England will be appearing at their ninth finals, while
Wales and Northern Ireland have qualified for the first
time.

See full euro squad here

www.nairaland.com/3138912/euro-2016s-squad-big-kick-off


See full fixtures here


www.nairaland.com/3127098/euro-2016-thread-here

How does it work? Good question - because, for the first time, there are
24 teams competing in the finals. That is an increase
from the 16 that had taken part in every edition since
it was hosted in England in 1996. With six groups of four teams, it means the top two
will qualify for the last 16, plus the four best third-
placed finishers. In other words, only eight teams will
fail to qualify from the group stage. One point could be enough to put your team into the
last 16 - and from then the tournament goes to a
knockout format.

The Euro 2016 draw Group A Group B Group C France England Germany Romania Russia Ukraine Albania Wales Poland Switzerland Slovakia Northern
Ireland Group D Group E Group F Spain Belgium Portugal Czech
Republic Italy Iceland Turkey Republic of
Ireland Austria Croatia Sweden Hungary

Who is going to win? As Greece proved by pulling off a sensational triumph
at Euro 2004, trying to predict a winner is a difficult
game. World champions Germany are understandably one of the favourites, while holders Spain are also short odds with the bookmakers. Germany finished top of their qualification group but booking their place in France was not without its hiccups - with defeats by Poland and the Republic of
Ireland. They have been beaten by France and
England since qualifying but remain one to watch. Spain dominated international football between 2008
and 2012 but failed to qualify from their group at the 2014 World Cup. Could this be a last hurrah for
Vicente del Bosque's ageing but brilliant side?

What are the chances of a home victory? France won the World Cup as hosts in 1998 - can they repeat the famous success of the team led by Didier Deschamps, Zinedine Zidane and Laurent
Blanc? A run into the latter stages by Les Bleus is likely to
help restore national morale in a country still
recovering from last year's deadly Paris attacks. France are the bookmakers' favourites to win the
whole thing, but their form is tricky to gauge because
they did not have to qualify for this tournament. Fast on the counter and unified after years of internal
division, watch out for talented midfielders Paul Pogba
and Blaise Matuidi. But they cannot call upon prolific Real Madrid striker
Karim Benzema. The French Football Federation (FFF)
said he would not be picked after being investigated for his part in an alleged plot to blackmail
Les Bleus team-mate Mathieu Valbuena, who did not
make the squad. Fear, faith and football - can the beautiful game unite France? What about the home nations? Well, there are three of them in France - only Scotland
missed out - plus the Republic of Ireland. It is going to
get crowded too, because England and Wales are both
in Group B, along with Russia and debutants Slovakia.




Roy Hodgson's England have a good young team but doubts persist about their defence. They breezed
through their qualifying group with a perfect record of
10 wins, while confidence was further boosted with March's impressive win away at world champions Germany. Wales have got Real Madrid star Gareth Bale and plenty of heart. Chris Coleman's side reached their first
major tournament in 57 years after losing just once in
qualification. Northern Ireland might have numerous players from England's lower leagues but they finished top of
their qualifying group, losing just one of their 10
matches. Striker Kyle Lafferty could not get a game for club side
Norwich during qualifying (he has since been loaned
to Birmingham) but he scored seven crucial goals in
nine games for his country.

How the home nations have fared at the
Euros England Northern
Ireland Wales Finals
appearances 8 Debut Debut Best finish Semi-finals
(1968,
1996) - - Who do the home nations play? Many new faces? With the 24-team format offering hope to traditionally
less-successful nations, five countries have taken
advantage to secure their European Championship
finals debut. Northern Ireland and Wales, of course, are two of them. Slovakia, who have been drawn alongside England and Wales in Group B, have qualified for the first time
as an independent state. A 1-0 win against Spain
showed the 2010 World Cup qualifiers can mix it with
Europe's elite. Beware England and Wales. Albania have never been near a major finals, but edged out Denmark - the 1992 champions - in their
qualifying group thanks to a shock win in Portugal. Oh,
and because they were awarded a 3-0 win in Serbia
by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after a riot. With a population of roughly 330,000 (comparable to
Coventry) and only 21,508 registered players, Iceland are unsurprisingly the smallest nation to ever qualify for the finals. How did they do that? By beating the Netherlands -
1988 winners and three-time semi-finalists - home
and away during qualifying. The Dutch, for the first
time since 1984, will not be there. Who will be the star players? Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who was voted the world's second best player behind
Argentina's Lionel Messi in the 2015 Ballon d'Or vote,
heads a star-studded cast. Ronaldo will be leading Portugal's challenge, while
Wales hope his club-mate Gareth Bale - the world's most expensive player - can transform his impressive
La Liga form onto the international stage. World Cup winners Germany boast a host of stellar
names who have impressed in previous tournaments,
most notably Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and forward Thomas Muller plus Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos. France's challenge is set to be driven by energetic
Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, who is still reportedly courting the attention of several English
Premier League sides. Belgium are not short of star quality either. Premier
League pair Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne will spearhead their quest for a first major tournament
win, but the Red Devils are without injured captain Vincent Kompany. And Sweden superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 34, will be hoping to illuminate an international tournament
for what could be the final time. The Netherlands' failure to qualify leaves Bayern
Munich winger Arjen Robben watching from home,
while his club-mate Franck Ribery was not named in
the France squad, despite suggestions he was
considering ending his international retirement. Where will the games be played? The tournament's 51 games will be staged at 10
locations across France, including new stadiums in
Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon and Nice. The opening match - between France and Romania on
10 June - and the 10 July final will be played at the
Stade de France in Paris. Building the new venues and renovating historic
grounds such as Marseille's Stade Velodrome has cost
1.6bn euros (£1.2bn) - modernisation which was
necessary, organisers say, because France did not
fully capitalise on hosting the 1998 World Cup.

Kick-off: Previously, the ball had to go forward from kick-off but the rule has been changed to allow it to go
in any direction. Pre-match red cards: Players can now be sent off before a match gets under way, although they can be
replaced by another player in the match-day squad. Leaving the pitch after treatment: If a player is injured in a challenge resulting in a yellow or red card,
they no longer have to leave the field and can have a
quick assessment or medical treatment. This change
is designed to prevent situations where a team would
be temporarily down to 10 players. The end of 'triple punishment': A professional foul inside the area will now normally result in a yellow
card for the offender, and not a red. This is to end the
so-called triple punishment of penalty, dismissal and
suspension, which was seen by some as excessive.
There are exceptions for when the offender will
receive a red which include holding, pushing or pulling and violent conduct. Goalline technology, already established in the
Premier League and elsewhere, will be used at Euro
2016. Can I still buy match tickets? Yes. But you had better be quick. Most of the group
games - including all of England's matches - are sold
out. However, as of 9 June there are tickets available to
watch Wales and Northern Ireland, plus other games
involving some of the smaller nations. There are also
tickets available for the opening game between
France and Romania - at 395 euros each.

goodluck punters Source bbc