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England will be desperately hoping to avoid Italy, who sit in Pot 2, having played the side in each of the last two global tournaments and effectively being knocked out at the hands of the Azzurri.
Loew’s team lost the Euro 2008 final to Spain and was eliminated by Italy in the semifinals four years later.
For the first time, the tournament will feature 24 teams rather than 16, with the top two in each group plus the four best third-placed sides advancing to the knockout phase.
This is a country that remains in a state of emergency and security will be extremely tight around the draw itself, just as it will be come the finals.
What about the knockout stages?
Where can I watch the Euro 2016 draw?
They will meet June 10 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, on the northern outskirts of Paris.
Germany’s team manager Oliver Bierhoff will help conduct the draw, alongside the likes of Ruud Gullit, Bixente Lizarazu, Vicente del Bosque, Antonin Panenka and David Trezeguet.
Wales’ first participation at the European Championships will see it play a familiar foe: England. Their predecessors were France (1992 and 2004), the Czech Republic (2000), Spain and Germany (2012). Pot 4 has several teams that will be out to impress, not least Iceland, who have qualified for their first ever worldwide tournament after accounting for the Netherlands.
With Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland all in Pot Four, there is a 50/50 chance of England facing a Home Nation in the first round of the competition in France.
England’s place in pot A means they will numerous powerhouses of European football, including Spain, Germany, Belgium and hosts France.
Defeat in Slovakia in October 2014 ended Spain’s 36-match, eight-year unbeaten run in UEFA EURO and World Cup qualifying fixtures stretching back to a 2-0 reverse in Sweden on 7 October 2006. The decisive match could be between Albania and Switzerland, sure to be a political affair with some Albanian-born players naturalizing to play for Switzerland: among them Valon Behrami (“I can’t believe it” was his reaction on Twitter) and Granit Xhaka, whose brother Taulant will be playing for Albania.
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The draw for next summer’s European Championship is nearly among us.
