The draw saw the sixteen successful qualifiers split into four groups of four.

The tournament will follow the same format as the two previous European championships with the top two sides from each group qualifying for the knock-out phase of the competition.

England just missed out on being one of the four top seeds and lined up alongside Italy, Germany and Spain in Pot B.

Sven spoke to TheFA.com about all the other teams in the draw as well as picking out some players he thinks are vital to their side's success.

POT A


Portugal

Manager: Luis Felipe Scolari
Sven's Key Players: Luis Figo, Sergio Concecaio, Rui Costa

"Playing at home will be big advantage for them and as a result they will be a real threat.

"Their style of playing is very fluid, very skilful. In many ways they are like South Americans, especially Brazil.

"They have the most technically gifted side in the whole championships, but then they have always had very strong sides.

"They may never have won a tournament but then I think for many years they have lacked a really top centre-forward. Midfield has always been their strongest area.

"But this time they play at home and I think you have to pay a lot of attention to them."

France

Manager: Jacques Santini
Sven's Key Players: Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira

"The France that you saw in Japan was not the real France and I should think that at Euro 2004 you will see them back at their best.

"They have a good chance and I think that if you take their squad as a whole they have the best football players of any side in the competition.

"With France they don't just have one or two good individuals but many many players who play in all the best leagues across Europe.

"Technically, tactically and physically they are in top form, as they showed against Germany recently."

Sweden

Managers: Lars Lagerback/Tommy Soderberg
Sven's Key Players: Freddie Ljungberg, Henrik Larsson (if playing), Zlatan Ibrahimovic

"They are a very well organised side who are very difficult to beat. Whilst I have been England manager we have played them twice and both games finished 1-1.

"Part of the reason for this is that they always stick 100% to their tactics which is great when you already have a team which is very aggressive and full of skilful players.

"In many ways they play a game similar to England which is maybe why so many Swedish players have done well in the Premiership. It is a style which suits them well - I thought they played very well in the qualifying stages.

"I have known both the managers for over 30 years as we come from much the same generation and they are really nice guys.

"I think they will look to get out of the group and will see how it goes from there - who knows what happens after that?"

Czech Republic

Manager: Karel Brückner
Sven's Key Players: Pavel Nedved, Jan Koller, Milan Baros

"I think that we saw in qualifying what a good side the Czechs are. Any team with Nedved, Smicer, Koller, Berger and Baros is going to be a threat.

"They qualified ahead of Holland and we have seen how good Holland are, so I think the Czechs deserve to be seeded in the top pool and will have a good chance of going far in the tournament.

"Nedved has in great form and is a very clever and versatile player. He is very important for them and if he stays fit then they have a chance of going as far as the semi-finals, I think... maybe even the final."

POT B


Italy

Manager: Giovanni Trappatoni
Sven's Key Players: Alessandro Nesta, Francesco Totti, Christian Vieri

"You always have to believe that the Italians will go along way in the tournament and, like Germany, they get better and better as they go.

"Also Italy have very technically solid players; players who know how to play football - they don't give the ball away much and are very good in possession.

"They may not always play the most attractive football but they are very good in defence and usually play the most efficient game. They also have a lot of experience in key positions.

"So Italy have a good chance. They should really have won Euro 2000 and they have a chance of getting to the semi-finals at least."

Spain

Manager: Jose Ignacio Saez Ruiz
Sven's Key Players: Raul, Ruben Baraja, Iker Casillas

"The strange thing about Spain is that they haven't won a major tournament for so long [Not since the 1964 European Championship]. This is very strange because they always have very good players.

"Maybe the problem is that club football is more important than the national team because of course they have one of the best leagues in Europe and some excellent players, playing for the biggest teams - Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

"Recently they have done well in qualifying but never when they reached the Finals. I think that sometimes they don't quite find a team which gels together.

"They are almost playing at home so they have a good chance - why not?"

Germany

Manager: Rudi Voller
Sven's Key Players: Michael Ballack, Oliver Kahn, Bernd Schnieder

"I don't think that Germany have changed much since the World Cup and they always seem to perform when it comes to the major tournaments.

"Mentally they are the strongest side, and even when they get criticised they still come out on to the pitch and win.

"They are difficult to beat and as the tournament progresses they always get better and better. Whilst they may not be as gifted as some other sides, they are very technical and they stick to their tactics no matter what.

"I know their manager - Rudi Voller - very well as I bought him as a player when I was manager at Roma. Though I never got to manage him [Sven left Roma as Voller joined], I've known him for many years.

