Two legendary players whose careers have paralleled each other for two decades likely face one final opportunity for international glory this summer.
As is the case with Lionel Messi playing for Argentina in the Copa America — which kicks off on Thursday — Cristiano Ronaldo will appear in what might be his final major international tournament.
Ronaldo’s Portugal opens its UEFA Euro 2024 tournament by facing Czechia on Tuesday. Portugal is eight years removed from winning the Euros (doing so in an upset of host nation France in the final). The 39-year-old Ronaldo — who will appear in his sixth European Championship — is back for one more quest for glory, despite facing questions about his national team viability following a much-publicized move away from top-flight European football to the Saudi Arabian league.
When it takes the pitch against Turkey in Dortmund on Tuesday, Georgia will be making its major international tournament debut, having previously never qualified for either the World Cup or the Euros. Georgia will be no pushover, however, as it features one of the most intriguing players in the entire tournament: winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who plays club football for Italian side Napoli and is nicknamed “Kvaradona” after club legend Diego Maradona. Turkey, meanwhile, is aiming to improve on its performance in the last two Euros, when it didn’t make it past the group stage. Turkey has enjoyed some success in international football, having reached the semifinals of UEFA Euro 2008 and finishing in third place at the 2002 World Cup.
Here’s everything you need to know for Tuesday’s UEFA Euro 2024 matches:
➤ Turkey vs. Georgia, 12 a.m. ET (Fubo)
This is one of five Euro 2024 games that will stream exclusively on Fubo.
➤ Portugal vs. Czechia, 3 p.m. ET (FOX)
Darren Fletcher (play-by-play), Owen Hargreaves (analyst), Geoff Shreeves (sideline reporter) and Dr. Joe Machnik (rules analyst) will provide coverage for FOX Sports.
Spanish-language television broadcasts are available on TUDN, Univision, and UniMás.
FOX Sports will provide live streams for matches. Vix will provide a streaming option for Spanish-language broadcasts. Streaming also available on Fubo.
Turkey vs. Georgia — Dortmund (Signal Iduna Park): Also known as the Westfalenstadion, Signal Iduna Park is the regular home stadium for German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, which played in the 2024 UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid. The stadium hosted four games during the 1974 World Cup and six games during the 2006 World Cup. Dortmund will host six UEFA Euro 2024 games, including a Round of 16 game and a semifinal.
Portugal vs. Czechia — Leipzig (Red Bull Arena): Red Bull Arena is the regular home stadium for German Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. The stadium hosted five games during the 2006 World Cup. It will host four UEFA Euro 2024 games, including a Round of 16 knockout game.
Czechia, Georgia, Portugal and Turkey are all in Group F.
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