Explainers

EURO 2020 is underway and it’s the turn of the group of death to swing into action.All of the past three tournament winners have been drawn together in possibly the toughest group in the history of the European Championship.
World Cup winners France are in the group of deathCredit: AFP
Cristiano Ronaldo has his work cut out to reach the last 16 with PortugalCredit: AP
Germany boss Joachim Low has been set a tough test in his final tournamentCredit: AFP
The group sees 2014 world champions Germany, European champions Portugal and current world champions all face off.
Hungary are the other team in the group and the government in Budapest has announced a full capacity crowd for all games in the city.
And they’ll need every one of their Hungarian supporters if they are to cause an upset in this group.
Why have Portugal, France and Germany been drawn in the same group?
When the draw for the Euros was made back in 2019, Uefa decided on a new system which would seed teams based purely on qualifying performance.
And while Portugal did qualify comfortably for Euro 2020, they didn’t enjoy a particularly impressive campaign as they finished behind Ukraine.
That led to them being seeded third for the European Championship and primed for a tough group.
It was also thanks to the Ukrainians that France ended up in the group of death.
France won their qualifying group but took just one point from two games off Turkey.
And that meant Ukraine were able to poach the final top seeded spot when Artem Besyedin scored a last minute equaliser in their final game in Serbia.
Meanwhile Germany and Hungary were both pre-drawn into Group F as Munich and Budapest had already been chosen as the group’s two host cities.

Who is hosting the matches and how many fans will be at each game?
As Germany qualified with more points-per-game than Hungary, they will play all three of their games in Munich.
However, they will play in front of just a 20 per cent capacity – the lowest of any host city – after the Bavarian government refused to approve a bigger crowd.
Hungary meanwhile will play France and Portugal in Budapest in front of a full stadium before heading to Munich to face Germany.
France vs Portugal will take place in Budapest, also with no limit on capacity.
How many teams qualify?
The top two teams qualify automatically from the group.
However, there is also a possibility that all three of France, Portugal and Germany could go through.
The four best placed third placed teams will each qualify for the knockout stages at the Euros.
And it was under this system that Portugal emerged winners at Euro 2016. More

CESC FABREGAS was a stalwart of the Spain team that won two European Championships and a World Cup.But at Euro 2020, the midfield magician will have a watching brief.
Cesc Fabregas is a pundit for BBC at Euro 2020Credit: BBC
He will take his place on the BBC sofa as a pundit throughout the tournament.
Who does Cesc Fabregas still play for?
Cesc Fabregas is still playing club football and may still have plenty of years left, at the ripe old age of 34.
The Spaniard left Chelsea back in 2019 after five years at the club.
Fabregas now plays in France for AS Monaco.
Who has Cesc Fabregas played for?
Cesc Fabregas has played for the following teams:

Arsenal (2003-2011)
Barcelona (2011-2014)
Chelsea (2014-2019)
Monaco (2019-present)

Is Cesc Fabregas still playing for Spain?
Cesc Fabregas hasn’t played for Spain in five years.
However, the midfielder insisted in 2018 that he has NOT retired from international football.
Fabregas has not said anything since to suggest he wouldn’t be available for the national team if called upon.
The then-Chelsea midfielder was left out of the Spain World Cup squad following a blip in his club form in 2018 and is not thought to have got close to regaining his place since. More

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC has been one of the most talented and recognisable footballers of the past two decades.But at Euro 2020, for the second tournament running, he will play no part for his native Sweden.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will play no part for Sweden at Euro 2020Credit: Getty
Why isn’t Zlatan Ibrahimovic playing for Sweden at Euro 2020?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, missed out on World Cup 2018 after retiring from international football five years ago.
However, his retirement is NOT the reason he is unable to appear for Sweden at Euro 2020.
Ibrahimovic came out of international retirement in March and appeared in Sweden’s last two World Cup qualifiers.
However, his hopes of an international swansong at the age of 39 were curtailed by a cruciate ligament injury in May.
Though the ligament is not broken, Ibrahimovic will still be unable to return in time for the big tournament in which Sweden face Spain, Poland and Slovakia.
Sweden coach Janne Andersson said: “I spoke to Zlatan Ibrahimovic today, who unfortunately told me his injury will prevent his participation in the European Championship this summer.
“Of course it is sad, especially for Zlatan, but for us too. I hope that he is back on the pitch again as soon as possible.”

Has Zlatan Ibrahimovic played his last game for Sweden?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has not made any announcement on his international future following his injury.
However, he may be encouraged to continue with the World Cup in Qatar just 18 months away.
That would give him the incredible opportunity to play his part on the world’s biggest stage at the age of 41.
But he would still not be the oldest player ever to appear at a World Cup, with that accolade going to Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary.
He started against Saudi Arabia at World Cup 2018 at the age of 45. More

SPAIN will be looking to win back the European Championships they lost five years ago in France as they partake in this summer’s tournament. And La Furia Roja will have the chance to do it with Man City stalwart Aymeric Laporte in their side, despite having never capped him before.
Aymeric Laporte has been selected to play for Spain at the EurosCredit: Reuters
The 27-year-old will be taking part in his first ever major international tournament, thanks to his inclusion.
Why is Aymeric Laporte set to play for Spain at Euro 2020?
Laporte was born in the French Basque Country so is French by nationality.
Because of his Basque links, Laporte played his youth career and the first part of his professional career with Spanish club Athletic Bilbao.
Laporte, however, played 51 times for France’s youth sides, from Under-17s all the way up to the Under-21s, who he captained.

He then earned a big-money £57m move to Manchester City, where he’s gone on to become one of the Premier League’s best defenders.
Laporte was actually called up to the France squad in September 2019, however he got damaged his knee ligaments before he could play.
The Times reports that boss Didier Deschamps promised a return to the French squad as soon as he was fit but the call never came, a decision which ultimately set in motion Laporte’s switch to Spain.
France have the likes of Lucas Hernandez, Clement Lenglet, Raphael Varane, Prensel Kimpembe and Kurt Zouma in the central defensive roles.
Laporte then officially changed his international allegiance to Spain, who granted him a Spanish passport last month.
A Spanish FA statement readh: “The player Aymeric Laporte is eligible to play for the representative teams of the RFEF – Spanish Football Association with immediate effect.”
Aymeric Laporte won the Premier League with City last monthCredit: PA
Players are allowed to switch allegiances, so long as they haven’t played over three times for their country before the age of 21.
Spain manager Luis Enrique then selected Laporte in his Euro 2020 squad on May 21, electing to leave out Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos.
Laporte will going Pau Torres, Inigo Martinez and City team-mate Eric Garcia as the squad’s main centre-backs. More