"Their style is typically German. They probably run with the ball more than we do in England but they are always physically strong - it is hard work beating Germany!

"You can never bet against the Germans and they will be hoping to get to the semi-finals at least."

POT C


Holland

Manager: Dick Advocaat
Sven's Key Players: Ruud van Nistelrooy, Philip Cocu, Edgar Davids

"I went to see Holland against Scotland in Amsterdam and they brought on two wonderful young players - Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder, who was outstanding.

"You only have to look at the side which played against the Scots to see what a good team they have. You must say that they are one of the best sides in Europe.

"Like France, their best players play all over Europe in all the big sides - Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester United - and have a lot of experience. Then they also have these young players which makes them a very dangerous side.

"The Dutch have a really good chance - I think they are one of the favourites for the competition.

"What is for sure is that whichever group they are in will be a very difficult one indeed."

Croatia

Manager: Otto Baric
Sven's Key Players: Dado Prso, Ivica Mornar, Igor Tudor, Milan Rapaic

"We played Croatia recently and even though we won 3-1 the Croatians showed that they are a good team.

"Teams from Eastern Europe do tend to be technically very solid, physically strong and are very very good at keeping hold of the ball. Their passing game is often frustrating because they can keep to ball for so long!

"I think that they are good - they beat Slovenia away to qualify and that is not easy so maybe they can do well in Portugal."

Russia

Manager: Georgi Yartsev
Sven's Key Players: Aleksandr Mostovoi, Dmitri Alenichev, Valery Karpin

"Russia must be a good side because they beat Wales in the play-offs to qualify for Euro 2004 and in the group they finished ahead of the Republic of Ireland.

"Both those teams are good sides so Russia are going to be a dangerous team in Portugal. I think that they didn't do as well in the World Cup as they were hoping but now they have a chance to do better.

"Karpin and Mostovoi are both very good and Alenichev is quick and elusive. They are very precise and have a tried-and-tested style. They could do well."

Denmark

Manager: Morten Olsen
Sven's Key Players: Peter Lovenkrands, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Thomas Gravesen

"Well - I think we saw what Denmark have to offer in the recent game that we played against them at Old Trafford.

"They have plenty of ambition, flair and pace. I think that with Denmark it is their pace that is the highlight of their game.

"Against their players you really must defend well and if you do not you will be punished.

"They have got to hope to get out of whichever group they are put in but I think that they will and they may be a surprise."

POT D


Bulgaria

Manager: Plamen Markov
Sven's Key Players: Svetoslav Todorov, Stilian Petrov

"It is good to see Bulgaria in the championships.

"They had a very good team in the early 1990s and maybe this team can repeat some of that success.

"I must say I do not know too much about them but their group was a difficult one so they have done very well to qualify. If we are drawn against them I will have to do my homework quickly!"

Switzerland

Manager: Köbi Kuhn
Sven's Key Players: Hakan Yakin, Murat Yakin, Stephane Chapuisat

"They are a good side. They won their group and finished above Russia and the Irish, so we should look at them.

"They play a very mixed style of football, maybe because of their geography. In many ways they are quite German in their style but also they are more Italian at times.

"Swiss football is progressing very quickly - at youth level they are very strong. The Yakin brothers have been excellent for FC Basle, and Chapuisat is still a dangerous striker.

"Like other sides, they will limit their ambitions to getting through to the quarter-finals. After that, who knows?"

Greece

Manager: Otto Rehhagel
Sven's Key Players: Angelos Charisteas, Pantelis Konstantinidis, Themistoklis Nikolaidis

"I know Greece quite well from when we played them in the qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup. They played very well at Old Trafford [drawn 2-2] and have continued to improve since then.

"Their manager, Otto Rehhagel, has done absolutely brilliantly with the side because they finished above Spain to qualify automatically. That is very good for a team like Greece.

"I think that Euro 2004 will be difficult for them but they are a good team and could provide a surprise. They may qualify from their group."

Latvia

Manager: Aleksandrs Starkovs
Sven's Key Players: Marians Pahars, Andrejs Rubins, Vitalis Astafjevs.

"Well now Latvia provided us with the biggest surprise of the whole of the qualifying round when they knocked Turkey out in the play-offs.

"I'm not too sure if anyone knew too much about them but the 2-2 draw in Istanbul would have made some people take notice of them. Marian Pahars is perhaps the best known player to English fans - he is a clever striker who takes up good positions.

"They deserve their place in Portugal and will obviously be hoping to try to qualify from the group stage."