It’s a solid month of soccer: 51 games, 24 countries and millions of fans.

六月绝对是足球之月：51场球赛、24个国家、成千上万的球迷。

Euro 2016, the second-biggest soccer tournament in the world behind the World Cup -- is upon us.

仅次于世界杯的第二大足球赛事的2016欧洲杯已经来了。

Where can I watch?

从哪可以观看？

On the various ESPN networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes). You can also stream it live on the WatchESPN app. Watching outside the United States? Games are probably on a national broadcaster, like ITV and BBC in the U.K., beIN Sports in Australia, TSN in Canada, Sony Six in India, Al Jazeera Sport in the Mideast and North Africa or Globo TV in Brazil.

在美国，可以在ESPN(美国娱乐体育节目电视网)各个网络频道上观看，包括ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes。你可以下载WatchESPN app观看现场直播。那么其他国家呢？这种赛事很可能会在国家电视台播出，如英国的ITV(独立电视台)，BBC(英国广播公司)，澳大利亚的beIn 体育，加拿大的TSN，印度的Sony Six(体育频道)，中亚、北非的半岛电视台体育频道以及巴西的环球电视台。

Who should I root for?

我要支持谁？

Germany for sure. It’s the current World Cup champ. And Belgium, the top-ranked FIFA squad¹ in the tournament. Talented host team France may lack experience, but will get a jolt² from the home crowds.

首先当然是德国队。德国队是上一届世界杯冠军。还有比利时队，它是世界杯的前五强。而本次主场作战的法国队虽然经验不足，但是家乡人民的支持会给他们以精神动力。

Who is likely to make news?

谁有可能成为新闻人物？

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t the world’s highest-paid athlete for nothing. There’s massive expectation on him to score. Also, don’t lose track of Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who’s looking for a new club team; he’ll use Euro 2016 as a showcase for his considerable skills. France’s Antoine Griezmann can light up the field too.

葡萄牙的克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多（C罗）当然不会无缘无故地成为世界上年薪最高的运动员。很多人期待看到他进球得分。同样，也不要错过瑞典的兹拉坦·伊布拉希莫维奇的表现，目前，他正在寻求新的俱乐部球队。而本次欧洲杯将是他展示技能的好机会。法国的安东尼·格里兹曼也有可能成为本次赛季的亮点。

What’s the most basic thing I should know to appear smart?

有哪些必备知识，让我不至于成为足球盲？

Nothing really. Soccer’s pretty simple to follow. Except for the offside rule. A player’s considered offside if he’s closer to the opponent’s goal than the ball and the second-last opposing player. Offside calls (or non-calls) get argued for years after some matches.

真的没有什么必备知识。看足球赛很简单。当然除了足球越位规则。凡进攻队员比倒数第二名防守球员距离球门更近，同时比球距离球门更近，就会被判罚越位。越位的判罚（或未判罚）已经争议多年。

How is the tournament set up?

本次赛程如何安排？

Six groups of four teams will duke it out in round-robin play. Twenty four is whittled³ down to 16. Then it’s on to the "knockout" rounds: quarter finals, semis and the final. (Psst, here’s an insider’s tip: Group B is the toughest)

本次欧洲杯一共分为六个小组，每组4支球队，首轮进行循环赛。24支队伍中只有16支进入下一轮。接着进入淘汰赛：四分之一决赛、半决赛和总决赛。（嘘，内幕消息：B组为死亡组）

Since this is soccer, I assume there’s a mascot⁴?

既然是足球赛，会有吉祥物吧？

But of course. His name is Super Victor, and he’s young, energetic and blessed with magic football boots!

这是肯定的。他的名字叫“超级胜者”：年轻、有活力、拥有一双神奇的足球鞋。

Since this is a soccer tournament, I assume there’s an official song?

既然是足球赛，会有官方主题歌吧？

Yes. And it’s a pretty catchy⁵ David Guetta ditty. (This One’s For You)

当然有。主题曲非常朗朗上口，由大卫-库塔（法国金牌DJ）改编制作。(歌名：《This One’s For You》)

Let’s get serious for a second. Will the games be safe?

谈到一个严肃话题，现场观看比赛安全吗？

France vows⁶ it will be, despite threats from ISIS and others. France is deploying⁷ a security force of nearly 100,000 to blanket the tournament, set up a no-fly zone over stadiums and even launched an app to alert users to any possible terror attacks nearby.

法国官方保证比赛的安全，即便有来自极端恐怖组织和其他组织的威胁。法国动用了近10万人组成的安全部队来维护整个赛事的安全，并且在各大体育馆上设定禁飞区，甚至还开发了一款app,若周围出现任何可能的恐怖袭击，用户都会收到提醒。

Now will we be safe from seeing players tumble to the pitch faking injuries?

那么我们将不会看到运动员假装受伤的场面？

Probably not.

可能不会。