as one of the favourites. Roberto Martinez replaced Fernando Santos at the helm, and the new manager has been quick to make the most of the Portuguese talent.
England will go into a major tournament as favourites for the first time in a long time. The English will be on everyone's radar by now, and Gareth Southgate's squad is more than capable of going all the way in Germany.
France, the 2018 World Cup finalists, narrowly missed out on the title in Qatar after a series of penalty shootouts against Argentina. France cruised through the qualifying stages and now looks like a team aiming to win their first European title since 2000 this summer. They have arguably the best footballer in the world in Mbappe, and Deschamps can be very effective at the crucial moment.
Football wouldn't be the same without its brightest stars. Watch players like Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane as they strive to write their names in European Football Championship history.
In addition to these superstars, some legends may be playing their last tournament on the ‘old continent’ in 2024. These could include Antoine Griezmann, Manuel Neuer, and Robert Lewandowski.
As this is the last European Football Championship for the older generation of football stars, it is also a tournament where some of the world's greatest talents can make their first real mark at a European Championship. Jude Bellingham, Rasmus Højlund, and Jamal Musiala are among the young talents who will take the field at Euro 2024.
The Euro 2024 logo symbolises a Euro that welcomes everyone and celebrates diversity. The logo of the European Football Championship is made up of the colours of the flags of the 55 UEFA members. In the centre of the logo is a cup surrounded by 24 coloured areas representing the championship participants.
The Euro 2024 slogan is 'United by Football. Vereint im Herzen Europas (United in the Heart of Europe).’ This slogan symbolises unity, togetherness, and inclusiveness. This phrase was also used during the bidding process and was chosen by the ten host cities.