All eyes on Paris for Euro 2016 draw

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The draw for Euro 2016 takes place this Saturday and interest from the British Isles is mounting rapidly. With Wales and Northern Ireland joining England in the draw — along with the Republic of Ireland — the prospects of a mouth-watering ‘home’ clash have never been higher. Titanbet Sports UK have put a price of 10/11 on England being paired with one of their local rivals when Ruud Gullit and Bixente Lizarazu make the draw in Paris at 5.00 GMT.

Six seeded groups of four will be established with the top two teams in each group plus the two best-performing third placed teams all progressing to a knockout round of 16. But with England among the top six seeded teams — along with Spain, Germany, Portugal and Belgium — and with Wales, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland all in the lowest-seeded group of teams, there is every chance that local rivalry will be an early feature of the tournament.

Hosts France will automatically take a place among the top-seeded teams, which are all to be drawn from Pot A. The second-ranked seeds, including Italy and Croatia, will be drawn from Pot B, the third-ranked teams form Pot C and the lowest seeds which includes Albania, Turkey and Iceland along with the home nations will be draw from Pot D. With the exception of the hosts, seedings are based on current UEFA rankings.

Russell Yershon, UK Sports Manager for Titan Bet, has admitted that interest in the tournament is already registering with punters even though the tournament proper will not get underway until June 10 next year.

"Having so much British and Irish interest in a major football tournament is unprecedented, it makes for a really lively marketplace — even this far in advance. International football is one of those things that people just can’t help getting passionate about. We recognize that passion at Titanbet Sports UK and we’re delighted to play our part in making Euro 2016 a fantastic sporting festival," he said.

The tournament final will take place at Stade de France on Sunday, July 10.