Group B of UEFA Euro 2016 contains England, Russia, Wales and Slovakia. Within this group only Russia is a former European champion, having won as the Soviet Union in 1960. This is Wales' and Slovakia's first appearance at the European Championship. Matches will be played from 11 to 20 June 2016.
England
Best result: semi-finals 1968, 1996
Coach: Roy Hodgson
Leading scorers: all-time – Wayne Rooney (51); current – Wayne Rooney (51)
Most appearances: all-time – Peter Shilton (125); current – Wayne Rooney (109)
Association formed: 1863
Nickname: Three Lions
Where they play: Wembley, London
England's recent record in major tournaments could have looked very different had it not been for penalty shoot-outs. Since losing on spot kicks to West Germany in the semi-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, they have been eliminated by that method from five further tournaments – three UEFA European Championships (1996, 2004 and 2012) and two World Cups (1998, 2006). It means the 1966 World Cup triumph on home soil remains their only final appearance, although Roy Hodgson's team, group stage fallers at the 2014 World Cup, should travel to France in confident mood having qualified for UEFA EURO 2016 with ten wins out of ten.
England are alone among Europe's World Cup-winning nations in failing to capture the Henri Delaunay Cup. Indeed, they are yet to reach a UEFA European Championship final, having come closest in 1996, when they hosted the event, only to be denied by Germany in a semi-final penalty shoot-out defeat at Wembley. They also reached the last four – as world champions – in 1968, but otherwise the competition has brought few happy memories.
In the four eight-team final tournaments from 1980 to 1992, England were unable to reach the knockout phase, failing to qualify altogether for the 1984 edition in France. EURO '96 apart, they have also struggled to make an impression in the 16-team finals, going out at the group stage in 2000 and suffering elimination in qualifying for the 2008 tournament. On the other two occasions, in 2004 and 2012, respective quarter-finals with Portugal and Italy both ended in shoot-out disappointments.
Memorable EURO matches
21/06/04: Croatia 2-4 England, UEFA EURO 2004 group stage
Two Wayne Rooney goals helped England come from behind to book a quarter-final berth.
18/06/96: Netherlands 1-4 England, EURO '96 group stage
Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham both scored twice in a famous Wembley win.
11/11/87: Yugoslavia 1-4 England, 1988 UEFA European Championship qualifying
England struck four times in the opening 25 minutes in Belgrade to earn a decisive victory.
Did you know?
England have only ever won one knockout fixture at a EURO final tournament – ironically on penalties, against Spain after a 0-0 draw on home soil at Wembley in 1996.
Russia
Best result: winners 1960 (as Soviet Union)
Coach: Leonid Slutski
Leading scorers: all-time – Oleh Blokhin (42 for Soviet Union); current – Aleksandr Kerzhakov (30)
Most appearances: all-time – Sergei Ignashevich (114); current – Sergei Ignashevich (114)
Association formed: 1912
Nickname: None
Where they play: Various
Since the break-up of the Soviet Union – the inaugural winners of the UEFA European Championship, in 1960, and runners-up in 1964, 1972 and 1988 – Russia have been regular qualifiers for the four-yearly continental gathering, but only once have they made it through the group stage. That was in 2008, when Dutchman Guus Hiddink's attractive side reached the semi-finals. In post-Soviet days they qualified for the FIFA World Cups of 1994 and 2002, and again for Brazil 2014. UEFA EURO 2016 qualification was achieved as Group G runners-up after new coach Leonid Slutski, a mid-campaign replacement for Fabio Capello, oversaw wins in each of the team's last four matches.
As part of the Soviet Union, Russia helped win the inaugural competition in 1960. A side containing FC Dinamo Moskva goalkeeper Lev Yashin and FC Spartak Moskva's Igor Netto beat Yugoslavia 2-1 in the final; striker Viktor Ponedelnik scored the extra-time winner. The USSR were runners-up to Spain in 1964, lost the 1972 final to West Germany and suffered more showpiece woe in 1988 as a Ukrainian-accented team went down 2-0 to the Netherlands.
Since playing under the banner of the CIS in 1992, Russia have struggled to repeat past glories. They earned one win in nine finals games in 1992, 1996 and 2004 and failed to qualify in 2000, before a welcome return to form in Austria and Switzerland where they reached the semi-finals. UEFA EURO 2012 brought another group stage exit, despite opening with a 4-1 defeat of the Czech Republic and a 1-1 draw with co-hosts Poland. Needing just another draw, they lost 1-0 to Greece.
Memorable EURO matches
21/06/2008: Netherlands 1-3 Russia (aet), UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-finals
Andrey Arshavin inspired Hiddink's men to a shock victory over the fancied Oranje.
25/06/1988: Soviet Union 0-2 Netherlands, 1988 UEFA European Championship final
Marco van Basten's wonder goal and Igor Belanov's spot-kick failure proved key.
10/07/1960: Soviet Union 2-1 Yugoslavia (aet), 1960 UEFA European Championship final
Ponedelnik's 113th-minute strike in Paris captured the first EURO title.
Did you know?
Aleksandr Kerzhakov's two goals against Azerbaijan in a friendly on 3 September 2014 took him past Vladimir Beschastnykh (26 goals) as the all-time top scorer for post-Soviet Russia.
