Euro 2024: guide to knockout stage as England avoid France, Germany until the final
- One of Netherlands, Romania, Austria and Turkey will be in semi-finals as tournament opens up
The Euro 2024 group stage has concluded with one half of the knockout draw packed with four of the tournament’s favourites.
Major tournament debutants Georgia, who statistically produced the biggest shock in European Championship history on Thursday by beating a Portugal team ranked 68 places above them, will face arguably the in-form team so far, Spain, in the last 16.
And they will not have happy memories of taking on La Roja, having been beaten 7-1 at home in qualification.
They are in the so-called “harder” part of the draw with the winner facing either hosts Germany or Denmark, semi-finalists at the last Euros, in the quarter-finals.
Elsewhere in that side of the draw, Belgium’s 0-0 draw with Ukraine saw them finish second in Group E and book a date with France. The winner will face Portugal or Slovenia.
England’s last-16 opponents are Slovakia, a team they drew 0-0 with at Euro 2016, and whoever emerges will face Switzerland or Italy in the last eight.
That means the quarter-finals could produce a replay of the last edition’s final, where Italy beat England on penalties at Wembley.
