The setting for the month-long competition is important, given the underwhelming nature of the last Euros three years ago, held all over the continent rather than in one country, and played before limited crowds during the Covid pandemic.

"I spoke with (Argentinian Olympic coach Javier) Mascherano, and we immediately agreed on the situation," Inter Miami forward Messi said in the interview broadcast on Wednesday.

The 48th edition of the event is all set to feature ten teams from South America's CONMEBOL and six teams from North America's CONCACAF, including representatives from Central America and the Caribbean, competing across 14 venues for nearly a month.

Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic will leave his job with immediate effect after asking for his contract to be terminated, the Bundesliga club said on Thursday.

Pioli left Milan after the 19-time Italian champions finished second last season, 19 points behind champions Inter Milan, and following lacklustre runs in the Champions League and the domestic cups.

All 51 matches will be played across 10 stadiums, marking Germany's organisation of another international football event after the 2006 World Cup.

The US had been under pressure to deliver a performance after last weekend's 5-1 loss to Colombia and the result marked just the second time in 20 matches they avoided defeat by the five-times World Cup winners.

Motta made his coaching name at Bologna who he joined in 2022.

Messi's star turn raised the profile for MLS in the United States.

Italy won the last European Championship and their triumph at the Wembley Stadium in July 11, 2021 was just the second time the Azzurri have lifted the Henri Delaunay Cup across the 16 editions of the final tournament.

Spain's young and talented core of players have worked extensively with manager Luis de la Fuente, who was part of the national team's youth set-up between 2013-2022 before taking charge of the senior team.

India coach Igor Stimac condemned what he called an "irregular" goal in a 2-1 defeat at Qatar that ended his team's World Cup 2026 qualifying hopes, saying: "It shouldn't happen."

Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera has found one positive in the team's 4-0 defeat against Lebanon in Qatar on Tuesday in what was the last World Cup Qualifier fixture for the Men in Red and Green.

Indonesian fans and leaders hailed their football team after they booked a place in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time after beating the Philippines on Tuesday.

Ten Hag's contract runs until the end of next season, with the club having the option of extending it a further 12 months.

"The Portuguese expect a lot from Portugal, there's no margin for error, none, they always want Portugal to win because of the generation, the talent there is," said Ronaldo.

The defeat saw Bangladesh finish at the bottom of four-team group with a single point from six matches.

The Polish forward suffered the injury in Monday's win in a friendly against Turkey.

Ronaldo, the leading scorer in men's international football with 128 goals in 204 official matches, will be playing in his sixth Euros, having reached the final on his tournament debut in 2004 and winning the competition in 2016.

"This first criminal conviction in Spanish history is not for me. It's for all black people," the Real Madrid and Brazil attacker posted on social media.