Today UEFA held the draw for the EURO 2012 Championships to be played in Poland and Ukraine next summer. After just finishing the qualifying round for next year's competition the top sixteen teams from Europe now know their fate. The groups are set for EURO 2012. Divided into four groups the teams were chosen at random from different pools. Ukraine and Poland were placed first, into Groups A and D respectively; then the top two seeds, Spain and the Netherlands were put into Groups C and B respectively. Teams were then chosen at random from the four pools. Alongside Poland in Group A are EURO 2004 winners Greece, Russia, and the Czech Republic. Group B appears to be this competition's “Group of Death.” Netherlands will have to contend with Denmark, three-time champion and last year's runner-up Germany, and then Portugal, led by all-world player, Cristiano Ronaldo. Group C features 2008 winners Spain, along with Italy, resurgent Ireland, and Croatia. Spain took out Italy on penalties in the quarterfinals of the last tournament and should be the highlight game from the group. Tournament cohosts Ukraine will not have an easy go of it in Group D. First they battle against Sweden then two giants of international football: France and England. England failed to qualify for the last tournament and went out rather coldly from the 2010 World Cup so this looks to be manager Fabio Capello's last shot at a trophy with the Three Lions. The first match will be on June 8 with Poland taking on Greece. With the final to be played on July 1 in Kiev, Ukraine.
