The draw for the 2016 European Championships will take place in Paris on Saturday. The famous British football analyst Jonathan Wilson, in his article for the Guardian, briefly described each Euro participant and tried to give characteristics and estimate the chances of the teams based on the degree of possibility of winning the tournament.
“Leonid Slutsky’s goalkeeper career ended due to an injury received after falling from a tree. Then his goal was to save a cat. The mission to save the Russian team was much more successful.” The Guardian's Jonathan Wilson's take on all 24 teams
*France will be among the top seeded teams in Group A
They are world champions, but they lost to Poland and Ireland in the qualifying tournament. It is still unclear why they won the Cup - thanks to or despite Joachim Löw, especially since there are great creators, the problem of the lack of forwards remains unresolved.
Spain (2nd place)
The team's failure at last year's World Cup galvanized Del Bosque, who was able to skillfully manage the generational change, and Spain still have an excellent selection of talented players.
England (3rd place)
Hugely flawed but with excellent young pacey forwards, England may well succeed if they rely on counter-attacking football, despite potential criticism on their return home.
Portugal (4th place)
Finally, they qualified for the tournament directly, but a significant imbalance in the team is still felt. As Cristiano Ronaldo said, they need two or three Ronaldos at once.
Belgium (5th place)
The first place in the FIFA rankings is too flattering for the Belgians, who at the same time have a whole range of talents on their roster - Thibaut Courtua and Christian Benteke, Romelu Lukaku and Jan Vertonghen, Axel Witsel and Eden Hazard. The main doubts are not caused by the most experienced trainer- Mark Wilmots.
Italy (6th place)
In qualifying, the team played uninteresting, but productive football - and there is nothing shameful in that. The real Italy will likely only emerge in the weeks leading up to the tournament, when Antonio Conte has time to work on his team pressing.
France (7th place)
Since World War II, France has hosted a major tournament twice and won twice. They have an excellent goalkeeper (Hugo Lloris), a powerful midfield (Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuudi, Morgan Schneiderlin, Geoffrey Kondogbia) and a varied forward line (Antoine Griezmann, Anthony Martial, Olivier Giroud) even in the absence of Karim Benzema (who the national team was suspended by the French Football Federation).
Russia (8th place)
Leonid Slutsky's goalkeeper career ended due to an injury received after falling from a tree. Then his goal was to save the cat. The mission to rescue the Russian team was much more successful. Now the question is how talented players will be able to prove themselves at the tournament itself.
Switzerland (9th place)
The fact that they were seeded after the World Cup seems rather strange. In the group, the Swiss were beaten twice by the British. The main star of the team is Xherdan Shaqiri.
Austria (10th place)
Under the leadership of Marcel Koller they are getting stronger and stronger. The game is built around David Alaba, who plays in midfield in matches for the national team. However, the 4-1 win over Sweden showed that this is not a one-man team.
Croatia (11th place)
Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic are some of the strongest midfielders in the world, and Mario Mandzukic has explosive attacking potential. The rest of the team's players are a little lower level.
Ukraine (12th place)
It was a little unexpected that they had to play in the playoffs to get to the Euro, but on the other hand, the group was not easy. At the same time, Evgeniy Konoplyanka and Andrei Yarmolenko are a very effective pair of wingers.
Czech Republic (13th place)
They came out of a rather strange group where Holland buried themselves and everyone could take points from everyone, but they still remain a balanced team with technical players.
Sweden (14th place)
Age team with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the lineup. This was enough to qualify, but unless Zlatan has an inspired month next year, it will be difficult for them to qualify from the group.
Poland (15th place)
Poland is on the verge of creating a strong national team. Robert Lewandowski brings the goals and plays well with Arkadiusz Milik, while Grzegorz Krychowiak is an outstanding holding midfielder. They beat Germany in the qualifying round and advanced from the toughest group.
Romania (16th place)
Slovakia (17th place)
What is the real Slovakia like? The team that won the first six matches of the qualifying tournament, or the one that collected only 4 points from the final four matches of qualifying, including the victory over Luxembourg?
