The UEFA EURO 2024 draw took place on Saturday, December 2. Wales will take part in the play-offs in March of next year, and discover who awaits them in the finals should they qualify. Germany are the host nation for next summer's tournament. West Germany hosted the tournament back in 1988, but this will be the first time Germany has staged the European Championship since reunification. Defending Champion Italy will face Spain for the fifth EURO in a row, while hosts Germany will meet Scotland in the opening game of the competition.

Also Read: FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023: List of all the award winners

In total, 24 teams will qualify through the results of the European Qualifiers. 21 of the 24 teams are now known, with only the three teams to progress from the play-offs still to be decided.

EURO 2024 Playoffs:

Semi-Finals (Thursday 21 March) -

• Path A: Poland vs Estonia, Wales vs Finland

• Path B: Israel vs Iceland, Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Ukraine

• Path C: Georgia vs Luxembourg, Greece vs Kazakhstan

Finals (Tuesday 26 March) -

• Path A: Wales / Finland vs Poland / Estonia

• Path B: Bosnia and Herzegovina / Ukraine vs Israel / Iceland

• Path C: Georgia / Luxembourg vs Greece / Kazakhstan

Euro 2024 Groups:

• Group A - Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland

• Group B - Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania

• Group C - Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England

• Group D - Play-off winner A, Netherlands, Austria, France

• Group E - Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Play-off winner B

• Group F - Turkey, Play-off winner C, Portugal, Czech Republic

Also Read: Top 10 Defenders with Most Goals in the 21st Century

Host Cities:

• Berlin - Olympiastadion Berlin

• Cologne - Cologne Stadium (RheinEnergieSTADION)

• Dortmund - BVB Stadion Dortmund (Signal Iduna Park)

• Dusseldorf - Dusseldorf Arena (MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA)

• Frankfurt - Frankfurt Arena (Deutsche Bank Park)

• Gelsenkirchen - Arena AufSchalke (Veltins-Arena)

• Hamburg - Volksparkstadion Hamburg

• Leipzig - Leipzig Stadium (Red Bull Arena)

• Munich - Munich Football Arena (Allianz Arena)

• Stuttgart - Stuttgart Arena (MHPArena)

The final will take place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Sunday July 14.

UEFA Euro 2024 Group Stages Fixtures:

Friday, June 14:
Germany vs Scotland (Munich)

Saturday, June 15:

• Spain vs Croatia (Berlin)

• Italy vs Albania (Dortmund)

• Hungary vs Switzerland (Cologne)

Sunday, June 16:

• Serbia vs England (Gelsenkirchen)

• Poland/Wales/Finland/Estonia vs Netherlands (Hamburg)

• Slovenia vs Denmark (Stuttgart)

Monday, June 17:

• Austria vs France (Dusseldorf)

• Belgium vs Slovakia (Frankfurt)

• Romania vs Israel/Bosnia & Herzegovina/Ukraine/Iceland (Munich)

Tuesday, June 18:

• Portugal vs Czech Republic (Leipzig)

• Turkey vs Georgia/Greece/Kazakhstan/Luxembourg (Dortmund)

Wednesday, June 19:

• Croatia vs Albania (Hamburg)

• Scotland vs Switzerland (Cologne)

• Germany vs Hungary (Stuttgart)

Thursday, June 20:

• Spain vs Italy (Gelsenkirchen)

• Denmark vs England (Frankfurt)

• Slovenia vs Serbia (Munich)

Friday, June 21:

• Poland/Wales/Finland/Estonia vs Austria (Berlin)

• Netherlands vs France (Leipzig)

• Slovakia vs Israel/Bosnia & Herzegovina/Ukraine/Iceland (Dusseldorf)

Saturday, June 22:

• Georgia/Greece/Kazakhstan/Luxembourg vs Czech Republic (Hamburg)

• Turkey vs Portugal (Dortmund)

• Belgium vs Romania (Cologne)

Sunday, June 23:

• Switzerland vs Germany (Frankfurt)

• Scotland vs Hungary (Stuttgart)

Monday, June 24:

• Croatia vs Italy (Leipzig)

• Albania vs Spain (Dusseldorf)

Tuesday, June 25

• Netherlands vs Austria (Berlin)

• France vs Poland/Wales/Finland/Estonia (Dortmund)

• England vs Slovenia (Cologne)

• Denmark vs Serbia (Munich)

Wednesday, June 26:

• Czech Republic vs Turkey (Hamburg)

• Georgia/Greece/Kazakhstan/Luxembourg vs Portugal (Gelsenkirchen)

• Slovakia vs Romania (Frankfurt)