Wales
Best result: never previously qualified
Coach: Chris Coleman
Leading scorers: all-time – Ian Rush (28); current – Gareth Bale (19)
Most appearances: all-time – Neville Southall (92); current – Chris Gunter (64)
Association formed: 1876
Nickname: Dreigiau (Dragons)
Where they play: Cardiff City Stadium; Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Wales last participated in a major tournament at the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, in which a John Charles-inspired team reached the quarter-finals. They did reach the last eight of the 1976 UEFA European Championship but lost a two-legged tie to Yugoslavia and missed out on the four-team final tournament. Since then a plethora of top-class footballers, among them Ian Rush and Ryan Giggs, have been unable to represent the Principality on the biggest stage. However, thanks to the seven goals of Gareth Bale in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying, the country will at last compete at a major tournament after a 58-year wait.
Yugoslavia were always Wales' bogey team in the UEFA European Championship, denying them a place in the four-team 1976 final tournament and then stopping the Dragons in their tracks in qualifying for the 1984 final tournament. Victory in the final home game would have taken Wales through but Mehmed Baždarević's 81st-minute leveller enabled the visitors to claim the qualifying berth.
Not until UEFA EURO 2004 did Wales come as close again. Facing Russia in the play-offs, hopes soared after a 0-0 draw in Moscow only for a 1-0 home defeat to deny them once more. UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying proved to be a more troubled campaign than most, with promising results on the pitch overshadowed by the death of manager Gary Speed in November 2011.
Memorable EURO matches
12/06/15: Wales 1-0 Belgium, UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying
Gareth Bale's 25th-minute winner in Cardiff brought Wales a pivotal victory in their UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying quest.
15/11/2003: Russia 0-0 Wales, UEFA EURO 2004 play-off
A fine defensive display made it advantage Wales before a home loss proved their undoing.
05/06/1991: Wales 1-0 Germany, EURO '92 qualifying
Ian Rush's 66th-minute winner gave Wales a deserved victory over the world champions.
Did you know?
Wales became only the third team to play an official international match when they lost 4-0 to Scotland in a friendly in Partick on 25 March 1876. Wales' entirely amateur squad included two lawyers, a timber merchant, a soldier, a stonemason, a miner and defender William Williams, who made chimney tops.
Slovakia
Best result: never previously qualified
Coach: Ján Kozák
Leading scorer: all-time – Róbert Vittek (23); current – Róbert Vittek (23)
Most appearances: all-time – Miroslav Karhan (107); current – Marek Hamšík (83)
Association formed: 1938
Nickname: None
Where they play: Various
Eight of the 11 Czechoslovakian players who started the 1976 UEFA European Championship final against West Germany – and triumphed on penalties after a 2-2 draw – hailed from Slovakia, but the country took time to find its feet since it began competing as an independent state. Glory did arrive, however, in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Vladimír Weiss's team not only topping their qualifying group but also knocking out holders Italy with a momentous 3-2 win at the final tournament in South Africa. Slovakia then broke their UEFA European Championship qualifying duck to reach the 2016 finals in France under coach Ján Kozák thanks largely to seven straight wins at the start of their campaign.
Slovakia's first three attempts to qualify for a UEFA European Championship each ended in a third-placed finish, their steady progress undermined by home defeats against Romania (twice), Portugal, England and Turkey. That trend of losing on their own turf continued in the UEFA EURO 2008 series when the Czech Republic (0-3), Germany (1-4) and Wales (2-5) inflicted heavy reverses.
Weiss's charges were brimming with confidence in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying, though, when they recorded back-to-back 1-0 victories against the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Russia. However, failure to score more than once in each of their ten matches, coupled with a 4-0 defeat at home to Armenia, put the brakes on an ultimately disappointing campaign – but success was to follow four years later, the highlight of their campaign a home win against holders Spain.
Memorable EURO matches
09/10/14: Slovakia 2-1 Spain
Goals from Jurak Kucka (17) and Miroslav Stoch (82) ended the holders' 36-match, eight-year unbeaten qualifying run.
07/09/10: Russia 0-1 Slovakia, UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying
A Miroslav Stoch goal gave Vladimír Weiss's men a memorable victory against the eventual group winners.
20/06/76: Czechoslovakia 2-2 West Germany, 5-3 on pens, 1976 UEFA European Championship final
Prague-born Antonín Panenka's penalty earned the title for a side dominated by Slovak players.
Did you know?
Jozef Čapkovič − a member of Czechoslovakia's successful 1976 squad − won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1969 alongside his twin, Ján, while at ŠK Slovan Bratislava. The brothers, however, never played together for the national side.
GROUP B
Saturday, June 11: Wales v Slovakia (17:00, Stade de Bordeaux)
Saturday, June 11: England v Russia (20:00, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)
Wednesday, June 15: Russia v Slovakia (14:00, Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille)
Thursday, June 16: England v Wales (14:00, Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens)
Monday, June 20: Russia v Wales (20:00, Stadium de Toulouse)
Monday, June 20: Slovakia v England (20:00, Stade Geoffroy Guichard, St Etienne)
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