Hungary (18th place)
After reaching a major tournament for the first time in 30 years, the team fell into euphoria, but we should not forget that today’s team has nothing in common with the great teams of the past. Bernd Storck has created an organized team, whose unpredictability is added by Balazs Dzsudzsak and Laszlo Kleinhesler.
Türkiye (19th place)
Qualified as the best third team in the selection thanks to the final spurt and three victories in a row - Fatih Terim is back in the saddle. Most famous player, of course - Arda Turan.
Ireland (20th place)
Very limited team. In the absence of creativity and class of players, Martin O'Neill relied on the organization of the game and instilled a fighting spirit in the team. Now they are not so easy to beat.
Iceland (21st place)
The country with the smallest population to ever make it to a major tournament, while Iceland missed out on the last World Cup, only losing in the play-offs. A balanced and well-played team could well be a surprise at the Euro.
Wales (22nd place)
It's not just Gareth Bale, although he is the main attacking threat for their opponents. Ashley Williams and Aaron Ramsey form a strong central core for a team that could reach the quarter-finals if the draw is successful.
Albania (23rd place)
A qualification is a qualification and Albania deserves to be in the tournament more than some. Although the canceled match in Serbia was an important bonus for them. They didn't concede a single goal at home in the qualifying tournament, but perhaps the only thing they will have to hope for is a lucky break.
Northern Ireland (24th place)
The team achieved a historic result, qualifying for the tournament for the first time. Among the strengths, only a strong defense and an inspired goalkeeper (38-year-old Roy Carroll) can be noted, which are unlikely to help the team go far, and even team spirit will not help here.
On December 12, 2015, the draw for the final Euro 2016 tournament took place in Paris.
Let us remind you that 24 teams will take part in the upcoming continental championship for the first time in history. They will be divided into six groups. According to the regulations, all first and second place holders, as well as four best teams of the third place winners. Thus, at the end of the group stage, only eight teams will leave the tournament.
/ In Rostov, the Russian team lost to Croatia 1:4, photo www.site /
GROUP “A”: France, Romania, Albania, Switzerland
Such a group is usually called a “life group.” Undoubtedly, the draw was favorable to the hosts of the upcoming European Championship. France is the clear favorite of this quartet. True, there is one “but”. Now, taking into account loud scandal called “Valbuena - Benzema”, the atmosphere in the “Musketeers” camp is far from being the best. And if by the summer head coach Didier Deschamps fails to improve the microclimate in the team, the “tricolors” may face serious difficulties.
If the French manage to resolve all their internal conflicts, I think they shouldn’t have any problems leaving the group. Indeed, in terms of sporting parameters, the hosts of Euro are certainly superior to their competitors.
Romania and Switzerland are also counting on reaching the playoffs. Their chances of success look about the same. Perhaps the Swiss have a slight advantage in terms of experience: they have been taking part in major tournaments more often lately.
A debutant at the European Championships, Albania is a “dark horse” not only of Group A, but of the entire Euro. The Mountain Eagles have already created a sensation in the qualifying campaign, beating the teams of Denmark and Serbia. Will Gianni De Biasi's team manage to make some noise in the final tournament?
Leonid Slutsky's team got caught middle group. And the Russians are quite capable of getting out of it. Especially considering the current regulations.
It is clear that the first candidate to reach the playoffs is England. In the qualifying campaign for Euro 2016, Roy Hodgson's squad was the only team that did not lose a single point, and Wayne Rooney broke Bobby Charlton's record and became the top scorer in the history of the England team.
Now the founders of football have an excellent squad, with several people vying for each position. So the British are potentially capable of a lot in France.
The main contenders for the second spot in the 1/8 finals, in theory, are the Russians. However, this can be doubted if you look at how confidently the Slovakian team went through the qualifying round. Jan Kozak's team only let current European champion Spain get ahead of them and were able to get ahead of Ukraine - a worthy achievement. The Russian team is superior to the Slovaks in terms of class, but even here not everything is so simple. With the exception of Denis Cheryshev, all the players on our team play at home, and the RFPL, frankly speaking, is not one of the leading European championships. In turn, Slovak football players play in leading clubs in England, Germany, and Italy. And Marek Hamsik is one of the leaders of Napoli, which is fighting for the Scudetto.
