With another lackluster draw, we now finally know the matchups for the group stage of the 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. The four groups will yield some amazing matchups early on in the tournament, with plenty at stake.

Any football fan can recognize Group B of Denmark, Netherlands, Portugal and Germany as the most difficult group. All four qualified for the World Cup in 2010, and three of them found themselves in the quarter-final or better (Portugal crashed out in the quarters, Germany made it to the semi-final and the Dutch were runners-up in the tournament). At least one of these nations has featured in the top four of this tournament since 1968. And only three times has a final been played since that year without one of these nations. The moral of the story is that this group can be considered the 'Group of Death.' The Dutch will be looking to place high again, Portugal have rather high expectations to start showing up in tournaments again, Germany will always be a disappointment if they don't win and Denmark won their group in qualifying, so they will also have fairly high hopes of advancing.

Group D with England, France, Sweden and Ukraine looks interesting enough. Any one of these teams could advance without too much surprise. However, the French will be a front-runner for placing in the top two of the group. The English have a fantastic chance to advance, as only a limping Sweden and a Ukraine team who haven't played in qualifying were lucky to advance by being a host nation. Even without Wayne Rooney for two of their group stage matches, the English should advance. The now-awoken French are back to their dominant ways.

Group A is the only group with just one qualifier from the past World Cup. And when that qualifier is Greece, it's fairly indicative as to how easy this group is. However, this may prove to be one of the more interesting groups in the tournament, as these nations are relatively on a similar playing field in the world of football. Whether or not teams like Poland, or even Russia, can break down the Greek defense is still uncertain. The Czechs have another uneasy squad with them, and whether or not this team can finish in the top two is also a strong gamble. Anyone can advance out of this group, which makes it exciting for any fan of parity or mediocrity.

Group C could be one of the easiest to predict. This group features the last two champions of the world and two teams who had to advance via the playoff system to make it to the finals. Spain will be the overwhelming favourites in this group, as they are placed along with the Italians, the Croatians and the Irish. The Irish were lucky, to say the least, to advance. After a cakewalk against the Estonians, they are now into their first major tournament in 10 years. Croatia advanced against an underperforming Turkish team and can now focus on putting in another solid performance on a major stage. This team could easily surprise in this group. Many pundits are already salivating over the first matchup of the group, Italy versus Spain. After that match, it would be hard to give this group much attention.

The groups are decided, but much can change between now and the summer. Look for a more in-depth breakdown of the tournament later on in the year.