Saturday morning will see the start of the Euro 2024 football championship. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the office sweepstakes and early rises over the next month.
How to watch
TVNZ+ will be the home for all 51 matches - live, highlights and on replay.
Selected games will also be on TVNZ's Duke channel.
Kick-offs are at 1am, 4am or 7am NZ time.
The opening match is at 7am Saturday, June 15 NZT when Germany host Scotland in Munich.
The final is on Monday, July 15, also at 7am.
Who is taking part this year?
Twenty-four teams have qualified for Euro 2024, including Georgia who make their debut at the tournament.
Germany are hosts of the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship while Italy are the defending champions.
The top two teams from each group advance to the Round of 16 as well as the four best third-placed nations in the Group Stages.
Who is in each group?
Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland
Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
Group C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England
Group D: Poland, Netherlands, Austria, France
Group E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine
Group F: Turkey, Georgia, Portugal, Czech Republic
Who are the favourites?
Is football finally coming home? Maybe.
Three years after falling agonisingly short of a first major trophy since 1966, England will be leading contenders to make the 2024 final.
They boast an awesome array of attackers and a talented midfield. However, the recent defeat to Iceland at Wembley and their defensive depth has raised concern.
The Three Lions, along with recent FIFA World Cup finalists France, are probably the two front runners for the title this year.
Les Bleus arguably have the most talented squad in the competition, led by superstar Kylian Mbappé.
Hosts Germany are also a side to watch. They have improved under Julian Naglesman after disappointing early exits in their last three major tournaments and will be buoyed by the home crowds.
If England, France and Germany are the probables, the possibles are rounded out by Croatia, Portugal and Spain.
What are defending champs Italy's chances?
Not great.
Defending champions Italy face a tough task lifting the cup again as many of the heroes from Euro 2020 are no longer in the national team set up.
Add to the fact Italy hasn't qualified for the past two FIFA World Cups and will be in the group of death with Spain and Croatia and the Azzurri aren't among the favourites this time around.
Sport reporters Zion Dayal and Victor Waters joined Breakfast to talk about how to get behind the Euros on TVNZ+, which starts this weekend. (Source: Breakfast)
Any dark horses? Who are the roughies?
The Netherlands
Feels weird to say the Netherlands are outsiders as the Dutch have historically been a powerhouse of world football.
But the Oranje's success on the international stage has waned since making the 2010 FIFA World Cup final.
Led by Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, the Dutch have a talented squad that also includes Xavi Simons and Nathan Aké and could beat any team on their day.
Belgium
Boring, I know.
The Red Devils often get lumped into the dark horses conversation, and fair enough too when you boast players like Kevin De Bruyne.
While Belgium missed their chance to earn silverware with the passing of their golden generation, the Belgians could push their way into the latter stages of the tournament.
No Thibaut Courtois is a loss in goal for the Belgians though.
Hungary
A footballing heavyweight of yesteryear, the 1938 and 1954 FIFA World Cup runners-up have begun to claw their way out of the wilderness in recent years.
Despite being in the group of death in 2021, they took points off France and Germany. A year later they handed England a 4-0 home defeat, the biggest under Gareth Southgate's tenure and England's worst result in nearly a century.
Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai will be the main name familiar to fans but, after this tournament, there could be a few more.
Turkey, Ukraine and Switzerland are the other nations that could cause upsets.
Players to watch
Jude Bellingham - England
England's number 10 has the footballing world at his feet at just 20-years-old.
And rightly so, he comes into Euro 2024 fresh from winning the Champions League and La Liga in a blockbusting first season at Real Madrid.
Adept at playing anywhere in midfield and with an eye for goal, expect Bellingham to be in the thick of it. He is firmly the new talisman for the Three Lions.
Let's just hope he can score a penalty if called upon...
Kylian Mbappé - France
Skill, speed and a lethal finisher, Kylian Mbappé has it all as France aim to win their first European title since 2000.
Arguably the best player in world football, Mbappé is almost certainly the top player going in to Euro 2024.
The 25-year-old will be captain of the most talented squad at the tournament and arrives with a sense of liberation after a tense move from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid.
If France need a moment of brilliance, don't take your eye off Mbappé.
Florian Wirtz - Germany
Florian Wirtz isn't the biggest name in the German national team, but he's certainly Germany's most in-form player.
The Bundesliga player of the season scored 18 goals and contributed 20 assists in Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten league and cup campaign.
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder provides new hope for the Germans who have failed to make the quarter-finals stage at the past three major tournaments.
Lamine Yamal - Spain
If you haven't heard of Lamine Yamal, you will soon.
The latest graduate from FC Barcelona's La Masia, Yamal is already a starter for club and country at just 16 after breaking a host of records.
He's on track to become the tournament's youngest player and scorer when he takes to the field in Germany.
A master of the 1v1 and with pace to burn, the winger has a natural ability to break defences.
If you're good enough, you're old enough.
Toni Kroos - Germany
Having come out of retirement, representing Germany at Euro 2024 will be Toni Kroos' final act as a footballer.
The decorated 35-year-old midfielder has won it all in football, except a European Championship with Germany.
A tidy technician in the middle of the park and a sharp set-piece taker, Kroos will be pulling all the strings for Die Mannschaft.
Luka Modrić - Croatia
Kroos' Real Madrid teammate Luka Modrić will lead Croatia into what's expected to be his final tournament.
The 38-year-old is Croatia's most capped player of all time and their talisman after leading them to an historic FIFA World Cup final in 2018 and a third place finish in 2022.
His wisdom and expertise will be crucial for Croatia in what's a tough group with Spain and Italy.
While he'll likely farewell international football after Euro 2024, Modrić is confirmed to continue for one more season at Real Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal
Twenty years ago a skinny winger with blonde highlights lit up the European championships with Portugal.
While that home tournament ended in tears after losing the 2004 final to Greece in Lisbon, Ronaldo did finally get his hands on the trophy in 2016.
The 39-year-old has been called up for a record sixth Euro tournament appearance despite playing these days in the lucrative but less-competitive Saudi Arabian league.
However, recent outings for Portugal has proven he hasn't lost his goal scoring ability just yet and could still play an important role for his nation in Germany.
While this is set to be his last Euros, the evergreen forward is aiming to make the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
Olivier Giroud - France
At 37, Euro 2024 will draw an end on an incredible international career for France's record goal scorer Olivier Giroud.
The striker has been a mainstay for France's frontline throughout the years.
Giroud was an integral part of the side that won the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and that lost the thrilling decider in Qatar 2022 on penalties to Argentina.
Giroud won't play as big a role this time round, but his experience in and around the box could be useful if France are desperate for a goal in the final moments.
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