France will attempt to become the only nation to win as hosts twice, while Spain is chasing a third consecutive title. (Getty)
Spain will come out of Group D to defend their EURO title, and is grouped with three East European sides. Croatia poses the biggest threat to take the group, but neither Czech Republic nor Turkey are pushovers. None of these teams needed the playoff, qualifying for the final tournament outright.
The greatest rivalry is between Turkey and Croatia, who played a memorable EURO quarterfinal in 2008. A goal from Ivan Klasnic put Croatia ahead in the 119th minute, only to have Turkey respond with the latest goal in EURO history. Turkey went on to win in a shootout, and Croatia will be looking for revenge when they meet on June 12th.
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:
Spain
Spain may feature some aging stars, but they are still the two-time champions heading into this summer’s tournament. (Getty)
Preview:
After almost a decade of ruling international soccer, Spain is a power on the decline heading into EURO. Their last appearance in a EURO playoff was a 4-0 win over Italy in the 2012 final, when they became the first team ever to repeat as EURO champions.
Despite Spain’s disappointing showing at the 2014 World Cup, Spain has responded with a strong EURO campaign. They finished with nine wins during qualifying, with their loss against Slovakia being their first loss in international competition since 2006.
In their quest for a third straight title, Spain will need a boost from a player who wasn’t involved in the previous two. Valencia striker Paco Alcácer has only been playing with Spain since 2014, but led the side during EURO qualifying with five goals in eight appearances.
Manager: Vincent del Bosque
World Ranking: 3
Schedule:
June 13, 9 a.m. vs. Czech Republic
June 17, 3 p.m. vs. Turkey
June 21, 3 p.m. vs. Croatia
Czech Repbublic
At 33, Cech will lead the Czechs one last time into an international tournament. (Getty)
Preview:
In 2012 Czech Republic needed the playoff to qualify for EURO, and ended up advancing to the quarterfinals. They sky’s the limit for the side in 2016, after finishing first in their qualifying group to advance to their sixth straight EURO final tournament.
EURO 2016 will likely be the last run for Petr Čech, who has made over 100 appearances for Czech Republic. At 33, he can tie the all-time record for his country with 14 final appearances if he starts all three group matches. At the other end, midfielder Bořek Dočkal led the squad with four goals during qualifying. But the real engine is Vladimír Darida, the only player to start all ten qualifying matches.
Manager: Pavel Vrba
World Ranking: 26
Schedule:
June 13, 9 a.m. vs. Spain
June 17, 12 p.m. vs. Croatia
June 21, 3 p.m. vs. Turkey
Turkey
Turkey’s midfield will be led by Arda Turan in the 2016 European Championship in France. (Getty)
Preview:
Turkey made the 2016 European Championship on the back of a strong finish to their Group A qualification. Although they finished third in the group behind Netherlands and Iceland, a 1-0 win over Iceland was enough to move the Turkish team into the group stages without needing to go through the playoff round.
Although Turkey did not qualify for the European Championship in either 2012 or 2004, they were successful in both the 2000 and 2008 tournaments. In 2000, Turkey upset hosts Belgium before falling to Portugal in the quarterfinals. The team did one better in 2008, going to the semifinals of the tournament before losing to Germany. (Preview by Chris Zolli)
Manager: Fatih Terim
World Ranking: 21
Schedule:
June 12, 9 a.m. vs. Croatia
June 17, 3 p.m. vs. Spain
June 21, 3 p.m. vs. Czech Portugal
Croatia
Luca Modric, Ivan Rakitic, and Dejan Lovren were disappointed with Croatia in the 2014 World Cup, but look to lead Croatia in the 2016 European Championship. (Getty)
Preview:
Fueled behind the midfield of Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric, and Mateo Kovacic, Croatia will be a part of the European Championships in France during the summer of 2016. After finishing second in Group H behind Italy, Croatia qualified for the 24-team tournament with 20 points after losing only one match in qualifying, a 2-0 loss to Norway.
Croatia has made the European Championship four times since seceding from Yugoslavia in 1991 and finished third at the 1998 World Cup in France. Croatia has twice made the quarterfinals of the European Championships- 1996 and 2008– and finished third in their group in the 2012 European Championship. (Preview by Chris Zolli)
Manager: Ante Čačić
World Ranking: 18
Schedule:
June 12, 9 p.m. vs. Turkey
June 17, 12 p.m. vs. Czech Republic
June 21, 3 p.m. vs. Spain
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