Welcome to the knockout stages of Euro 2024. Time to study all the Round of 16 fixtures with dates, venues, and my predicted winners.
Akhil Arora, an avid football viewer who has been writing about the UEFA European Championship since 2012. He has reported live from Wembley and Wimbledon.
(top row) England’s Declan Rice and France’s Kylian Mbappé
(bottom row) Spain’s Lamine Yamal and Germany’s Florian Wirtz
Photos: UEFA. Arrangement: Akhil Arora
Thirty-six matches and nearly two weeks into Euro 2024, the knockout stages are here. We’ve been treated to some wonderful goals, games, and moments in the group stage. Germany put five past Scotland on a thrilling opening night. Mattia Zaccagni’s last-gasp exquisite curler against Croatia ensured Italy would stay at Euro 2024. A couple of Turkish delights, from Arda Güler’s swirling long ranger against Georgia to Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s sweet finish against Czechia. Plus, the topsy-turvy Netherlands vs Austria game, lowly Georgia’s win over mighty Portugal, and a group that ended with all four teams on the same number of points. There were some forgettable moments, too, like the existence of England’s Group C. You won’t be missed.
With that, the first knockout round of the 17th European Championships—the Euro 2024 Round of 16—is set. There are a few surprises in the 16 teams that remain and those that are going home. Croatia are the best example of what might have been. They conceded two stoppage-time equalisers in their games against Albania and Italy. A moment here or there, and Luka Modrić would still be at Euro 2024. Slim margins, indeed. But what’s more surprising are the fixtures that we have. That’s all down to unexpectedly good or poor performances. So, who’s playing who in the Euro 2024 Round of 16? What’s the schedule like? When are all the Round of 16 fixtures? And can I have a look at the full bracket? The answers to all that lie ahead.
Euro 2024 Round of 16 bracket
Spain, France, Portugal, and the hosts Germany are in the same half of the Euro 2024 knockout bracket. That leaves the likes of Italy, England, and the Netherlands on the other side. Given that, the draw does feel a tad lopsided.
One side has more of the expected winners than the other. Sure, Italy and England were the finalists at Euro 2020, but a repeat performance is unlikely. If they win their Round of 16, we will have a repeat of the Euro 2020 final in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals.
Spain and Germany, arguably among the two best teams at Euro 2024 so far, are slated to meet in the quarter-final stage. That match, in my opinion, could end up being the final before the final. France and Portugal could also clash at the Euro 2024 quarter-final stage, in what would be a repeat of the Euro 2016 final.
Euro 2024 Round of 16 schedule, with fixtures and dates
Eight matches will be played between the remaining 16 teams between Saturday, June 29 and Tuesday, July 2. Matches will take place either at 6 pm or 9 pm Central European Summer Time (CEST), with no more than one match at the same time.
The Euro 2024 Round of 16 will cover eight of the 10 venues, except for Stuttgart and Hamburg, who will have the honour of two quarter-final fixtures. Let’s look at all eight Round of 16 knockout matches—the teams taking part, what dates the fixtures are on, where the games will take place, who I predict will win, and the potential Euro 2024 quarter-final opponents.
Euro 2024 Round of 16: Switzerland vs Italy
Date and time: June 29 at 6 pm CEST
Venue: Berlin
Switzerland are arguably the favourites in this Euro 2024 Round of 16 tie. After all, they led the hosts Germany for over an hour and nearly beat them. They were very good in their opening game against Hungary. The performance against Scotland wasn’t on those levels but that might have been because Granit Xhaka was marked out of the game by Scott McTominay.
Apart from a half-hour stretch against Albania in response to going a goal down, Italy have been poor throughout Euro 2024. They were unable to impose their game against Spain and rightly earned the nickname “little Italy” from the Italian press. And they struggled against Croatia, only getting the point they needed right at the death. Their Euro 2020 defence ends here, I believe.
Akhil’s predicted winner: Switzerland
Euro 2024 quarter-final opponent: England or Slovakia
Euro 2024 R16: England vs Slovakia
Date and time: June 30 at 6 pm CEST
Venue: Gelsenkirchen
With one win and two draws in the worst group of all, England have been a pain to watch at Euro 2024. Not a single match in Group C had a scoreline that passed 1–1. Gareth Southgate is struggling to get the best out of his world-class players, and I don’t expect that to change against Slovakia.
Slovakia were impressive against Belgium in their Euro 2024 opening group fixture, though that likely says more about the latter than the former. They then lost to Ukraine and could only get a point off table-toppers Romania. If their opponents weren’t called England, I wouldn’t give Slovakia a lot of chance.
Akhil’s predicted winner: 🤷♀️
Euro 2024 quarter-final opponent: Switzerland or Italy
Euro 2024 R16: Germany vs Denmark
Date and time: June 29 at 9 pm CEST
Venue: Dortmund
After a scintillating 5–1 drubbing of Scotland on opening night, Germany had a somewhat controlled game against Hungary who had their chances but didn’t make the most of them. They were given a reality check against Switzerland who showed that the hosts weren’t all that they seemed to be.