And yet I would like to hope that the team Leonid Slutsky will be able to cope with the unyielding Slovak team. And at the same time, take revenge from her for the qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup.
The Welsh national team will make its debut at the continental championships, and the “dragons”, of course, pin all their hopes on their main star Gareth Bale. In the qualifying round, the Real Madrid midfielder lived up to these aspirations, scoring more than half of his team's goals and becoming a hero of the nation. Now Welsh fans are waiting for new exploits from their idol in France.
GROUP “C”: Germany, Ukraine, Poland, Northern Ireland
After meeting in the qualifying campaign, the lot brought the Germans and Poles together and final tournament. The fights between these teams always turn out to be principled and uncompromising. So in the current selection they exchanged victories and together reached the final stage.
As the current world champions, the German team is naturally one of the favorites in any tournament. And even not the brightest performance in the selection does not deprive her of this status. Of course, Joachim Loew's squad should reach the 1/8 finals.
In addition to Poland, Ukraine will probably also qualify for a place in the playoffs. Overcoming the curse play-offs, the “zhovto-blakitnye” hope to perform in France more successfully than four years ago at the home Euro, where they failed to overcome the group stage barrier.
As for Northern Ireland, which is preparing to make its debut at the European Championships, its chances of success seem slim. Yes, Michael O’Neill’s team managed to qualify from first place in the group, but at that time its opponents had neither giants nor simply truly strong teams. Greece has failed, and Romania and Hungary have not shined lately. In the final tournament the level of opponents will be different.
GROUP “D”: Spain, Türkiye, Czech Republic, Croatia
By the will of fate, there are two “groups of death” at Euro 2016, and this is the first of them. In quartet “D” everyone came together so that it could be considered one of the strongest in its composition. And Turkey, which was one of the strongest teams in the fourth pot, and the now very strong Czech Republic, and the traditionally strong Croatia, and, of course, the current European champion Spain.
/ Croatian national team 2015 in Rostov, photo photo www.site /
It is obvious that Vicente Del Bosque's team stands apart. Both as the current holder of the trophy, and as a team now demonstrating truly cosmic football. Yes, the Spaniards failed at last year’s World Cup, but I don’t think that Brazilian history will repeat itself now. Moreover, back then, lack of motivation was cited as the main reason for failure. Now everything is the other way around: the “red fury” is eager to rehabilitate itself for its failure at the World Championships.
The other three teams have approximately equal chances of qualifying from the group. This is the beauty of “death groups”, that there are not and cannot be outsiders! By the way, the Turks and Czechs were together in the qualifying group and exchanged away victories. True, the “Janissaries” won their victory when the Czech Republic had already secured a ticket to Euro.
GROUP “E”: Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Sweden
The first “group of death” is immediately followed by the second. However, this is not surprising, considering that from the second basket, four-time champion world - Italian team.
As in the previous quartet, all four teams will likely qualify for the playoffs here. The chances of Italy and Belgium look more preferable. In general, many people call Mark Wilmots' team one of the main favorites of the tournament. This is understandable: the Belgian national team now probably has the strongest squad in history, and at the Brazilian World Cup it has already begun to realize its potential, reaching the quarterfinals. Now that these players have gained experience, it’s time to “shoot” at the European Championship. Moreover, the continental championship will be held in neighboring France, which means we will see a lot of Belgian fans at Euro matches.
However, despite the presence of such eminent rivals, the Irish and Swedes, of course, are not going to give up without a fight. The combativeness and character of the Irish national team have long been the stuff of legends. In the qualifying tournament, the “guys in green” took four points from two games with Germany and once again successfully overcame the knockout stages. The team may be inferior to the opponent in skill, but it will always fight to the last! And, as practice shows, such perseverance often brings success to the Irish.
As for the Swedes, the presence of Ibrahimovic in the squad already gives hope. A month ago, Zlatan almost single-handedly ensured success for his team in the “seams” and now, like a true leader, he is ready to lead the “Tre Kronur” to new successes in France. Ibrahimovic will certainly be motivated by the fact that Euro 2016 may be his last major tournament at the national team level.
