Saturday’s draw will give shape to the 24-team tournament, which will kick off in June. (Getty)
The first major step towards France will be taken today, when the 24 teams for the EURO 2016 Final will be drawn into six groups. The tournament had been organized into four groups of four teams since 1996, but the addition of two groups will add 20 total matches to the tournament.
To keep the top teams separated, the 24 qualifiers have been organized into four pots. The pots are based on UEFA national coefficients, with the best teams being placed into Pot 1. Group A will automatically feature host nation France, so the Pot 1 teams will vie for top seeding for Groups B through F. Here are the full seedings for today’s draw:
The draw will start at 12 p.m. Eastern, and will be broadcast on ESPN2 in the US and on BBC Two and Sky Sports News in the UK. There are several ways to watch online, including a free trial for U.S. viewers from Sling TV.
Here’s how to watch online and on mobile:
Watch EURO Draw Online
France will attempt to become the only nation to win as hosts twice, while Spain is chasing a third consecutive title. (Getty)
Users in the United States without a cable subscription can watch through Sling TV, an online streaming service that provides access to a handful of channels (including ESPN, TBS and TNT) for a monthly fee. The service’s Best of Live TV package costs $20 a month. But if you’re looking for a way to watch a week’s worth of games for free, you can do so with Sling’s free 7-day trial. Click here to sign up for Sling TV. You’ll need to enter your credit card information when signing up, but if you cancel your subscription before the trial period ends, you will not be charged.
If you have the log-in info for a cable subscription with access to Watch ESPN, you can watch at WatchESPN.com. You’ll need a cable log-in and password, or the log-in and password of someone you know, to access the stream.
In the United Kingdom, the draw is being shown on Sky Sports News. Sky Go is an available service to Sky customers. You’ll need the log-in and password for a satellite subscription — either yours or someone else’s — to access the stream.
Watch EURO Draw on Mobile
Users with a subscription to Sling TV can watch it on Sling’s app, which can be downloaded for free in the App store or the Google Play store. The service’s Best of Live TV package costs $20 a month. But if you’re looking for a way to watch a week’s worth of games for free, you can do so with Sling’s free 7-day trial. Click here to sign up for Sling TV. You’ll need to enter your credit card information when signing up, but if you cancel your subscription before the trial period ends, you will not be charged.
Mobile and tablet users with access to Watch ESPN can watch on the Watch ESPN app. As is the case with desktop, you’ll need the log-in for a cable subscription with access to ESPN. You can download the app for free in the App Store , the Google Play store, the Amazon App store or the Windows Store.
Mobile users in the UK can watch on the Sky GO app, which is free to download from the App Store or Google Play store. You’ll need a satellite subscription and log-in details to access the stream.