Week 1 [ 7-13.03.2016] UEFA EURO 2016 is coming…

It is time to start a big countdown!. Already less than 100 days left to the start of the European Football Championship in France. Championships are organized by UEFA - at the turn of June and July 2016 – in France. The last great football tournament in the country over the Seine was held in 1998. After 18 years the great ball goes back to France. From 10 June to 10 July at  12 stadiums will be played 51 matches to choose  the champion of the Old Continent.

www.uefa.com

1. Cities and stadiums 

Nine cities, ten stadiums. And all because two of them are located in the French capital - Paris. These are:

a) Stade de France  which is one of the largest football stadiums in Europe, which can accommodate over 80,000 spectators. At the stadium in Paris, fans will see seven EURO 2016 matches, including the opening match and the final of the tournament.

b) Parc de Princes  where five EURO 2016 matches will be held, and the stands will sit 45,000 spectators. At this stadium plays Paris Saint-Germain team.

Other venues: 
c) Stade Velodrome in Marseille,

d) Stade Bordeaux Atlantique in Bordeaux, 

e) Stade des Lumieres in Lyon,

f) Stadium Municipal in Toulouse,

g) Stade Felix-Bollaert in Lens, 
h) Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne,

i) Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille,

j) Allianz Rivera in Nice. 

www.stadiony.net

 2. Preliminaries

The event for the first time will be attended by as many as 24 teams (instead of 16)- from each qualification group were promoted two teams and the teams from the best third places. Other teams from third places will be seen in  play-offs.

Qualifying for Euro 2016 took place between September 2014 and November 2015. In qualifying took part  53 national teams competing for 23 places in the tournament. France, as the organizer of the tournament, was qualified automatically.

 

www.laczynaspilka.pl

France, as the host of the tournament, was directly assigned to Group A as a first team, all four baskets have 6 teams.

Drawing of Lots for the main tournament  

The draw was held on 12 December 2015 in Paris at the Palais des Congrès de Paris at 18:00. The ceremony was conducted by two eminent players and former champions of Europe - Ruud Gullit and Bixente Lizarazu. 

www.uefa.com

After playing all group matches to 1/8 finals will qualify two teams that have won the most points in the group and four teams that finished in the 3rd place and won the most points. For winning the match are awarded 3 points for a draw - 1 point.

 

3. The mascot of championship

The mascot is the boy with the appearance of a superhero whose name is SUPER VICTOR:

en.mascot.uefa,com

The boy was born in a small French town. His father was a good player and he loves to play football with friends. One day, after an unsuccessful shot, when he was  looking for  a ball in bushes, he found a mysterious, old box. In it he found a cap, soccer shoes and a Championship ball. The Items have special power.

The aim of the creation of the mascot is to promote football as a form of fun, learning fair play and bring other joy. As with previous mascots, also a new hero will travel around the country as part of a promotional championship tournament.

4. My first adventure with football 

I have become a football fun recently. Exactly from EURO 2012 but always at my home (despite defeats)

We persistently cheered  the Polish football team either during championships or  during ordinary matches. When I was 10 years old my grandfather gave me my first white-red scarf and I was wearing it during matches just to make him happy and I pretended I was interested in what was happening on the football pitch. But after some time I started to like it more and more. The climax was EURO 2012 organized in Poland. In Warsaw it was not possible not to feel great atmosphere and the spirit of championships. I suppose that even the people who are totally not interested in football in July 2012 were not indifferent to it. Together with my friends I spent all evening in the fan zone near the Palace of Science and Culture. Unfortunately it  reflected our exam results , but it was a time when football was the most important thing.

Preliminaries  to current championships were also big events for me. Each match with the Polish team caused unbelievable emotions, tears  and a reason to be proud at the end. I know that we are still not the best football team and we have a lot of to do to reach the level of our rivals like Germany or Spain.

I can’t wait to see championships in France and I had a plan to go there to feel this atmosphere once again but after latest sad events I think that it is too dangerous and it’s better to stay in Poland. Pubs in the city will be prepared for sure so in Poland I will feel this atmosphere too.

There is nothing more like to encourage you to keep your fingers crossed for our national football team. We proved many times that we are the best football fans in the world. :)

Questions:

1. Are you a football fan? Are you going to follow the championship on TV? Or maybe you are going to France for the championship?

2. How would you rate the chances of the Polish team in this tournament?

3. Which team, according to you, will win EURO 2016? 

Sources:

1. www.uefa.com

2. www.stadiony.net

3. www.wikipedia.pl