GROUP “F”: Portugal, Iceland, Austria, Hungary
Having started our story about the participants of the upcoming Euro c “ life groups", and we end it as such. Only Quartet “F” seems even more “resort” than Group “A”.
This is largely due to the fact that Portugal got here from the first basket. With all due respect to the team of Fernando Santos, now it cannot be put on a par with Spain, Germany, and England. And with Italy, which was in the second basket at the time of the draw.
Nevertheless, it is “ European Brazilians" are the favorites of group "F". Just as Swedish fans rely on Ibrahimovic, the Portuguese rely on Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile, next year he will turn 31 - the autumn of his career is just around the corner. And if Portugal cannot win anything with Ronaldo, then without him it will be even more difficult.
All other teams in this quartet are entirely “dark horses”. The Austrian team performed so confidently in the selection that it would be hard to classify them as outsiders. Taking into account the composition of the group, Marcel Koller's team is quite capable of qualifying for the next round.
The Hungarians finally managed to break the losing streak that lasted for several decades and qualified for a major tournament. It is still difficult to judge how competitive they will be among the strongest teams in Europe. However, the draw sent Bernd Storck's team not to the strongest group, and therefore, we must assume, the Hungarians will have the opportunity to show their strong qualities.
Well, the Icelandic team has, perhaps, the most promising prospects among the Euro debutants. In the qualifying tournament, Lars Lagerbeck's team defeated Holland twice, beat the Czech Republic, defeated Turkey - with such agility, you can count on a lot in the final tournament of the continental championship. Under the leadership of Lagerbäck, the Icelanders are not afraid of anyone and, I think, are ready to surprise football Europe again.
Well, all the more interesting. As the Greek national team showed us at Euro 2004, nothing is impossible in football.
The French automatically took first place in Group A, as the hosts of the upcoming European football championship. Further, the sports draw, as it seems at first glance, did not bring negative emotions to the 1998 world champions. The French's opponents in Group A at EURO 2016 will be the teams of Romania, Albania and Switzerland.
Group B
Group B arouses the greatest interest among Russian football fans, because this is where the Russian national team was drawn by lot. In addition to the Russians, Quartet B included two British teams: England and Wales. The Slovaks are fourth in Group B.
Group C
Group C was headed by the current world champions and three-time winners of the European championships - the Germans. Germany's opponents in the group stage of EURO 2016 will be the national teams of Ukraine, Poland and Northern Ireland. It is noteworthy that the German team qualifying stage By EURO 2016 I had already met with the Poles. The matches were very interesting, which further fuels the intrigue for the upcoming battles.
Group D
Quartet D at EURO 2016 seems to be one of the most interesting. Despite the fact that the tournament leaves a chance for the team that took third place in the group to reach the playoffs, it is currently difficult to determine the top three favorites. The exception may be the Spanish team, but this team will also have to face serious resistance in the form of the Czechs, Turks and Croats.
Group E
Group E at EURO 2016 can rightfully be considered a “quartet of death”. This is no coincidence; just look at the composition of the participants. Nominally the first place was taken by the Belgian national team, which in recent years has been experiencing one of the best football generations in the country's history. The Belgians will be joined by past finalists of the European Championship, the Italians, the strong Irish, and the Swedes, led by the evergreen Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Group F
The last group of the 2016 European Championship is significantly behind in terms of names in terms of the composition of its participants. However, in this quartet there are plans interesting confrontations. The Portuguese national team, led by one of the best football players modern Ronaldo, took first place. In addition to the Portuguese, the teams of Iceland, Austria and Hungary will play in Group F.
20:55 Moscow time. The draw has come to an end. The final composition of the groups of the European Championship 2016.
20:53 Moscow time. The Italians ended up with the teams of Belgium, Sweden and Ireland. Another difficult group.
20:52 Moscow time. The Croats were in a fairly even group. Their opponents will be the teams of Spain, the Czech Republic and Turkey;
20:51 Moscow time. The Ukrainian team was placed in a group with teams from Germany, Poland and Northern Ireland.
20:50 Moscow time. The Russian team ended up in Group B with the British, Slovaks and Welsh.
