France will attempt to become the only nation to win as hosts twice, while Spain is chasing a third consecutive title. (Getty)
It’s a dream draw for France.
Romania, Albania, and Switzerland have been placed into Group A, inducing a sigh of relief from fans of the host nation. France is unbeaten against these three teams in major tournaments, with a combined record of eight wins and six draws.
Albania is making their EURO debut, Switzerland has never advanced past the group stage, and Romania has been to the tournament just four times since 1960. It’s surprise France is an early odds favorite to win the group, and their odds are getting better to win the whole tournament.
France have hosted EURO multiple times, and are one of three nations to win as host (1984). But to be the first nation to win twice as home nation wouldn’t even be the most impressive mark set this summer. That would belong to Spain, who could improve upon being the first ever repeat champions by extending the run a three consecutive titles.
In France, all group matches will be played at either 3, 6, or 9 p.m. There is a six-hour time difference between New York and France, meaning many American viewers will be watching EURO in the morning and early afternoon. All times below will be Eastern. For a full match schedule, click here.
Each team will play three group stage games, one against each member in their group. After three games, the top two teams in each group will advance, as well as the four best third-place teams across all groups. So even teams in the Group of Death have a chance to advance on points, and goal differential will be very important in breaking ties.
Here’s how this group looks:
France
There’s no surprises for France, who are Team A1 as host nation. (Getty)
Preview:
France attempts to become the only team to win EURO twice on their home turf this summer. It’s only been done three times, including France’s win in 1984. After winning EURO in 2000 and finishing second to Italy at the 2006 World Cup, France has struggled in recent international competition. A complete meltdown at the 2010 World Cup was rock-bottom for the squad, and the team exited both EURO 2012 and the 2014 World Cup in the quarterfinals.
EURO could be a coming-out party for Paul Pogba, one of Europe’s budding stars. The 22-year old midfielder was named the Best Young Player of the 2014 World Cup, and his been a critical part of Juventus’ success this season.
Manager: Didier Deschamps
World Ranking: 25
Schedule:
June 10, 3 p.m. vs. Romania
June 15, 3 p.m. vs. Albania
June 19, 3 p.m. vs. Switzerland
Romania
Fresh faces highlight Romania’s EURO squad. (Getty)
Preview:
Romania is in the tournament for the third time since 2000, when they made a surprise run to the quarterfinals. The latest squad went unbeaten in qualifying, but five draws led them to a second-place finish in the group to Northern Ireland.
Romania’s youth talent has blossomed into some nice players. 25 year old Alexandru Maxim plays for Stuttgart, and made nine appearances during qualifying. But the real secret weapon for the Romanians could be teenager George Pușcaș, who made a brief appearance for Inter last year before being sent out on loan.
Manager: Anghel Iordănescu
World Ranking: 16
Schedule:
June 10, 3 p.m. vs. France
June 15, 12 p.m. vs. Switzerland
June 19, 3 p.m. vs. Albania
Albania
Albania will make their first European Championship appearance during the 2016 competition in France. (Getty)
Preview:
Albania finished second in Group I to qualify for the 2016 European Championship in France. Although Albania finished 4-2-2 in the group, the punctuation on their European Championship berth was a 1-0 win over world power Portugal.
The 3-0 win over Armenia on October 11, 2015 clinched the first major tournament berth for Albania. Futhermore, this is only the second time that Albania has finished better than third in qualification, as they were third in qualification to the 1968 European Championship. A positive trait for the founding UEFA member is that they have not ended bottom of a qualifying group in their last seven campaigns.(Preview by Chris Zolli)
Manager: Gianni De Biasi
World Ranking: 38
Schedule:
June 11, 9 a.m. vs. Switzerland
June 15, 3 p.m. vs. France
June 19, 3 p.m. vs. Romania
Switzerland
Gokhan Inler is the midfield force that leads the Swiss attack into the 2016 European Championship. (Getty)
Preview:
After finishing behind England in Group E, Switzerland is in the 2016 European Championship in France starting in June 2016. Switzerland were 7-0-3 in the group, losing twice to the unblemished English, and scored an impressive 24 goals in the 10 games of qualification.
Although Switzerland missed EURO 2012, they qualified in both 2008 and 2004, and are looking to advance past the group stage of the European Championship for the first time in their history. Switzerland has twice finished in the quarterfinals of the World Cup- 1934 and 1938– and made it to the round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup. (Preview by Chris Zolli)
June 11, 9 a.m. vs. Albania
June 15, 12 p.m. vs. Romania
June 19, 3 p.m. vs. France
