Wales’ opener will be in Bordeaux against Slovakia on June 11, and they meet Russian Federation in Toulouse on June 20.
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European tournament bows don’t come much harder than that.
Martin O’Neill’s side advanced to the finals after defeating beating Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-offs. Coleman declared before the draw he would prefer not to meet England because he wanted to avoid the media circus that would surround the match but said afterwards: “We have got them and it’s going to be a great game”.
Scotland will face… a miserable summer at home.
England manager Roy Hodgson paid tribute to the work of his Wales counterpart Chris Coleman in lifting the principality.
Spain should be fine in Group D with Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia while fellow top seeds Portugal join Iceland, Austria and Hungary in the weakest foursome.
But he has not been blessed with the greatest of squads since taking over just before Euro 2012.
Following an opening 1-1 draw with Sweden, the Austrians then won nine of out their ten games and pipped both Russian Federation and Sweden to top spot in the group.
Group E: Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Republic of Ireland.
The tournament kicks off in France next June, with Europe’s best teams set to do battle to wrestle the crown from defending champions Spain. I know Chris perhaps said he didn’t want it (England) but it is there now, so just embrace it and go for it. Reaching the last 16 will earn 1.5 million, with an additional 2.5 million for reaching the quarterfinals and another 4 million for semifinalists.
Victory in the July 10 final will earn 8 million, with 5 million for the runners-up. Wales and Slovakia round out that group. Getting out of that group will be a significant achievement for the Ulster-men, while Germany v Poland at the Stade de France on June 16 should be one of the highlights of the tournament.
The 1984 and 2000 winners will also face Switzerland and debutants Albania.
Wales’ first participation at the European Championships will see it play a familiar foe: England. A draw at home to Moldova was among the lowest moments but wins in their final four games saw them edge through automatically ahead of the Swedes. The UEFA president is fighting a ban from football that kept him out of the draw ceremony. They made way for other dancers wearing the flags of the 24 teams.
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But Jacques Lambert, the president of Euro 2016, said that following the “terror and anguish” of the attacks that claimed the lives of 130 victims, “Paris and France have risen, are standing strong, are looking to the future with courage and remain committed to welcoming Euro 2016”.