20:49 Moscow time. Here we go full composition groups A. France, Switzerland, Romania, Albania;
20:47 Moscow time. There is a second basket left, in which the Russian team is waiting in the wings.
20:46 Moscow time. Sweden, led by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, was drawn into the group with Belgium and Ireland. The Hungarians were drawn into Group F with Portugal and Iceland.
20:44 Moscow time. The Czech national team ended up in Group D with the Spaniards and Turks.
20:43 Moscow time. The Polish national team became the 2014 world champions and one of the main sensations of the Euro 2016 selection. It is noteworthy that the Germans played the Poles in the European Championship qualifications.
20:43 Moscow time. The Slovak team went to join England and Wales. They diluted the British company.
20:42 Moscow time. The Romanian team ended up in Group A with the French and Albanians.
20:40 Moscow time. Half of the draw has passed. Here is the preliminary composition of the groups:
Group A: France, Albania;
Group B: England, Wales;
Group C: Germany, Northern Ireland;
Group D: Spain, Türkiye;
Group E: Belgium, Ireland;
Group F: Portugal, Iceland.
20:39 Moscow time. Ireland went to Quartet E with the Belgians, and Iceland ended up in Group F with the Portuguese.
20:38 Moscow time. The most strong team from the fourth basket - the Turkish team, ended up in Group D with the Spaniards.
20:37 Moscow time. Northern Ireland ended up in Group C with the reigning world champions, the Germans. The debutants were unlucky, needless to say.
20:36 Moscow time. Group B will feature two British teams - England and Wales.
20:35 Moscow time. The Albanian team went to Group A.
20:34 Moscow time. Ruud Gullit talks about the teams that will play at Euro 2016 for the first time.
20:32 Moscow time. The current European champion, Spain, was placed in Group D. The Belgians went to Group E, and the Portuguese went to Quartet F.
20:30 Moscow time. The England team was in Group B. The German team went to Quartet C.
20:29 Moscow time. David Trezeguet pulled out France. The symbolic start of the draw has been given!
20:28 Moscow time.“Today’s draw is a historic event, since for the first time 24 teams will play in the tournament. This decision has already justified itself, because qualifying tournament brought some unexpected results. Several teams have qualified for the Euros for the first time and we are all convinced that it will be a fantastic tournament."
20:25 Moscow time. And here is UEFA Secretary General Gianni Infantino. He began his speech with this: “Paris experienced tragic events a few weeks ago. On behalf of UEFA, I express my solidarity with the entire French people. Our thoughts are with those affected by the terrorist attacks of November 13.”
20:23 Moscow time. Antonin Panenka on stage. Probably the most famous penalty taker in the history of football. Also on stage to participate in the draw were Oliver Bierhoff, David Trezeguet (greeted with deafening applause), and Angelos Charisteas. On stage are the authors of the winning goals in the Euro 1976, 1996, 2000 and 2004 finals.
20:21 Moscow time. But this is touching. Now on the screen they show how Michel Platini scored in the Euro 1984 final. The hall burst into loud applause. The UEFA President would be pleased...
20:19 Moscow time. came on stage head coach Spanish national team Vicente Del Bosque. He said: “We will try to win the European Championship once again, but we understand that strong opponents will play against us.”
20:16 Moscow time. Musician David Guetta took the stage. "I want to say that it is a great honor that I was chosen as the creator of the anthem. I think that sport unites people and football does the same. I want the anthem to contribute to this. We have created a special application for this. Everyone can sing, if anything - we will fix it. We want there to be millions of votes from fans. In general, I would like this song to be about unity. Music unites people, just like sports, but we left a part that will be recorded by fans. This will be included in the final version,” he said, addressing the audience.
20:14 Moscow time. 24 guys and girls ran onto the stage wearing T-shirts painted in the colors of the flags of the teams that will play at the Euro. There is a blonde girl in a “Russian” T-shirt. Yes, women are the main wealth of our country. Everything is correct. Young people dance to modern music. The ringleader is the tournament mascot Super Victor.
20:10 Moscow time. The show continues. A female chansonnier came on stage and sang a song. Equilibrists spin in the air to the song. Looks pretty nice.
