Who could England play next and when? Euro 2024 draw and last-16 schedule
England are through to the knockout stages of Euro 2024 and top Group C despite another lacklustre performance against Slovenia.
Gareth Southgate’s side picked up four points from their first two games following a win over Serbia and a draw against Denmark, with results in Group B on Monday night confirming that England are guaranteed a place in the knockout stages as one of the four best third-placed teams at the very least.
With Denmark unable to beat Serbia, a 0-0 draw in Cologne was enough to secure top spot, even if a drab showing led to boos from England supporters at full time. It means England now know where and when they will play in the Round of 16, with a return to Gelsenkirchen confirmed.
Who could England play next?
Having won Group C, England will play one of the four best third-placed teams in the last 16. The formula to decide who gets who is very complicated (see below) and depends on the combination of third-placed teams to go through - but the Netherlands are a possible opponent.
To try and simplify things as much as possible – England will only avoid playing the Netherlands if the third-placed teams in Group E and Group F finish above Hungary (3 pts, -3 GD) in the third-placed standings. This is very likely in Group E, while in Group F it will require either Georgia beating Portugal by any margin or Czech Republic beating Turkey by fewer than three goals. If those Group E and Group F third-placed teams do finish above Hungary, then England would play the team who come third in Group E (Belgium/Ukraine/Slovakia/Romania).
If England win in the last 16, they will play either Switzerland or Italy in the quarter-finals. England are no longer on course to face France in the semi-finals. That’s after France finished second in Group D. Germany, Spain and Portugal will be on the other side of the draw too.
Third-place standings
after Group A, Group B, Group C and Group D
When will England play next?
June 30
Round of 16, Gelsenkirchen: England v third place Group D/E/F (1700)
Full Round of 16 Schedule
June 29
Round of 16, Berlin: Switzerland v Italy (1700)
Round of 16, Dortmund: Germany v Denmark (2000)
June 30
Round of 16, Gelsenkirchen: England v third place Group D/E/F (1700)
Round of 16, Cologne: Spain v third place Group A/D/E/F (2000)
July 1
Round of 16, Dusseldorf: France v runner-up Group E (1700)
Round of 16, Frankfurt: Portugal v third place Group A/B/C (2000)
July 2
Round of 16, Munich: winner Group E v third place Group A/B/C/D (1700)
Round of 16, Leipzig: Austria v runner-up Group F (2000)
Options for third-placed pairings
The four best-placed teams are: | WB (Spain) | WC (England) | WE | WF (Portugal) |
---|---|---|---|---|
A B C D | 3A | 3D | 3B | 3C |
A B C E | 3A | 3E | 3B | 3C |
A B C F | 3A | 3F | 3B | 3C |
A B D E | 3D | 3E | 3A | 3B |
A B D F | 3D | 3F | 3A | 3B |
A B E F | 3E | 3F | 3B | 3A |
A C D E | 3E | 3D | 3C | 3A |
A C D F | 3F | 3D | 3C | 3A |
A C E F | 3E | 3F | 3C | 3A |
A D E F | 3E | 3F | 3D | 3A |
B C D E | 3E | 3D | 3B | 3C |
B C D F | 3F | 3D | 3C | 3B |
B C E F | 3F | 3E | 3C | 3B |
B D E F | 3F | 3E | 3D | 3B |
C D E F | 3F | 3E | 3D | 3C |