England have made it to the knockout stages of Euro 2024 – somehow topping Group C.
Gareth Southgate’s side just bested Serbia in their opening game, which was then followed up with two unconvincing draws with Denmark and Slovenia. And even as England left Cologne to a chorus of boos, the Three Lions advanced to the next round.
England will now play again on Sunday, in the Round of 16, against one of three best-placed third-place teams.
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Understanding who England will play next isn’t the easiest, but we’ve tried to simplify things for you. All the teams that finish in third-place are put into a table, with the bottom two kicked out of the competition.
From there, UEFA have outlined all the possible combinations which will lead to certain fixtures. Thankfully, you don’t need to know all of that – all England fans need to know is that they will face one of three opponents: Netherlands, the third-placed side in Group E, or the third ranked team in Group F.
What do you think of England’s potential opponents next round? Let us know in the comments section
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The Three Lions will only avoid Virgil van Dijk and Co. on Sunday if the third-placed teams in Group E and Group F finish above Hungary in the third-place standings.
This scenario will likely happen in Group E, but in Group F it will require either Georgia beating Portugal by any margin, or Czechia beating Turkey by fewer than three goals.
If this happens, England will avoid the Netherlands and instead play the third-place finisher in Group E – which is currently Slovakia.
(Image: Getty Images)
So, basically, we should all be cheering on Romania, who need to score three against Slovakia, or Georgia for any win, or Czechia, but only by fewer than three goals. Got it?
In any case the Three Lions are on the favourable side of the draw, having avoided the likes of France, Germany, Spain and Portugal, with a quarter-final clash against either Italy or Switzerland on the cards if Southgate’s side advance from the Last 16. And what could go wrong against an unheralded Italy side that England are expected to beat…