20:08 Moscow time. France has a huge number of attractions. 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Only Italy, China and Spain have more.
20:06 Moscow time. The cities are being presented (winning photographs of Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, and so on are shown on the screen). All this is done to the sounds of violin, accordion and cello.
20:03 Moscow time. Lizarazu and Gullit appeared on the stage. It seems that for the first time the draw will be led by former football players. Usually this is a spectacular beauty and a cute boy with white teeth. They declared the drawing ceremony open. There is a performance on stage now. The girls lift up their skirts and run around in circles. This is a kind of Moulin Rouge.
20:00 Moscow time. First, the big screen showed how the head coach of the French national team, Didier Deschamps, entered the Palace of Congresses. Then they showed our Leonid Slutsky and Sergei Pryadkin. Respect!
20:00 Moscow time. Everything is ready for the draw to begin. It's about to start.
19:58 Moscow time. In general, journalists at the preliminary draw for the 2018 World Cup in St. Petersburg worked more comfortably than in Paris. There in the drawing room there were sockets and lamps. Each person was given a pencil to write down who was in which group. Here - sit on a chair and wait until the computer runs out. No sockets, disgraceful.
19:54 Moscow time. Despite the recent terrorist attacks, the French authorities decided not to reorganize the fan zones. “It’s better to let the fans gather in one place than wander around the whole city,” said the head of the organizing committee, Jacques Lambert.
19:52 Moscow time. A few numbers. The Vice-Mayor of Paris said at a meeting with reporters. that during Euro 2016 about 3 million tourists will come to the city. In general, about 7 million fans are expected in France. However, for France these figures should not look astronomical. France is a leader in the tourism industry not only in Europe, but throughout the world. The country is visited annually by 75 million tourists.
19:50 Moscow time. The draw will be held by the 1998 World and 2000 European champion in the French national team, Bixant Lizarazu, and the 1988 European champion, Dutchman Ruud Gullit. Other stars will help them. For example, the German Oliver Bierhoff, who scored the decisive goal in the Euro 1996 final, the author of the main goal of Euro 2004, the Greek Angelos Charisteas. Gullit is generally our man. He coached Terek Grozny. A bright, cheerful man. WITH Russian club, however, nothing good came of it for him.
19:44 Moscow time. There are less than 20 minutes left before the ceremony begins. The hall of the Palace of Congresses will be filled to capacity. The people are in darkness. More than a thousand people for sure. Now representatives of national associations and journalists are taking their places.
19:42 Moscow time. Some financial information. Each of the 24 teams will receive €8 million for their performance at the European Championships. The total amount of prize money for the tournament participants will be €301 million, and the winner can receive €27 million. UEFA expects to earn about €1.95 billion from the tournament.
19:38 Moscow time. Speaking about the change in the format of the European Championship, it is worth noting that the upcoming tournament will feature five teams that have not previously qualified for this prestigious tournament. In the summer of 2016, the national teams of Iceland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Albania and Slovakia will make their debut in France.
19:32 Moscow time. Most often, in the group stages of the European Championships, the Russian team played with the Greek team (3 times - 2 wins, 1 loss). But the teams will definitely not meet in France, since the Greeks failed to qualify for Euro 2016. The Russians played against the teams of Spain (two defeats) and the Czech Republic (win and draw) twice in the group.
19:28 Moscow time. This scheme lasted until 1996, when at a tournament in England the number of participants was increased to 16 teams. The format with four groups and a full playoff round (1/4 finals, 1/2 finals, final) functioned until Euro 2012, after which UEFA made further changes to the tournament.
19:24 Moscow time. The first expansion of the number of participants in the European Championship took place in 1980. Eight teams were divided into two groups, the winners of which advanced to the finals, and the teams that came second in the groups played bronze medals. The first winner of the tournament with this tournament structure was the German national team.
19:22 Moscow time. The first European Championship took place in 1960, the host of the tournament was France (host cities: Paris and Marseille). Four teams took part in the championship - Czechoslovakia, USSR, Yugoslavia and France. The first winner of the tournament was the USSR team, which beat the Yugoslav team in overtime. Victory Soviet football players brought a precise shot from Viktor Ponedelnik in overtime.
