Euro 2016 stadium guide

Euro 2016 stadium guide: Check out the venues in France that will provide a stage for all the drama this summer

•  Euro 2016 starts on June 10 as host France take on Romania at the Stade de France in Paris

•  England's opener against Russia is the following day at Marseille's Stade Veledrome

•  Sportsmail provides a guide to each of the 10 venues which are hosting the tournament 

 By Sportsmail Reporter

The squads are finalised, the planes are booked and the tickets have been sold. Euro 2016 gets underway in a matter of days and the excitement is rising.

France hosts its first major international tournament since the 1998 World Cup and Sportsmail has provided a detailed guide to the 10 host cities and stadiums providing a platform for the drama across the next month.

 Sportsmail's guide to the 10 stadiums and host cities in France ahead of Euro 2016, which begins on June 10

 Stade de Bordeaux (42,000) - Bordeaux

An area more famous for its wine than football, the capital of the Aquitaine region will be the picturesque venue of four group stage matches and a quarter-final.

Built at a cost of £146.5m, the new home of Bordeaux is located between a man-made lake and the Garonne river in the north of the city.

Chris Coleman's Wales face Slovakia on June 11 in Bordeaux and Belgium lock horns with Ireland on June 14 there.

 Wales get their Euro 2016 tournament underway with a clash against Slovakia on June 11 at the Stade de Bordeaux

 As well as hosting four matches in the group stage, the Bordeaux stadium will also be the venue for one of the quarter-final encounters

Stade Bollaert-Delelis (35,000) - Lens

Easily the smallest host city of Euro 2016, the rebuilt stadium could almost fit the entire population of Lens inside it. The Stade Bollaert-Delelis was
originally opened in 1933 and the latest renovation work was completed last August on the home of Ligue 2 side Lens. England v Wales is one of four matches being held there.

 England and Wales will go head-to-head at Lens' The Stade Bollaert-Delelis in their Group B clash on June 16

Stade Pierre Mauroy (50,000) - Lille

This forward-thinking and cosmopolitan city has a stadium boasting a retractable roof and 50,000 capacity.

 Open since August 2012, the stadium four miles south-east of the city centre is twice the size of Ligue 1 side Lille's previous homes and will host six matches during Euro 2016.

The most notable group games here see World Cup holders Germany begin their campaign on June 12 against Ukraine, while France face Switzerland in their final Group A clash and Italy take on Ireland on June 22.

 World Cup holders Germany will begin their Euro 2016 tournament against Ukraine in Lille on June 12

 Hosts France will play out their final Group A match against Switzerland in Lille and Italy will also play Ireland here

Stade de Lyon (59,000) - Lyon

France's third-largest city has a stadium befitting that size and status, with the 59,000-seater Stade de Lyon opened at the start of the year.

Part of a complex stretched over 50 hectares, it replaces the Stade de Gerland, a 1998 World Cup venue, and will host one of the Euro 2016 semi-finals.

Lyon will host Northern Ireland's second group stage match of Euro 2016, against Ukraine on June 16, as well as the highly anticipated opener in Group E between Belgium and Italy.

 The Stade de Lyon holds 59,000 supporters and is set to host one of the semi-finals at the European Championship

 Lyon will host Northern Ireland's match against Ukraine on June 16 and the highly anticipated Group E opener between Belgium and Italy

Stade Velodrome (67,000) - Marseille

A £212m makeover has transformed the ground into a state-of-the-art home for Marseille. First opened in 1937, the pre-Euro 2016 makeover was done with the team still playing there and was finished in October 2014.

It has hosted matches at two previous World Cups and European Championships, with a semi-final the last match being held there this summer.

England open their tournament here on June 11 against Russia.

 Roy Hodgson's England team will begin their tournament on June 11 against Russia at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille

 The Stade Velodrome pictured illuminated in the evening with the city of Marseille providing the backdrop

 Stade de Nice (35,000) - Nice

France's most popular tourist destination away from the capital will welcome supporters to the eco-friendly Stade de Nice this summer. Opened in September 2013, the stadium draws over three times its own energy requirements from more than 4,000 solar panels.

It has its own geothermal installation for heating and rain water channelled from the roof is used to water the pitch. Defending champions Spain begin their tournament here against Turkey, as do Northern Ireland against Poland.

 There are more than 4,000 solar panels on the Stade de Nice, helping it draw three times its own energy requirements

 Defending champions Spain get their tournament underway here against Turkey, as do Northern Ireland when they face Poland

Parc des Princes (45,000) - Paris

A petition for a major football club to be established in the French capital drew 20,000 signatures and led to Paris Saint-Germain being founded in 1970.

Two years later their Parc des Princes home opened - the third stadium to have been built on the site.

Now with a boosted capacity of 45,000, the pre-Euro 2016 preparations have improved services for fans - welcome news to Northern Ireland supporters as their side face world champions Germany there.

 Paris Saint-Germain's Parc des Princes stadium will host Northern Ireland's clash with Germany

PSG's stadium holds 45,000 people and will also host Germany against Poland on June 16

Stade de France (80,000) - Saint-Denis

Football became a major part of Saint-Denis facelift when a 80,000-capacity stadium was constructed to host the 1998 World Cup final.

It is has subsequently hosted a variety of sports and events, as well as becoming home of the French national team.

The Stade de France, six miles north of central Paris, will host seven matches, including the opening game and the final, and will be subject of heightened security after the terror attacks at the stadium in November.

The stadium is nicknamed as 'the cauldron' due the intense atmosphere that is associated with the venue

Stadium de Toulouse (33,000) - Toulouse

The smallest stadium in use at this summer's championships, it was nicknamed 'mini Wembley' shortly after it opened in 1937.

It hosted World Cup matches the following year, so too during the 1998 edition, and underwent upgrade work to get it ready in time for Euro 2016, when Wales' clash with Russia will be amongst four matches hosted there.

Spain also play Czech Republic in Toulouse and Italy play Sweden there.

 England's final group match against Slovakia will be held at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard in Saint-Etienne

 The stadium is nicknamed as 'the cauldron' due the intense atmosphere that is associated with the venue
 Stadium de Toulouse (33,000) - Toulouse

The smallest stadium in use at this summer's championships, it was nicknamed 'mini Wembley' shortly after it opened in 1937.

It hosted World Cup matches the following year, so too during the 1998 edition, and underwent upgrade work to get it ready in time for Euro 2016, when Wales' clash with Russia will be amongst four matches hosted there.

Spain also play Czech Republic in Toulouse and Italy play Sweden there.

 Toulouse's stadium is the smallest in use at this summer's tournament and it will be where Wales take on Russia

Spain will also take on the Czech Republic in their Group D clash in Toulouse and Italy will play Sweden there on June 17