Euro 2024 is starting to hot up in a big way. As we advance towards the end of the group stage, it’s becoming clearer which nations are best equipped to stay the course and go all the way to this summer’s final, hosted in Berlin’s Olympiastadion.
Have there been any surprises? Is there a dark horse that’s starting to come to the fore or is the tournament going true to form? Below, we’ll assess the five teams which look most likely to go deep into the knockouts and compete for a place in the final.
England
England stuttered to a 1-0 victory over Serbia in their opening group game. The Three Lions looked in really good touch in the opening half hour, with Jude Bellingham pulling the strings and scoring the game’s only goal. However, they took their feet firmly off the gas in the second half, with Serbia always in the game throughout. Nevertheless, England managed to keep a clean sheet as a confidence-booster for the rest of the tournament.
The latest Euro 2024 betting markets for England have Southgate’s men priced as 10/3 favourites for the tournament, even after their uninspiring 1-0 victory over Serbia. The bookies will have seen the likes of Belgium slip to defeat in their opening game and feel that the Three Lions are well-placed to build their way into the competition.
Germany
Julian Nagelsmann will have been delighted with the host nation’s start to the competition. They won their first two group games to secure a place in the last 16. They demolished Scotland 5-1 on the opening night of the tournament, cutting through the Scots at will.
It was a somewhat tighter contest with Hungary in game two, but the Germans had plenty of firepower to get the win over the line. Jamal Musiala has been arguably the most impressive player in the tournament so far. He seems to have shrugged off the disappointment of seeing Bayer Leverkusen storm to the Bundesliga title in May. The 21-year-old will pose problems for full backs of any nation in Euro 2024.
Portugal
Portugal were viewed as the dark horses of the competition from the outset, but there was a sense of nervousness among pundits to wholly back them to go all the way. The Portuguese squad is jam-packed with world-class players and is still led by legendary talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo.
They showed plenty of character in their opening group game with Czechia to come from behind and win 2-1. With Turkey defeating Georgia in their first group game, the Portuguese will likely be battling with the Turks for top spot in Group F which would give them a favourable knockout draw.
France
Les Bleus have been tipped to be the biggest competitor to England at this summer’s Euros. They were somewhat uninspiring in their opening group stage victory over Austria, which saw the Austrians come close to taking something from the game.
France were also rocked by a broken nose sustained by star forward, Kylian Mbappe. The new Real Madrid “galactico” should be able to play the remainder of the tournament in a mask. However, they’ll need to be much more dynamic to outlast the rest of the nations in this article.
Spain
The Spaniards also went under the radar somewhat pre-tournament. Although they may not be quite at the peak of their powers from a decade ago, Spain remain a European force to be reckoned with, as evidenced by their 3-0 thrashing of Luka Modric’s Croatia in their opening game.
That was a massive result for them in a group consisting of Italy too. They raced into a three-goal lead before the half time interval against the Croatians, with the likes of skipper Alvaro Morata and Nico Williams proving an irresistible attacking force.
With a 1-0 victory against Italy, they have secured their way into the round of 16, continuously showcasing fast and interesting football that could prove decisive on the road to the final.
Although Greece in 2004 proves we can never be 100% confident over tournament winner predictions, it does feel like one of this quintet will, at the very least, reach this summer’s finals.