19:20 Moscow time. And now some statistics. The only team that has taken part in all European Championships is the German national team (12). Top scorer In the entire history of the tournament, Frenchman Michel Platini, currently serving as UEFA President, has scored 9 goals. Of the current players, Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo (6 goals each) have the best chance of surpassing the Frenchman's achievement.
Winners of the European Championships
The record holders for the number of victories are the national teams of Spain and Germany
Spain - 1964, 2008, 2012; Germany - 1972, 1980, 1996;
France - 1984, 2000;
USSR - 1960; Italy - 1968; Czechoslovakia - 1976; Netherlands - 1988; Denmark - 1992; Greece - 2004.
Continuation
19:18 Moscow time. Naturally, there is a huge amount of press. People came from all over the world (even though this is not a World Cup draw). Most of all, of course, the British. Moreover, judging by the conversations, they are no longer interested in who the England team will play against, but in Michel Platini, the money transferred to Joseph Blatter and other things that have very little to do with football.
19:16 Moscow time. The Russian team will compete at the fourth European Championship in a row. Best result national team V modern history is reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2008, where the team led by Guus Hiddink lost to the eventual winner of the tournament - the Spaniards.
19:14 Moscow time. The football elite are at the draw. Vicente Del Bosque, Lennart Johansson... Even Sheikh Salman came, by the way - one of the favorites in the FIFA presidential elections (interview with him). Only Blatter and Platini are missing. We all know why - they are suspended from football activities. Although it was rumored that Platini appeared at the Paris hotel on Friday, where the UEFA executive committee was meeting. However, his friend Jacques Lambert (head of the organizing committee for preparations for Euro 2016) denied this information. A TASS correspondent, who was on duty at this hotel in order to talk with one of the members of the executive committee, confirms: Platini was not there!
19:12 Moscow time. It is worth noting that the European Championship in France will be the first tournament in which 24 teams will compete (previously 16 teams participated in the Euro). Due to the increase in the number of participants, the format of the European Championship was changed - two groups of four teams were added, and another stage appeared in the playoff round - the 1/8 finals.
19:10 Moscow time The Russian team ended up in the second basket. On group stage The European Championship will definitely not play against the teams of Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia and Ukraine. It is worth noting that UEFA, despite the tense relations between Russia and Turkey, did not separate these teams during the draw, so the Russian team can end up in the same group with the Turkish one.
19:08 Moscow time. Now about our delegation. It is headed by the President of the RFPL, Vice-President of the RFU Sergei Pryadkin. The head coach of the Russian national team, Leonid Slutsky, also arrived. The delegation also includes heads of various departments of the RFU. In general, there are many of our people. There are also many Russian journalists. Not much less than the English ones.
19:06 Moscow time. Let us recall the drawing procedure. 24 teams are divided into four baskets. The first pot included the teams of Spain, Germany, England, Portugal and Belgium. The French team will not be in any seeding pot, since it is automatically assigned the first position in Group A (as the host country of the European championship). Participants in the final stage will be divided into six groups of four teams (from A to F), from where the two strongest teams, as well as the four best teams that took third place in their groups, will advance to the playoffs.
19:04 Moscow time. By the way, not everyone is allowed inside (that is, into the drawing room). But the TASS correspondent, of course, will be allowed in. So, dear ladies and gentlemen, you don’t have to worry about high-quality online broadcasting!
19:02 Moscow time. French authorities have repeatedly said that security at the draw will be especially strict. This is true. The search at the entrance to the Palace of Congresses is extremely attentive. They force you to take everything out of the bag. And computers, and notepads, and chargers, and even souvenir badges with pennants, reports TASS special correspondent Ilya Andreev. The police, however, are very polite. “Pardon, silvuple, bonjour” and so on. Everything is fine with the organization of the event.
19:00 Moscow time. Hello, dear readers! TASS begins online broadcasting of the draw for the final part of the European Football Championship, which will be held in France in the summer of 2016. The event will begin at 20.00 Moscow time in Paris. Based on the results of the draw, the composition of the teams at the group stage of the tournament will be determined; the Russian team will recognize its opponents at this stage.