• Israel/Bosnia & Herzegovina/Ukraine/Iceland vs Belgium (Stuttgart)

UEFA Euro 2024 Knockouts Fixtures:

Round of 16:

Saturday, June 29:

• 37 1A vs 2C (Dortmund)

• 38 2A vs 2B (Berlin)

Sunday, June 30:

• 39 1B vs 3A/D/E/F (Cologne)

• 40 1C vs 3D/E/F (Gelsenkirchen)

Monday, July 1:

• 41 1F vs 3A/B/C (Frankfurt)

• 42 2D vs 2E (Düsseldorf)

Tuesday, July 2:

• 43 1E vs 3A/B/C/D (Munich)

• 44 1D vs 2F (Leipzig)

Quarter-Finals:

Friday, July 5:

• 45 W39 vs W37 (Stuttgart)

• 46 W41 vs W42 (Hamburg)

Saturday, July 6:

• 47 W43 vs W44 (Berlin)

• 48 W40 vs W38 (Dusseldorf)

The Semi-Finals:

Tuesday, July 9:

49 W45 vs W46 (Munich)

Wednesday, July 10:

50 W47 vs W48 (Dortmund)

The Final:

Sunday, July 14:

W49 vs W50 (Berlin)

Also Read: 'It was never a debate': Jamie Carragher's shocking Messi vs Ronaldo statement

How can fans book their tickets?

Ticket applications for the UEFA Euro 2024 opened on October 3 through the tournament's official website. The initial window closed on October 26. There will be other opportunities to buy tickets as teams confirm their places at the tournament, including through the play-offs next year. There will also be a resale platform that opens in Spring 2024.

More than 80 percent of the 2.7m tickets available will be for the fans of the participating teams and the general public. Group-stage prices range from €30 (£26/ 2,719.38 Rs.) to €200 (£174), increasing in price with each round. Tickets for the final range from €95 (£83/ 8,611.38 Rs.) to €1,000 (£870).

UEFA Euro 2024: Format

The format will be the same as for the last time around. The top two teams from each of the six final tournament groups will proceed to the round of 16 along with the four best third-placed finishers.

East Bengal is one of Asia's biggest and most supported football clubs. In October 2020, the club was voted as the most popular football club in India on an AFC poll by its supporters.

The East Bengal Club was established on 1st August 1920 by Suresh Chandra Chaudhury along with some other dignitaries, and the club's first captain was Ramesh Chandra Sen.

The Kolkata-based club has created a lot of records and won so many trophies. The Football club was going through a tough phase as they hadn't won a major trophy since the 2013-14 season.

But, under the new Manager and coaching staff, the Red & Gold Brigade are playing good football. So, let's look at the trophies East Bengal has won in its footballing history.

East Bengal FC Trophies List

East Bengal played their first match in the 1920 Hercules Cup, which was a 7-a-side tournament that they won. They won their first-ever full tournament in 1921 and lifted the Khogendra Shield.

The Red and Gold brigade qualified for the Calcutta Football League 1st division in 1925. They won their first 1st title in 1942. Then the Kolkata-based club lifted their first IFA Shield in 1943. In 1945, East Bengal won their first double, claiming both the Calcutta Football League and the IFA Shield.

From 1949-51, East Bengal became the first team to make a hat-trick of wins in the IFA Shield. In 1972, East Bengal won the Calcutta Football League, IFA Shield, Durand Cup, and Rovers Cup in a single season, becoming the first team to do so.

In 1972, East Bengal also made a record of being the first and till date, only Indian team to win the Calcutta Football League without conceding a single goal, which they again repeated in 1991.

East Bengal won its first First Division league title in 1942 and has since won it a record 39 times. They have also won eight Federation Cups, three Super Cups, a record 29 IFA Shields, the Kuladakanta Shield, and MLA CUP, alongside 16 Durand Cup titles, making the club one of the most decorated in Indian football.

Real Madrid and England star midfielder Jude Bellingham has finally decided to undergo the shoulder surgery, which he injured in 2023. Jude had suffered the injury during his first season for the Los Blancos against Rayo Vallecano on November 5, 2023.

The  21-year-old star will go for surgery today and is all set to miss twelve weeks after shoulder surgery in London. He will return to action in mid-October, following the completion of his rehabilitation process.

Jude has been suffering from the pain for 2 years now. After dislocating the shoulder against Rayo Vallecano, Jude did not want to go for the surgery right away and decided to play with the pain. He started wearing a shoulder brace, which gave the shoulder a bit of solidity. Jude then went on to have a great 2023-24 season in which he won the  La Liga, the Champions League, and the Spanish Super Cup with Real Madrid.

