With the EURO 2024 play-offs just around the corner, here’s what we know about the tournament. This is the 17th UEFA European Championship and will be held in Germany from June 14 to July 14. There is already a lot to expect from the tournament, as well as a few surprises in the teams. In this quick guide to one of football’s most anticipated competitions, find out which teams are the biggest contenders and who are most likely to win.
Team ranking and summary of qualifications
The qualifying rounds for EURO 2024 ended a few weeks ago and the 24 teams that will compete in the tournament have been decided. Here are the six groups of teams currently competing:
Group A:
Germany
Scotland
Hungary
Switzerland
Group B:
Spain
Croatia
Italy
Albania
Group C:
Slovenia
Denmark
Serbia
England
Group D:
Poland
Netherland
Austria
France
Group E:
Belgium
Slovakia
Romania
Ukraine
Group F:
Turkey
Georgia
Portugal
Czechia
Team lineups, exclusions and key players to watch
There are only a few weeks of break until the final match of EURO 2024, one of the biggest football competitions today. Of course, national teams use this time to modify or refine their strategies in order to enter the group stage with impressive squads.
While some teams stick with their old rosters, a few, like Germany and Spain, have plenty of surprises. New faces like Aleksandar Pavlovic and 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi were called up after showing excellent performances for their respective clubs.
We can also expect a lot of new faces in the Portuguese team. However, Cristiano Ronaldo will retain his position as team captain. Veterans like Croatia’s Luka Modrić and England’s Harry Kane will also take to the pitch with captain’s armbands. Other top players to look out for include Kylian Mbappe, Adrien Rabiot, Romelu Lukaku and Memphis Depay, who is returning to the Netherlands.
Notable exclusions and uncertainties include Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne, who is suffering from a minor groin injury, and Holland’s Frankie De Jong, also injured and doubtful for the competition. The French and English teams will also be without Kingsley Coman and Calvin Phillips.
Favorites to win and other top competitors
Italy was the winner of Euro 2020, but this year they do not have the strongest team in the competition. On the other hand, runners-up England 2020 are the biggest favorites among fans and bookmakers. Spain is another big name and a frequent winner of the EURO (the only team to win back-to-back). France is also a top candidate, and masters tournament Germany showed great potential in the qualifying rounds.
The Portuguese national team was one of the most consistent, winning all matches in the qualifying stages. Coach Roberto Martinez seems to be doing a fantastic job of building a strong team. The Dutch are always a popular choice to win major tournaments. They won the championship in 1988 and are currently in solid form to give their opponents a tough competition.
Croatia have proved to be great in international competitions, reaching the quarter-finals at the last World Cup and finishing as runners-up in 2018. They also have a good chance, but they will face Spain in their first group stage game, which means they will have to start producing top performances. from the very beginning.
Some teams have already achieved good results in the qualifiers. Others exceeded expectations. Some stick to their old habits, while others try new strategies and test young players. The action will start to heat up from the first day of the group stage. The favorites to win are England, Spain, France and Germany.