Euro 2016: a gala sporting event
“Finally!” my cousin exclaimed as the draw of Euro 2016 came out.
“Do you know what that means?” his eyes twinkled as he said those words. “Top level football games will be on air each weekday. It’s like everyday would be Christmas for a month.”
My cousin loves football and so do I. From June 10th, football lovers like my cousin and I get to enjoy a mini world cup of the world’s most popular sport.
The event has 24 top ‘footballing’ nations of Europe battling it out in France for the right to be called Europe’s best team.
The teams are divided into six groups of four teams each. Two top teams from each group will then proceed into the 16-team knockout phase of the tournament, which in turn will be followed by quarterfinals, semi-finals and the final.
The semi-finals will take place on July 6th and July 7th respectively; while the final will be held on July 10th at Stade de France, Paris. All that sums up to 51 games in 31 days! So basically, it’s party time for football lovers.
Let us take a brief look at the favourites to lift the Euro crown.