England qualify for last 16 at Euro 2024 after Spain beat Albania

24 June 2024, 23:56

England have qualified for the last 16 at Euro 2024 ahead of their third match on Tuesday thanks to a helping hand from Spain.

Albania were beaten 1-0 by Spain on Monday evening, putting England through to the last 16 at the Euro 2024 - regardless of the outcome of their game with Slovenia tomorrow night.

The results left Gareth Southgate's squad guaranteed to be one of the best-placed third teams should they not finish in the top two of their group.

Spain’s win also means the Netherlands and France progress from Group D into the knockout phase.

England - who have four points already, so cannot finish lower than third - can win Group C if they beat Slovenia in Cologne and could also finish top with a draw should Denmark not beat Serbia.

Should England draw while Denmark win, then rankings for the top two slots would be decided on overall goal difference, then overall goals scored and then disciplinary points.

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Any side which finishes in third place with a better record than three points and a goal difference of minus three will progress into the knockout stage.

If England do go through as winners of Group C, then their last 16 tie will be in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, against a third-placed team from either Group D, E or F.

In Group D, Austria are currently third ahead of their final game against the Netherlands. However, in Group E, all four teams - Romania, Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine - have three points. In Group F, the Czech Republic sit third, level on points with minnows Georgia, but with a better goal difference.

Should England finish second in Group C, then they will take on hosts Germany in Dortmund on Saturday.

Were Southgate's side to end up third in the table, they would play either Group F winners Portugal in Frankfurt on July 1 or the yet-to-be-decided winners of Group E in Munich the following day.