France, England, and the other top contenders will find out on Saturday in the port city of Hamburg how they can potentially win continental glory the following summer.
The draw will take place at the Elbe Philharmonic Hall, which overlooks the river that passes through the second-biggest city in Germany, a little more than six months before the June 14– July 14 tournament begins.
With top-tier club football being the focus of attention across the continent and the draw in a city sunk in sub-zero winter temperatures, only some people's thoughts will be on next year's finals.
However, for the 20 countries that have qualified in addition to the hosts Germany, this Saturday's competition signals the beginning of the official countdown to the European Championship.
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Along with Portugal, Spain, Belgium, and the hosts, the first pot of seeds also includes England, a team that has never before won a continental championship, and France, the World Cup finalists from the previous year.
France and England stand out among the favorites due to recent performances and the depth of talent available to their respective coaches, from Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham to Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.
England will be pressured to surpass their performance in the 2021 Euro, where they lost to Italy at Wembley on penalties.
"I think we have to accept that. Pressure comes when expectation is different from reality and reality is we are going to be one of the teams capable of winning," England manager Gareth Southgate said recently.
After losing six of their last 11 games following their second straight elimination from the World Cup during the group stage last year, Germany is currently experiencing a crisis on the field.
Due to that performance, Hansi Flick lost his job as coach, and Julian Nagelsmann, his replacement, has recently seen them lose consecutive games.
"We've an unbelievable amount of work to do in every position," Nagelsmann told local media after the recent 2-0 reverse in Austria.
