UEFA Euro 2024

Euro 2024 was played across ten German cities in June and July 2024. Twenty-four teams were drawn into six groups of four; the top two from each group advanced along with the four best third-placed teams, making a round of 16 and a straight knockout from there.

Spain won it, beating England 2-1 in the final in Berlin, and did so without dropping a match at any stage.

How qualification from the groups worked

Six groups of four produce twelve automatic qualifiers, which does not fill a round of 16. The four best third-placed teams across all six groups filled the gap, ranked on points, then goal difference, then goals scored.

That rule is why a team could lose two of three group matches and still reach the knockout stage, and it is the same mechanism the 2026 World Cup adopted at a larger scale.

The knockout rounds

Single matches from the round of 16 onwards, extra time and penalties where needed. No third-place play-off is played at the European Championship, which is the clearest difference from the World Cup format.

How Euro 2024 was decided

Spain beat England 2-1 in the final in Berlin on 14 July 2024, and did it without losing a match at any stage of the tournament. Seven matches, seven results, which no side had managed at a European Championship since the competition expanded.

England reached a second consecutive final and lost it, having come through a knockout run that included two matches decided in extra time. The pattern of their tournament, unconvincing in the group stage and durable in the knockouts, was the opposite of Spain's.

The format, and the rule that shaped it

Twenty-four teams in six groups of four produce twelve automatic qualifiers, which does not fill a round of 16. The four best third-placed teams filled the gap, ranked across all six groups on points, then goal difference, then goals scored.

That rule is why a team could lose two of three group matches and still reach the knockout stage, and it drew the same criticism the 2026 World Cup attracted at larger scale: a group stage where finishing third is frequently survivable is a group stage with less at stake.

There is no third-place play-off at the European Championship, which is the clearest structural difference from the World Cup. The losing semi-finalists go home.

Euro 2024: common questions

Who won Euro 2024?

Spain, who beat England 2-1 in the final in Berlin on 14 July 2024. Spain won the tournament without losing a match.

Where was Euro 2024 played?

Across ten German cities in June and July 2024, with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

How did teams qualify from the groups at Euro 2024?

The top two from each of the six groups advanced automatically, and the four best third-placed teams across all groups filled the remaining places in the round of 16, ranked on points, then goal difference, then goals scored.

How many matches were played at Euro 2024?

Fifty-one: 36 in the group stage and 15 in the knockout rounds.

Is there a third-place play-off at the Euros?

No. Unlike the World Cup, the European Championship has no third-place match; the losing semi-finalists are done.

When is the next European Championship?

Euro 2028, hosted by the United Kingdom and Ireland. Qualifying begins before it and will be covered here when it does.

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