State of play of Euro 2024: Permutations, tables and calendars

The final round of Euro 2024 group matches is underway and there is an awful lot to play for as teams battle to reach the knockout stage.

The top two teams from each of the six groups will advance to the knockout stage, where they will be joined by the four highest-ranked third-placed teams.

If the teams are tied on points, the tiebreaker to decide who finishes where will be the points obtained in the matches between the teams in question, and not the overall goal difference, as is the case in the Cup of the world. If the teams still cannot be split, this will be attributed to goal difference in all group matches and then goals scored in all group matches.

The round of 16 will take place from Saturday June 29 to Tuesday July 2; the quarter-finals will take place on Friday July 5 and Saturday July 6; the semi-finals on Tuesday July 9 and Wednesday July 10; and the final in Berlin will take place on Sunday July 14.

Here, Athleticism details the status of each group, what each team needs to do to reach the knockout stage and who could face who in the next round. This article will be updated as the tournament progresses.

group A

Results: Germany 5-1 ScotlandHungary 1-3 SwissGermany 2-0 HungaryScotland 1-1 Switzerland, Switzerland 1-1 GermanyScotland 0-1 Hungary.

Germany: The hosts qualify for the knockout stage as group winners.

Swiss: Switzerland is finalist in group A.

Hungary: The Hungarians, after their latest victory against Scotland, now wait to see if they will place among the four best third-placed teams. However, with just three points and a goal difference of -3, it seems unlikely that they will qualify for the knockout stages.

Scotland: The Scots were eliminated.

Group B

Results so far: Spain 3-0 CroatiaItaly 2-1 AlbaniaCroatia 2-2 Albania, Spain 1-0 Italy.

Remaining meetings: Monday June 24: Albania v Spain and Croatia v Italy (both 8 p.m. UK time; 3 p.m. ET).

Spain: Luis de la Fuente’s team won the group with one match to play.

Italy: The Italians will finish second if they avoid defeat against Croatia. If they lose and Albania beat Spain, the defending champions will finish last in the group and be eliminated. If they lose and Albania does not win, Luciano Spalletti’s team will come third and will have to wait for further results to see if they qualify as the best third-place team.

Albania: It is realistic that the Albanians must beat Spain to have any chance of qualifying. This could still be in second place if Croatia win and don’t finish with a greater goal difference than Sylvinho. If Albania comes third, their four points should be enough to qualify for the round of 16. If they lose against Spain, they will be eliminated.

Croatia: The 2018 World Cup finalists must beat Italy to have any real chance of qualifying and could still finish second. If they lose, they will be eliminated.

Group C

Results so far: Slovenia 1-1 Denmark, Serbia 0-1 EnglandSlovenia 1-1 Serbia, Denmark 1-1 England.

Remaining meetings: Tuesday June 25: England v Slovenia and Denmark v Serbia (both 8 p.m. UK time; 3 p.m. ET).

England: England will take part if they avoid defeat against Slovenia and will top the group if they win. Gareth Southgate’s side could still finish top with a draw if Denmark fail to beat Serbia by more than a goal. If they beat Serbia by exactly one goal, first place will go to goals scored throughout the group stage. If England lose, they will come third if Denmark win, but second if the Danes do not triumph over Serbia. Even if England come third, their four points should be enough to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.

Denmark: If the Danes win, they will qualify for the knockout stage and it will be first place if the result of the match between England and Slovenia suits them. If the 1992 champions draw against Serbia, they will move to second place if Slovenia don’t win (or draw and score more goals). If Denmark draws and Slovenia wins, the Danes will rely on the results of the other groups for success in the hope of qualifying in third position. A defeat against Serbia will almost certainly mean Denmark’s elimination.

