At 1 a.m. on December 3, 2024, Hamburg, Germany, was jubilant and destined to be a moment that football fans were looking forward to.
At this moment, the group draw for the European Championship finals will kick off in this country of football fanatics. UEFA has already announced the specific bracket, which makes fans look forward to the upcoming match. The 24 teams are divided into six groups of four teams each.
The classification of this year's European Championship is particularly eye-catching. In Pot 1, the six seeded teams of Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, Belgium and England each await their fate.
Defending champions Italy's name appeared in Pot 4, injecting a lot of variability into the draw for the entire group. In the third pot, there are also strong teams such as the Netherlands and Croatia, making the possibility of a group of death inevitable.
For Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, it may become the group that has faced death in two consecutive European Championships. In the last European Championship, the super group of death composed of France, Germany, Portugal and Hungary made fans remember it vividly. In the end, France, Germany, and Portugal all advanced, but Hungary had no choice but to leave the game.
The European Championship qualifiers all ended last month, and the list of 20 qualifying teams has been revealed. With the addition of the host Germany, 21 spots were locked in the round of 24 in advance. The remaining three places will be decided through the play-off stage in March next year, creating more suspense for the entire European Championship.
The final stage is scheduled for June 14 to July 14, 2024, injecting football excitement into the summer. According to the rules of the expanded European Championship, the teams are divided into six brackets, and the ranking is determined according to the ranking of the qualifiers.
The host team naturally occupies the first pot, while the rest of the brackets are ranked in the order in which they topped the qualifying group standings. This way of dividing the brackets has led to strong teams in each bracket, which increases the uncertainty of the group draw. Fans can't help but speculate whether the group of death will quietly appear again at this year's European Championship.
In the experience of the last European Championship, the death team of France, Germany, Portugal and Hungary was a highlight of that tournament.
After a fierce competition, France, Germany and Portugal joined hands to advance, while Hungary could only leave the game. This year's bracket situation has made a similar group of deaths possible again, causing expectations and worries among fans.
Portugal, as the champion of the last European Cup, has attracted attention with Cristiano Ronaldo as the core. However, even the defending champions can't escape the fate of a possible group of death. Denmark in Pot 2, the Netherlands in Pot 3 and Italy in Pot 4 are all top 20 teams in the world and become potential opponents.
If the draw is unfavorable, Ronaldo and Portugal may once again face the pressure of a thrilling group stage to qualify for the knockout round. However, in this group draw full of unknowns, Portugal also have the possibility of a desirable grouping.
Albania, Slovakia in Pot 3 and Play-off in Pot 4 will allow Portugal to easily top the group and lay a good foundation for the knockout rounds. However, football matches are full of uncertainties, and the draw may be more than fans expected.
At the Euro 2024 group draw ceremony, both seeded and strong teams will face unknown challenges. And all this will be revealed one by one on the field of the European Championship.
In the coming matches, fans will be looking forward to seeing Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal shine again, while also cheering for the performances of the other teams. The charm of football lies in the infinite possibilities of this passionate and unavoidable matchup.