With time, although Jude's pain became a bit less, the shoulder brace started to frustrate him a bit. Due to wearing the shoulder brace for a long time, he was "losing a lot of weight from sweating so much". Not only that, he also mentioned that his "patience is running out" with all the limitations the brace was forcing on him.

So, eventually, after two years, Jude decided to let go of the problem and do the surgery. 

Read Also | Who is Olivia Smith? Arsenal are ready to pay the most expensive transfer fee for her

An arthroscopic shoulder surgery will be done on Bellingham, and the full process of recovery can take more than three months. However, Fernando Ramos of the Spanish Association of Physiotherapists feels that players with similar injuries generally require four months to return to training, with competitive play resuming potentially five to six months post-surgery.

Read Also | Top 10 Best Attacking Trios in football in 2025

During his rehabilitation process, Jude will miss eight LaLiga matches and the beginning of the Champions League group stage for Real Madrid under new manager Xabi Alonso. Not only that, he will also miss England's World Cup qualifying fixtures against Andorra and Serbia in September 2025.

In the world of football, few clubs stand out like Chelsea FC. Their trophy cabinet tells a story of incredible success, proving that they have truly won it all!

With their recent UEFA Conference League 4-1 victory over Real Betis, Chelsea completed a historic sweep of all major UEFA titles, topping up with their 2nd FIFA Club World Cup title, all in 2025.

Here is trophy cabinet of Chelsea FC that defines their successful journey in the football world. Take a look.

European Royalty: Conquering the Continent

Chelsea have battled across the continent's most prestigious stages and won every major UEFA club trophy, a feat few clubs can claim.

Their crowning achivements including 2 UEFA Champions League titles, notable defeating Bayern Munich [1-1 (4-3 pens)] in 2012 and Manchester City (1-0) in 2021.

Beyond the Champions League, Chelsea also lifted the UEFA Europa League twice (2013, 2019), and the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1971, famously against Real Madrid in the replay, and also in 1998.

Additionally, two UEFA Super Cup victories (1998, 2021) further highlight their continental dominance.

The collection was completed with their 2025 UEFA Conference League triumph, where Chelsea FC beat Real Betis 4-1 in the final.

The domestic dominance of Chelsea FC

Beyond their European conquests, they have also established as masters of England by securing highest domestic honors.

The Blues clinched the First Division/Premier League title and impress six times (1955, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2017) along with eight FA Cup victories (1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018). This makes them the competition's most successful team.

Their domestic dominance also extends to League Cup, which they have won five times in the following years: 1965, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2015.

Completing the Set: Global and Historic Honors

Chelsea's trophy cabinet truly lives upto the "won it all" status by having a collection of unique, historical, and global titles.

The FIFA Club World Cup win over Palmeiras (2-1) in 2021, made them only London club to win the Champions League as well as the FIFA Club World Cup. More recently, they added their 2nd CWC title after a dominating 3-0 victory over PSG in 2025.

Further adding to their phenomenal collection are four Charity/Community Shield triumphs (1955, 2000, 2005, 2009), which mark their traditional early-season dominance.

As we move down to the final count, Chelsea also holds two Full Members' Club Victories (1986, 1990).

A look at Chelsea's Trophy Cabinet:

Free kicks or set pieces are one of the most effective methods to score a goal. However, it is also the hardest thing in football. But be it from outside the box or 30 yards from the box, free-kicks are one of the most beautiful things to watch in football when done correctly.

In this article, today we will list the player with the most free-kick goals in football history. 

Who has scored the most free-kick goals?

This is a regular question asked in football quizzes. To give your answer, it is Juninho Pernambucano from Brazil who has scored the most free-kick goals. He has scored 77 free-kick goals in his career.

Most Free-Kick Goals: Messi or Ronaldo?

Whenever one discusses any football record, you can not leave Messi and Ronaldo out of it. At least, the fans can not leave it out. So, who has scored the most free-kick goals? Messi or Ronaldo?

Lionel Messi has overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of the most free-kick goals scored. Messi now has 69 free-kick goals, whereas Cristiano has 64 free-kick goals.

Read Also: Messi vs Ronaldo: Longest goal-scoring streak

If we break down the records of both Messi and Ronaldo, Messi has only 5 Champions League goals from the dead ball, and Ronaldo has 12. Messi has scored 58 free-kick goals in his club career, while Ronaldo has 53 against his name.

Read Also: 10 Most FA Cup Winners List: FA Cup in detail

Most Free-kick goals in the Premier League

The Premier League is said to be one of the toughest places to play football. Many greats have failed in the Premier League; however, many have flourished in the league as a legend of the game.