Slovenia: Victory against England will ensure Slovenia’s passage to the round of 16 and it will be as group winners if Denmark do not beat Serbia or do not do so well enough to finish with a goal difference above Matjaz Kek team. A draw against England will force Slovenia to depend on the outcome of the Denmark-Serbia match if they want to finish in the top two. If she doesn’t, she’ll come third and find herself sweating over results elsewhere. A defeat against England would almost certainly condemn Slovenia to elimination in the group stage.

Serbia: Dragan Stojkovic’s team must win to have a realistic chance of qualifying. They will come second if they score three points and Slovenia fail to beat England. However, if they don’t make the top two, four points will likely be enough to put them among the best thirds.

Group D

Results so far: Poland 1-2 Netherlands, Austria 0-1 France, Poland 1-3 Austria, The Netherlands 0-0 France.

Remaining meetings: Tuesday June 25: Netherlands v Austria and France v Poland (both 5 p.m. UK time; 12 p.m. ET).

The Netherlands: Ronald Koeman’s team will qualify if they do not lose against Austria. And if they avoid defeat, they will win the group if they at least match France’s result against Poland – provided the French don’t score enough to finish with a superior goal difference. They could finish third if they lose and the result of the France-Poland match does not suit them, but the Dutch should still qualify in this situation thanks to four points already.

France: Very similar situation to the Netherlands (described above), but the French will be confident of beating Poland enough to secure first place.

Austria: If Ralf Rangnick’s team wins, it will qualify and it will be first place in the group if France does not beat Poland. A draw would see them finish third with four points (likely enough to qualify) and a defeat would also see them third, but their three points would be far from certain of securing qualification as the best third-placed team.

Poland: The Poles were eliminated.

Group E

Results so far: Romania 3-0 Ukraine, Belgium 0-1 SlovakiaSlovakia 1-2 Ukraine, Belgium 2-0 Romania.

Remaining meetings: Wednesday June 26: Slovakia v Romania and Ukraine v Belgium (both 5 p.m. UK time; 12 p.m. ET).

For the first time in the history of Europe championship, four teams from the same group will start the final phase with the same number of points. Any team that wins their match will qualify – and it will be as group winner if the other match is drawn or if they have already beaten the winner of that other match.

If both matches are drawn, the goal difference in all group matches will be used to separate the teams as their head-to-head points totals are identical – which would allow Romania and Belgium to qualify (with first place determined by goals scored), while third-placed Slovakia will have to wait and see. Ukraine would be eliminated in this situation.

Group F

Results so far: Türkiye 3-1 Georgia, Portugal 2-1 Czech RepublicGeorgia 1-1 Czech Republic, Türkiye 0-3 Portugal.

Remaining meetings: Wednesday June 26: Georgia v Portugal and Czech Republic v Turkey (both 8 p.m. UK time; 3 p.m. ET).

Portugal: Roberto Martinez’s team won the group with one game remaining.

Turkey: If the Turks avoid defeat against the Czech Republic, they will finish second and qualify. If they lose and Georgia don’t beat Portugal, Vincenzo Montella’s side will finish third with three points and will have to see if that’s enough to advance. If they lose and Georgia wins, they will be eliminated.

Czech Republic: To have a real chance of progression, the Czech Republic must beat Turkey. It will be second place if Georgia fails to beat Portugal enough to tip the goal difference in their favor.

Georgia: The Georgians must beat Portugal to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the round of 16. If they win, they will come second if the Czech Republic beat Turkey, but not enough to finish with a superior goal difference. Otherwise, a win will see them finish third (although their four points would likely be enough to qualify.)

Here’s how the third-placed teams rank ahead of the final round of matches, although of course this will change frequently over the coming days. Remember, four of the six third-place teams will advance to the knockout stage.

If one of these teams is tied on points, the goal difference in all group matches will be used to decide between them, then, if necessary, and in the following order: goals scored, victories, disciplinary records and ranking general European qualifiers.

And here is the table of the round of 16, which Athleticism will be updated as the tournament progresses:

(Top photo: Christopher Lee – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)