Germany at the 2024 home European Championship against Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland

Julian Nagelsmann smiled with relief. Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland – things really could have been worse for the badly hit German national soccer team at the home European Championships.

And so the national coach reacted calmly in the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie to the almost usual luck of the draw for the preliminary round of the EURO (June 14th to July 14th, 2024).

Nagelsmann, wearing a gray tie with a black suit, spoke after the drawing in front of around 750 guests in the Great Hall on “MagentaTV” about a “very interesting group” A, “in which we want to assert ourselves”. Against the Scots it will be “a very nice start. The other games will also be exciting duels. It’s not a group of death, but a very good one.”

Meanwhile, sports director Rudi Völler emphasized on “RTL”: “We respect every opponent. I’m looking forward to the Scots. It’s going to be a great fight, they’re bringing a lot of fans with them, there’s going to be a great atmosphere – and of course it’s going to be challenging. Our focus has to be “We’re off to a good start. I’m optimistic that we’ll have a good European Championship if we change a few things.”

Former stars Wesley Sneijder, Blaise Matuidi and Brian Laudrup brought the DFB team manageable duels. A “group of death” with defending champions Italy, the Netherlands and DFB-Schreck Austria would also have been possible.

Instead, the Nagelsmen will face the Scots in the opening game on June 14th in Munich (9:00 p.m.) – for the first time at a European Championship since the 2-0 win in the preliminary round in 1992. Five days later, Hungary will be their next opponents in Stuttgart. The DFB team does not have fond memories of the dramatic 2-2 draw in the 2021 group “final” in Munich or the most recent Nations League duels (0-1/1-1). The DFB team has never faced Switzerland, the last opponent in the preliminary round on June 23rd in Frankfurt, at a EURO.

“Feasible, absolutely feasible group. Mandatory task at a home European Championship for these teams,” said record national player Lothar Matthäus on “Sky”. For comparison: In Group D, vice world champion France will face, among others, Oranje and Austria. In season B, Italy has to play against co-favorites Spain and third place Croatia.

On an atmospheric evening, star violinist David Garrett and tenor Jonas Kaufmann entertained around 750 guests with the hits “Conquest of Paradise” and “Time to say Goodbye”, among others; all ten European Championship cities were presented. The Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon brought the silver European Championship trophy, mascot “Albärt” brought the ticket “Germany” in a black, red and gold ball.

The German team was seeded like some of the favorites – a blessing after the alarming setbacks against Turkey (2:3) and in Austria (0:2) in November. “Julian will draw his conclusions,” said Völler and promised: “He will nominate in such a way that we can create euphoria again.”

Olaf Scholz also followed the drawing “excitedly”. “This European Championship,” announced the Chancellor, “will be a home game for millions of fans from all over Europe!” Especially for the German supporters?

In any case, Völler sees Nagelsmann as “exactly the right person” for the European Championship mission. “This is an absolute top coach,” he emphasized in Hamburg. The coach will “also find the right tactics,” he promised.

At the start of the European Championship year, international matches await in March in Frankfurt against the Netherlands and in Lyon against France. Nagelsmann will nominate his tournament squad in mid-May, and he wants to find his European Championship team in two further tests in June.

The capricious weather in Bavaria had previously thrown Nagelsmann’s travel plans into disarray. Since his flight from Munich to Hamburg was canceled due to heavy snowfall, he spontaneously got into the car and rushed to the Hanseatic city. He came on time – and was satisfied.