David Beckham has scored the most goals by a free-kick in Premier League history. He has scored as many as 18 times from the dead ball in his Premier League career.

Here is the list of players with the most free-kick goals in the Premier League-

1. David Beckham - 18 goals
2. James Ward-Prowse - 17 goals
3. Cristiano Ronaldo - 12 goals
4. Thierry Henry - 12 goals
5. Gianfranco Zola - 12 goals

Read Also: Most Free-Kick Goals In Premier League

Top 10: Most Free-kick Goals In Football History

#1 Juninho Pernambucano - 77 free-kick goals

Known as the magnificent 7, Juninho was the best when it came to scoring from a dead-ball situation. The former Olympique Lyonnais legend and midfielder scored as many as 77 goals from set-pieces. Juninho is considered the greatest free-kick taker of all time.

He was also the inventor of the knuckle-ball technique shoots as well.

#2 Pele - 70 free-kick goals

The king of football, Pele, has scored 70 goals from set pieces. Pele could bend the ball both ways with fierce power.

Moreover, his immense game knowledge to out-think the goalkeeper helped him net the ball more often than not. The Brazilian striker's 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which include friendlies, are recognised as a Guinness World Record.

#3 Lionel Messi: 69 Free-kick goals

There is hardly any top 10 attacking list or record in football where you will not find the Argentine maestro, Lionel Messi. Although before 2014, Messi was not considered prolific from the dead ball, he has just proved everyone wrong with his free-kick record since then.

Till now, the Argentinian legend has scored 69 free-kick goals. 58 of those have come for the clubs he has played and 11 for Argentina.

More than that, Messi now has scored a free-kick in every 16.1 match, which speaks volumes for his accuracy from the dead-ball position.

El mejor de todos los tiempos 🎯😮‍💨 #Messi pic.twitter.com/51pkfmbAVW

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 13, 2025

#4 Víctor Legrotaglie - 66 free-kick goals

The Argentine from the 1970s is considered to be the greatest player in Mendoza football. Along with his stunning shooting ability, Victor was known for his 12 Olympic Goals for Argentina as well. There is a stadium named after him in Argentina.

#5 Ronaldinho- 66 free-kick goals

The magician from Brazil was brilliant from any position. Ronaldinho had everything as a footballer. Hence, having the skill to net the ball from a distance was also in his armoury. The Brazilian legend scored 66 goals from set-pieces in his career.

Also Read: Top 10 highest scoring midfielders in the 21st century: Football facts

#6 David Beckham: 65 Free-kick goals

The famous phrase, "Bend it like Beckham", suggests how good Beckham was when it came to scoring from a free-kick. Beckham scored 65 goals from set-pieces in his career. His free-kick to take England to the 2002 FIFA World Cup is still cherished as one of the best moments in English football.

Read Also: Erling Haaland: Top 10 fastest to 20 UEFA Champions League goals

#7 Cristiano Ronaldo - 64 free-kick goals

With his latest free-kick goal in the Saudi Pro League 2024 against Al-Fayha FC, Ronaldo has now moved to the seventh position in the most free-kick goals list. The Portuguese legend now has 64 free-kick goals against his name. With this free-kick goal, Ronaldo now has scored a free-kick goal every season since 2003-04.

Ronaldo till now has scored 53 free-kick goals for the clubs he has featured for and 11 for his national team, Portugal. He has now scored a free-kick in every 20.0 games.

#8 Diego Maradona- 62 free-kick goals

The legend of Argentine football is one of the best in the history of the game. Maradona scored nearly 20% of his career goals with free-kicks. His free-kick against Juventus for Napoli is known as the 'Divine Free-Kick'. Diego scored 62 goals from set pieces in his career.

#9 Zico - 62 free-kick goals

Brazilian legend Zico scored 62 free-kick goals in his career. He was very accurate in his shooting skills. Zico is considered one of the world's best players of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The attacking midfielder was very accurate with his kicks. Along with his accuracy, his languid run-up was very famous in his era.

Read Also: Defenders who have won the Ballon d'Or award

#10 Ronald Koeman- 60 goals

The former Barcelona player and manager is known as one of the highest-scoring defenders of all time. The Dutch defensive midfielder also had his share of success with Ajax.

Koeman has scored nearly 25% of his goals with free-kicks. He is one of the high-scoring defenders in his era. Koeman scored 215 goals in his career and is one of the highest-scoring defenders ever.

