Euro 2012 Kicks Off

After weeks of anticipation, speculation and debate, Euro 2012 finally gets underway today when co-hosts, Poland, take on Greece in Warsaw.

The tournament sees 16 of Europe’s best footballing countries compete for the Henri Delaunay Trophy, with the final taking place in Kiev on 1 July.

The home nations are represented by England, who begin against France on 11 June, while Republic of Ireland are also in action.

Football fans will see 31 games over the next three weeks, as Spain look to defend the title they won in Vienna four years ago.

Eight stadiums across Poland and Ukraine are being used for the tournament, from the smallest in Lviv which holds just under 35,000 fans, to the colossal 70,000-seater Olympic Stadium in Kiev which hosts the final.

BBC Sport’s pundits have backed Germany to win this time around, with only former captain Alan Shearer backing England to make the last four.

As well as France, Roy Hodgson’s England will come up against Sweden and co-hosts, Ukraine, in Group D, while Giovanni Trapattoni’s Republic of Ireland are in a tough group consisting of Croatia, Italy and defending European and world champions, Spain.

Other fancied teams this time around are the Netherlands, who are in the ‘group of death’ alongside the Germans, Portugal and Denmark while Russia could spring a surprise from Group A.

England, who failed to qualify for the last tournament in Austria and Switzerland four years ago, have never won the European Championship, with their best result in recent memory, a semi-final defeat by Germany at Wembley in 1996.

Their build-up to the tournament this time has been hampered by the loss of several first-team players to injury and suspension.