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

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

England are tipped by the bookmakers to clinch the tournament and bring football home, yet Gareth Southgate's squad will be mindful of several formidable opponents. 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.

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 finds itself in Group C, where they will first face Serbia, followed by a Euro 2020 semi-final rematch against Denmark, and finally, Slovenia.

According to UEFA rules, 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 escape the group stage in either first or second place at every European Championships, except for the 2008 Euros, which they did not 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

If England emerge as the top team in Group C, they're set to face one of the 'best' third-placed teams from either Group D, E or F. This match is slated for Sunday, June 30 at 5pm UK time at the Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen.

The most probable opponents could be Austria from Group D, Romania from Group E or Turkey from Group F.

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

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

Conversely, if the four best third-place teams are from Groups A, B, C and D, they'd compete against the winners of Group E, potentially facing Belgium, Slovakia, Romania or Ukraine on Tuesday, July 2 at the Allianz Arena, Munich. With many potential matches depending on who finishes as one of the 'four best third-placed teams', how are these four best third-placed teams determined?

UEFA regulations dictate the following criteria for ranking, in 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

Looking ahead to the quarter-finals, should England top Group C and win their round of 16 game, they'll face off against the victor of the round of 16 match between the runners-up of Group A and Group B. This match will take place at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf on Saturday, July 6 with a 5pm UK time kick-off.

Potential opponents at this stage could include Spain, Italy, Scotland or Hungary.

On the other hand, if England finish second in Group C and then triumph in their round of 16 clash, they'll be up against the winner of the match between the Group B winner and one of the third-place teams. This game is set for the MHPArena, Stuttgart on Friday, July 5 with a 5pm UK time kick-off.

Spain could once again be a potential adversary 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 runners-up. This is only if three of the four best third-place teams originate from Groups A, B, and C.

The match would be scheduled for Friday, July 5 at the Volksparkstadion, Hamburg at 8pm UK time.

Should the four best third-place teams hail from Groups A, B, C and D, England's opponent will either be the winner of Group D or the runner-up of Group F. The match would take place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Saturday, July 6, with an 8pm UK time kick-off.

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 quarter-final, they could face either the winner of Group E, one of the third best teams from Groups A, B, C, D, the winner of Group D or the runner-up Group F.

This match would be held on Wednesday, July 10 at the Westfalenstadion, Dortmund with an 8pm UK time kick-off. 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 as one of the four best third-place teams in Group C and subsequently wins in the round of 16 and quarter-final, they could face either the same opponents as listed in the example above where they finish second in Group C 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 go head-to-head with 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 the bookmakers, the home supporters and many statistician 'supercomputers' around the internet, their path to the final will not be straightforward.

In the past, they've had to overcome many of the national sides ranked highly in the 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 way 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.

The semi-final opponents for England could potentially be France, who previously defeated them in the 2022 World Cup, only to lose to Argentina in the final due to penalties. This match is scheduled for Wednesday, July 10 at Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, with a potential final against Spain in Berlin on Sunday, July 14.

However, if the Three Lions secure second place in Group C and advance to the knockout stages, they would likely face host nation Germany in the Round of 16. This would be followed by a quarter-final against Spain, a semi-final against the Netherlands, and a final showdown with Kylian Mbappe's France.