Two days of silence, then the whistle. After the last group game on Wednesday 26 June, Euro 2024 paused, and on Saturday 29 June it starts again in the form that matters: lose and you go home.
Sixteen sides are left. Germany and Switzerland came through Group A, Spain and Italy through B, England and Denmark through C, Austria and France through D, Romania and Belgium through E, Portugal and Türkiye through F. Four of the six third-placed teams filled the rest: Slovenia, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Georgia. Hungary and Croatia missed out. Slovenia and Georgia had never before got beyond the group stage of a major tournament.
The road to Berlin
Italy, the defending champions, were the ones who looked least comfortable. They needed a last-minute equaliser against Croatia to survive. Germany, Spain and Portugal had all booked their places with a game still to play, though Portugal then lost 0-2 to Georgia on the final night.
The round of 16 opens in Berlin, where Switzerland meet Italy. Germany face Denmark in Dortmund the same day, with a 21.00 local kick-off. Sunday brings England against Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen and Spain against Georgia in Cologne. On Monday 1 July France play Belgium in Düsseldorf and Portugal play Slovenia in Frankfurt. The last two ties, Romania against the Netherlands in Munich and Austria against Türkiye in Leipzig, follow on Tuesday 2 July.
A nervous host
The hosts will not be allowed to relax. Niclas Füllkrug rescued a draw against Switzerland, and he may now start in what is, after all, his home stadium. Jonathan Tah is suspended. Denmark are an awkward opponent: they scored only two goals in the group and reached the knockouts through a goalless draw with Serbia, and Rasmus Höjlund managed two in three games. Their striker Jonas Wind said the pressure from German fans does not bother him, and that the aim is to “stay alive” as long as possible. Rudi Völler, the German federation’s sporting director, has asked everyone to think only about this match. “We would all do well to focus solely on the round of 16 for the first time,” he said.
What follows
Two quarter-finals are played on Friday 5 July and two on Saturday 6 July. The semi-finals are in Munich on Tuesday 9 July and Dortmund on Wednesday 10 July. The final is on Sunday 14 July at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, the ground that staged the 2006 World Cup final between Italy and France and the 2015 Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus.
Sources
- Which teams have qualified for Euro 2024 round of 16? Draw, fixtures, pairings, dates (AS USA)
- Euro 2024: Round of 16 begins Saturday (Hanto Daily News)
- Round of 16: Denmark wants to make Germany nervous (blue News / Keystone-SDA)
