France will face the Netherlands, Austria and a play-off during Euro-2024 which will take place from June 14 to July 14 in Germany, according to the draw made on Saturday in Hamburg. The Blues of Kylian Mbappé and Didier Deschamps will first play against Austria on June 17 in Düsseldorf, then against the Netherlands on the 21st in Leipzig and finally on the 25th in Dortmund against the play-off player, who will be known in March. These will be Poland, Wales, Finland or Estonia.
In addition to the Blues group, which is quite tough, group B appears to be the most complicated: seeded Spain has in fact fallen to title holders Italy, Croatia and Albania.
Towards a third continental coronation?
The Blues will find the Netherlands on their way, crossed during qualifying and beaten twice (4-0 then 2-1). Even if their group is not easy, an initial elimination would be a terrible failure for the vice-world champions. Because in addition to the first two from each of the six groups, the four best third-placed teams will also qualify for the round of 16. With a qualifying campaign completed on an unbeaten course – seven victories including a historic 14-0 defeat against Gibraltar, a draw, 29 goals scored and three conceded – the Blues are one of the big favorites of the competition.
The Mbappé generation will try to follow in the footsteps of that of Michel Platini in 1984 and Zinédine Zidane in 2000 to achieve a third continental coronation. France remains a disappointment in 2021, eliminated in the round of 16 by Switzerland. In 2016, at home, she lost in the final against Portugal. To repeat this performance, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Seleçao fell with Turkey, the Czech Republic and a play-off in group F. At home, to try to find some color, Germany will play its continental destiny against Hungary, the Scotland and Switzerland in Group A.
The England of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane will find Denmark, Slovenia and Serbia on their way. Finally in group E, Romelu Lukaku’s Belgium will face Romania, Slovakia and a play-off.