England's route to Euro 2024 final - fixtures, dates and potential opponents

The 2024 European Championships are fast approaching, and as we edge closer to the first whistle, the nation's anticipation is mounting.

England are tipped by bookmakers to clinch the tournament and bring football home. However, Gareth Southgate's squad will be mindful of several formidable opponents this time. France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and host nation Germany all present significant challenges to England's ambition of ending their 58-year wait for a major tournament trophy.

After a semi-final departure in the 2018 World Cup, a defeat at Wembley in the 2020 Euros final, and a quarter-final exit at the hands of France in Qatar 2022, the Three Lions' manager is likely heading into his last major tournament. He announced his final 26-man squad on Thursday afternoon.

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Jack Grealish and James Maddison were both left out, while Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was omitted from the squad due to a calf injury. This opened up opportunities for Eberechi Eze, Cole Palmer, Adam Wharton, and Lewis Dunk to make their debut appearances at a major international tournament with England, reports Football London.

With that in mind, here's everything you need to know about England's fixtures, potential knockout stage opponents (assuming they qualify), and when each match could occur....

Group stage

The top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, will progress to the Round of 16. England has been drawn into Group C and will face Serbia in their first match.

This will be followed by a rematch of the Euro 2020 semi-final against Denmark, and Slovenia will be their final group opponents.

UEFA rules state that if two or more teams in the same group have the same number of points, the following criteria are applied in this order:.

- Higher number of points obtained in the matches played among the teams in question.

- Superior goal difference from matches played among the teams in question.

- Higher number of goals scored in matches played among the teams in question.

Since 2004, the Three Lions have always managed to get past the group stage in either first or second place at every European Championships - except for the 2008 Euros, which they didn't qualify for. They have topped their group in two of the last four editions of the competition.

Here are the full details:.

Sunday, June 16 - Group C: Serbia vs England (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen - kick-off 8pm UK time).

Thursday, June 20 - Group C: Denmark vs England (Waldstadion, Frankfurt - kick-off 5pm UK time).

Tuesday, June 25 - Group C: England vs Slovenia (RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne - kick-off 8pm UK time).

Round of 16

Alright, it can get a bit tricky here. If England comes out on top of Group C, they're slated to face one of the 'best' third-placed teams from either Group D, E or F.

This match is set for Sunday, 30 June at 5pm UK time at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen. The most likely opponents could be Austria from Group D, Romania from Group E or Turkey from Group F.

If England ends up second in Group C, they'll be pitted against the winner of Group A on Saturday, 29 June at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, with the kick-off at 8pm UK time. In this scenario, their potential rivals are Germany, Hungary, Scotland and Switzerland, with the host nation being the favourite to top that group.

If England finishes as one of the four best third-place teams, there are two possible scenarios. If three of the four best third-place teams are from Groups A, B, and C, they would go up against the winner of Group F - which could be Portugal, Turkey, Georgia or the Czech Republic on Monday, 1 July at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt.

On the other hand, if the four best third-place teams come from Groups A, B, C and D, they'd compete against the winners of Group E. Their potential opponents could be Belgium, Slovakia, Romania or Ukraine on Tuesday, 2 July at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

With many potential matches depending on who finishes as one of the 'four best third-placed teams', how exactly are these four best third-placed teams determined?

According to UEFA rules, the following criteria are used in this order:.

- Higher number of points.

- Superior goal difference.

- Higher number of goals scored.

- Higher number of wins.

- Lower disciplinary points total based on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in group matches (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points).

- Position in the overall European Qualifiers rankings or, if hosts Germany involved, drawing of lots.

Quarter-finals

If England top Group C and win their round of 16 game, they'll face the winner of the round of 16 match between the runners-up of Group A and Group B at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf on Saturday, July 6 with kick-off at 5pm UK time. Potential opponents could include Spain, Italy, Scotland or Hungary.

However, if they finish second in Group C and then win their round of 16 match, they'll have to play the winner of the match between the winner of Group B and one of the third-place teams in the MHPArena, Stuttgart on Friday, July 5 with kick-off at 5pm UK time. Spain could be a possible opponent here, as well as Austria or the Netherlands.

If England manage to secure a spot as one of the four best third-place teams and triumph in their round of 16 game, they could potentially face the victor of the round of 16 match between Group D and Group E's runners-up. This is, however, contingent on three of the four best third-place teams originating from Groups A, B, and C.

The match would be scheduled for Friday, July 5 at the Volksparkstadion, Hamburg with an 8pm UK time kick-off.

Should the four best third-place teams hail from Groups A, B, C and D, England would then face either Group D's winner or Group F's runner-up. This match would take place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Saturday, July 6, kicking off at 8pm UK time.

Semi-finals

Under Gareth Southgate's leadership, the Three Lions have twice reached the semi-final stage in major tournaments. If they replicate this success by topping Group C, winning their round of 16 game and their quarter-final, they could face either Group E's winner, one of the third best teams from Groups A, B, C, D, the winner of Group D or the runner-up of Group F.

This match would be held on Wednesday, July 10 at the Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, kicking off at 8pm UK time. However, if England finish second in Group C but still win their round of 16 game and the quarter-final, they'll play at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Tuesday, July 9.

Their opponents could be one of the winners of Group F, one of the third best teams from Groups A, B or C, or the runners-up of Groups D and E. This game would also kick off at 8pm UK time.

Alternatively, if England finishes third in Group C as one of the four best third-place teams and secures victories in the round of 16 and quarter-final, they could face either the same opponents as listed in the second-place scenario or one of the winners of Group C, one of the third best teams from Groups D, E or F, or the runners-up of Groups A and B. This match would also kick off at 8pm UK time, but this time in Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion.

Final

If England manages to reach back-to-back Euros finals, they'll compete against the other semi-final winner on Sunday, July 14 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, with kick-off at 8pm UK time.

What is the best route for England to get to the final?

While England may be favourites with bookmakers, local supporters, and various statistician 'supercomputers' online, their path to the final will not be straightforward. In the past, they've had to overcome many top-ranked national sides according to FIFA world rankings.

Taking these into account and barring any major upsets, Southgate's men are set for a challenging draw.

Should they win Group C, England's first opponents on their journey to the final would likely be either Austria, Romania, or Turkey at the Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, June 30. They would then potentially face Italy in a rematch of the 2020 Euros final at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf on Saturday, July 6.

Their semi-final opponents would then likely be France, who knocked them out of the 2022 World Cup before ultimately losing out on penalties to Lionel Messi and Argentina in the final. That game would take place on Wednesday, July 10 at the Westfalenstadion, Dortmund before a meeting with Spain in the final in Berlin on Sunday, July 14.

It doesn't really get much better if the Three Lions go through to the knockout stages in second place in Group C though, with hosts Germany their likely Round of 16 opponents before a quarter-final against Spain, a semi-final against Netherlands and a final against Kylian Mbappe and France.