Spain, Croatia and defending champion Italy were divided into Group B, forming the "Death Group" of this European Cup. In 2024, 24 teams participated in the final of the European Cup in Germany. The host country Germany was directly selected, and 20 teams advanced through the qualifiers. In addition, the 12 team will compete for the last three places through play-offs.
The 24 teams will be divided into 6 groups. In addition to Spain, Italy and Croatia, France and the Netherlands will be placed in the same group again after the European Cup qualifiers. It is worth mentioning that Spain and Italy have met in the European Cup for five consecutive years. In recent years, although the two teams did not have a good record in the World Cup, Spain stopped at 16 for two consecutive World Cups, and Italy missed the World Cup finals twice in a row, but the results of the two teams in the European Cup have been very good.
In the last four European Cups, Spain reached the finals twice and won the championship twice, and Italy reached the finals twice and won the championship once. Although the overall strength is not as good as France and England, the two teams are still favourites to win the championship.
Introduction of European Cup
The European Cup is a European football championship, sponsored by the European Federation of Football Associations (UEFA) and attended by UEFA member associations. The first "European Cup of Nations" was held in 1960, and then held every four years, and was renamed in 1968.
The European Cup is second only to the World Cup in scale. It is usually held in June every year, and the qualifiers begin in June two years before the competition. Teams participating in the European Cup include teams from 24 countries, all of which are members of the European Federation of Football Associations. The competition is divided into two stages: group stage and elimination stage, and each stage has different rules and competition system.
The European Cup usually attracts a large number of spectators and fans. It is not only a football match, but also an important platform for cultural exchange and social activities. The host city of the European Cup usually attracts a large number of tourists and investments, which brings huge benefits to the local economy.