#11 Rogerio Ceni - 59 goals

To the shock of everyone, Ceni was a goalkeeper and he has scored 59 goals from dead-ball situations in his career. Ceni is the highest-scoring goalkeeper in the history of the game. He has scored 131 goals in his career.

Except for one goal, all of them came from penalties and free-kicks. The Brazilian played for 25 years, most of that for São Paulo.

Read Also: Goals by Goalkeepers: Top 5 Highest scoring goalkeepers

12. Marcelinho - 59 goals

Marcelinho is nicknamed "Pé-de-Anjo" for his accuracy with free-kicks. The attacking midfielder from Brazil has collected more trophies with Corinthians than any other player in their history. However, Marcelinho failed to feature in any World Cup matches for Brazil. Marcelinho has 505 goals in his career.

Note: States are accurate as of 13th July, 2025.

At just 3.02 runs per over, an unlikely England under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brandon McCullum were seen on Day 1 of India vs England 3rd Test at Lord's. Even Shubman Gill's taunting "boring Test cricket" comment could not bring the BazBall of the England cricket team.

England finished Day 1 with 251/4 as Joe Root remained on 99 along with a struggling yet effective Ben Stokes on 39 from 102 balls at the other end. 

Indian bowlers did pretty well to restrict English batters and bowled with discipline, except for Akash Deep, who went for 4.41 runs per over on Day 1.

Key Moments and Highlights of Day 1 of India vs England 3rd Test

After the defeat at Edgbaston, England wanted a pitch that had "something in it." However, it did not look like that on Day 1. The pitch looked dry and slow, which might favour India as every day progresses. 

Ben Stokes won the toss and decided to bat first, which is very unlikely of them as they always want to chase scores in the fourth innings. But, with the dry and slow pitch in action, it might be good to bat in the third inning, rather than batting in the last inning. 

Indian opening bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep did well, and it did not look like Akash Deep, who was coming from a historical 10-wicket haul, had any issues with the slope of Lord's. Oh, did I forget to mention that India had one change from Edgbaston - Jasprit Bumrah in place of Prasidh Krishna. 

Read Also | Joe Root vs Sachin Tendulkar – Test Stats Compared: Can Root break Sachin's record

Nitish Kumar Reddy provided the early wickets for India

Despite a good start and a long spell from Bumrah, India had to wait till Nitish Kumar Reddy came into the bowling and struck twice in his first over to remove both the English openers. Ben Duckett (23) would consider himself unlucky to be caught down the leg side, while Zack Crawley (18) got a "spitting cobra" delivery from Reddy. 

Ollie Pope would have been out first ball if Shubman Gill had caught a tough chance in the gully. But, from then on, the signals were in. The edges were not reaching the slips, and Gill once had to come so close that he wore a helmet. 

The first session ended with England being on 83/2 after 25 overs.

Nitish Kumar Reddy with a double wicket over for India! pic.twitter.com/3bMnMgqRHd

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) July 10, 2025

England won the second session

Though Pope struggled to get going, on the other end, Joe Root was Joe Root - buying runs ball by ball, playing the way he does. Gill tried to break the partnership between Pope and Root with Bumrah in action, but that did not happen.

Meanwhile, India suffered a setback as Rishabh Pant got injured while grabbing a ball from Bumrah and had to be replaced by substitute keeper Dhruv Jurel. 

The second session saw 70 runs without losing any wickets. 

Read Also | Most Hundreds in Test cricket among active players

Bumrah and Jadeja provided breakthroughs for India

For India, the breakthrough finally came in the first over of the third season as Ravindra Jadeja produced an outside of Pope (44) and Jurel caught it beautifully to get England's third. Pope and Root had a 109-run partnership, which balanced the first session of the day.

Soon, Bumrah was called into action, and he rattled the stumps of Harry Brook, and everyone thought that Gill and company would have the doors open for a collapse. 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐦𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 \|/

Jasprit Bumrah cleaned up Harry Brook's stumps for England's fourth wicket of the first inning. #JaspritBumrah #HarryBrook #ENGvsIND pic.twitter.com/PnV9dkswrv

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) July 10, 2025

Stokes plays through pain; Root closer to another ton

However, captain Ben Stokes, who has not scored a test century in the last two years, played an uncharacteristic inning to build an unbeaten 79-run partnership with Root. 

Nitish Kumar Reddy nearly had Stokes out, but the DRS showed that India had to be satisfied with the Umpire's call, which was not out. Root meantime looked flawless against pace and spin.

In the final hour of the day, Stokes struggled with a groin injury and could not run, which stopped the flow of the run as well. With Joe Root on 99, and looking for his 37th test ton and 8th at Lord's, we are set for a big day tomorrow. 

Day 1 score summary