But they will prove too much for Denmark who have been wholly unimpressive. Three draws in three games and only two goals scored. Denmark haven’t looked like the team that got to the semi-finals three years ago. Round of 16 is how far they will get at Euro 2024.
Akhil’s predicted winner: Germany
Euro 2024 quarter-final opponent: Spain or Georgia
Euro 2024 Round of 16: Spain vs Georgia
Date and time: June 30 at 9 pm CEST
Venue: Cologne
One of the teams of the tournament so far, Spain haven’t had the strongest of opponents in underperforming Italy and Croatia. But they have shown themselves to be an exciting force who have dominated matches and implemented their style of play. Even their B-team was enough to see off Albania, something we can’t say of Portugal.
Speaking of Portugal, Georgia got their only win against the Euro 2016 winners who had rested most of their players after winning the first two games. Still, it’s a fine achievement given Portugal’s B-side had the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, João Felix, Diogo Dalot, and João Neves. In their first-ever major tournament appearance, Georgia are deservedly in the knockout stages but I fear this Spain are a step too far.
Akhil’s predicted winner: Spain
Euro 2024 quarter-final opponent: Germany or Denmark
Euro 2024 Round of 16: France vs Belgium
Date and time: July 1 at 6 pm CEST
Venue: Düsseldorf
A tale of two middling teams—a French player has yet to score from open play at Euro 2024 while Belgium have problems of their own. Kevin De Bruyne seems to be the only player who gets the team really going. The wingers have failed to impress, and the team doesn’t feel fired up or like a cohesive unit.
France have the best squad of any team but unless they spark, I just don’t see them getting too far. Thankfully, they have Belgium in the Round of 16 who don’t deserve to be in the last eight either on group stage performances. France are the more likely team to progress but honestly, I don’t know where this one will go.
Akhil’s predicted winner: 🤷♀️
Euro 2024 quarter-final opponent: Portugal or Slovenia
Euro 2024 R16: Portugal vs Slovenia
Date and time: July 1 at 9 pm CEST
Venue: Frankfurt
Portugal had trouble beating Czechia in their opening game, but they found it much easier against Turkey. They were good value for the opening goal and were then helped by a hilarious own goal that allowed them to settle into third gear. A loss against Georgia may not play on too many minds, given most of the first team had been rested.
Slovenia, like Denmark, are one of the two teams in the Euro 2024 Round of 16 who drew all of their three group-stage fixtures. They are a good defensive unit but otherwise drab and lacklustre. If Portugal find them hard to break down like Czechia, they might drag the match out and find a way to progress. But if Portugal click, Slovenia are going home.
Akhil’s predicted winner: Portugal
Euro 2024 quarter-final opponent: France or Belgium
Euro 2024 R16: Romania vs Netherlands
Date and time: July 2 at 6 pm CEST
Venue: Munich
Both Romania and the Netherlands find themselves in positions they couldn’t imagine. Romania topped the group though “table toppers” is a funny word to use for Group E where all four teams ended up with four points, a first for the European Championships.
The Netherlands ended up third in Euro 2024 Group D after a defeat to a commendable Austria. Their only win has been against Poland who were far too middling. And against France, both teams were cagey and scared of a loss, but the Dutch seemingly held themselves back more than the French.
Still, I feel they have enough firepower to handle Romania who lost to a troubled Belgium and could only get a point against Slovakia in their third group match.
Akhil’s predicted winner: Netherlands
Euro 2024 quarter-final opponent: Austria or Türkiye
Euro 2024 Round of 16: Austria vs Türkiye
Date and time: July 2 at 9 pm CEST
Venue: Leipzig
With France and the Netherlands in their group, Austria were expected to be content with third place at Euro 2024. Instead, they topped Group D. They lost narrowly to France with an own goal, ensured there would be no Lewandowski heroics and dispatched Poland, and then grabbed the Netherlands game by the horns, refusing to be content with a point. Twice they led and were pegged back but then found a third goal that proved to be the winner.
Turkey’s results have been a mixed bag. They were the better team against Georgia but were poor against Portugal, struggling to create meaningful chances. And in the final group match against Czechia, Turkey only found a winner in the 94th minute despite having an extra man for 70 minutes. I would be surprised if this Round of 16 fixture went their way.
Akhil’s predicted winner: Austria
Euro 2024 quarter-final opponent: Romania or Netherlands
- Germany vs Denmark live at Euro 2024: when and where to watch – June 29, 2024
- Switzerland vs Italy live at Euro 2024: when and where to watch – June 29, 2024
- Euro 2024 Round of 16 — a full preview – June 28, 2024
What do you think?