Following is reaction to the 2024 European Championship draw, held at Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg on Saturday.
Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland
JULIAN NAGELSMANN, GERMANY MANAGER
“It’s no group of death but a very strong group and we are looking forward to it.”
“Now we know who we have to play and have a very good opening match against Scotland with emotional crowds in a positive way both from the Germans and the Scottish fans. I know several Swiss and Portuguese players and have worked with them in the past.”
STEVE CLARKE, SCOTLAND MANAGER
“It was always going to be exciting. (On Hungary and Switzerland) Two good teams it’s a good group, evenly balanced. We’ve got a really good idea where we will be based and how we will prepare. (On the hosts) They will have to be ready for a lot of Scotsmen to come.”
MARCO ROSSI, HUNGARY MANAGER
“The draw could have been easier and harder, but there are no easy groups or easy matches at the European Championship. The Germans are definitely the strongest in the group, the Scots are physically strong and Switzerland are an outstanding playing force.”
Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
LUIS DE LA FUENTE, SPAIN MANAGER
“If it’s not the toughest group, it’s one of the toughest. I’m not going to say it’s a cliché when we see that all the teams are complicated, but obviously it’s a group that will require us to perform to the best of our ability.”
ZLATKO DALIC, CROATIA MANAGER
“It is surely the most difficult group. But we know what our goal is: to pass the group stage.”
LUCIANO SPALLETTI, ITALY MANAGER
“It could have been better. Being in the fourth pot makes you realize that you have teams ahead of you but nothing should distract us from the fact that we are Italy. It’s difficult to make predictions.
“A tough group. Croatia is strong and experienced. Spain? Anyone who loves this sport must play it, the taste of challenge and comparison. If you don’t play you lose the pleasure of football.”
SYLVINHO, ALBANIA MANAGER
“It was a beautiful night for Albania, but it’s true that the group is extremely difficult. But we are committed to giving our best. I’m happy, the players are happy and we are all really looking forward to test our limits, how strong we are and see how far can we go.”
Group C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England
KASPER HJULMAND, DENMARK MANAGER
“It’s nice that we now have it in place. The Danes can start buying tickets for three fantastic matches and we can begin our work.”
GARETH SOUTHGATE, ENGLAND MANAGER
“You know the objective is to get out of the group. You can’t tell but you look at Serbia with a centre-forward like Mitrovic and you can’t assume too much. We’re hugely excited to be part of the tournament. We know the expectations, we are getting used to these big games. We hope to give our supporters some brilliant nights.”
Group D: Playoff winner A (Poland/Wales/Finland/Estonia), Netherlands, Austria, France
RONALD KOEMAN, NETHERLANDS MANAGER
“It’s difficult for everybody. I did not prefer France, maybe France did not prefer Holland because we play often and it’s nice to have other opponents. But anyway we need to accept it. Our objective is to win the tournament.”
DIDIER DESCHAMPS, FRANCE MANAGER
“It’s going to be difficult. The Pot 3 team we’ll be facing are the Netherlands… We won both our games against them (in the qualifiers) but it makes our group harder. We also faced Austria during the latest Nations League campaign and it was far from easy. We don’t know yet our last opponent. But it’s a dense and difficult group.”
Group E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Play-off winner B (Israel/Bosnia/Ukraine/Iceland)
DOMENICO TEDESCO, BELGIUM COACH
“On paper we might be favourites in this group, but football is played on the pitch, not on paper. Some can dream of winning the Euros, but we can’t. In football you can’t plan anything, you have to take everything step by step.”
EDWARD IORDANESCU, ROMANIA COACH
“Romanians should join their national team! Their national team began to convince them that it had value and potential. They reacted, they responded presently. We are waiting for them to join us at the Euro and together we can write history”
Group F: Turkey, Playoff winner C (Georgia/Greece/Kazakhstan/Luxembourg), Portugal, Czech Republic
ROBERTO MARTINEZ, PORTUGAL MANAGER
“Group F gives you extra time for the first game. As for the opponents, it’s always tricky. The fact that Czech Republic don’t have a coach is a mystery at this stage. Turkey won their group against Croatia and Wales. They have a great level and are very competitive.”
The Draws
GROUP A
Germany (hosts)
Scotland
Hungary
Switzerland
GROUP B
Spain
Croatia
Italy
Albania
GROUP C
Slovenia
Denmark
Serbia
England
GROUP D
Play-off winner A (Poland/Wales/Finland/Estonia)
Netherlands
Austria
France
GROUP E
Belgium
Slovakia
Romania
Play-off winner B (Israel/Bosnia/Ukraine/Iceland)
GROUP F
Turkey
Play-off winner C (Georgia/Greece/Kazakhstan/Luxembourg)
Portugal Czech Republic
