= the 2024/25 season kicks off to get their football fix this summer because the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament runs from June 14 through July 14. Euro 2024 sees 24 of Europe’s best international football teams head to Germany in a bid to become European champions. With the tournament only a month away, Street Insider is looking at the five teams most likely to return home with the prestigious trophy in their luggage.
England
England is the favorite with the best sports betting apps in California and worldwide to win Euro 2024 this summer. Gareth Southgate’s men navigated their way to the Euro 2020 final on home soil, where they lost on penalties to Italy. England qualified for Euro 2024 at a canter and now find themselves in Group C alongside Denmark, Serbia, and Slovenia. Everyone expects the Three Lions to finish top of their group and advance to the knockout stage.
Southgate’s team have been a little out of sorts recently, losing 1-0 to Brazil and drawing 2-2 with Belgium in international friendlies in March. However, the current crop of players in the England squad is the most talented Southgate has had at his disposal since taking over as head coach in November 2016.
Players such as Phil Foden, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, and captain Harry Kane are coming off the back of incredible seasons for their respective clubs. Southgate can also call upon Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins, and Conor Gallagher.
However, three things could hinder England’s title charge. First, there are fears regarding England’s defense, particularly in central defense, where the team looks shaky. Second, England habitually brushes aside lesser opponents before faltering against quality opposition. Lastly, England has looked lost whenever Harry Kane has not played, so an injury to the talismanic striker could scupper England’s trophy-winning dreams.
Should results go as predicted, England would likely face Italy in the quarter-finals and France in the semi-finals, two Goliaths of international football.
France
France is ranked second in the FIFA rankings and goes into Euro 2024 as the second favorite to lift the trophy. On paper, Didier Dechamps’ “Les Bleus” should be the overall favorite due to their excellent record in major tournaments and the wealth of talent the team has at its disposal.
France won the European Championship in 1984 and 2000 and finished as runners-up in 2016. Two FIFA World Cup wins in 1998 and 2018 and World Cup final appearances in 2006 and 2022 were among those impressive finishers. France fell in the Round of 16 at Euro 2020 and will be looking to make amends in Germany this year.
Dechamps’ squad is packed with talent. It has a rock-solid defense, a creative midfield, and a forward line featuring Antoine Griezmann and Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe. Whoever finishes above France will likely become champions of Europe.
Germany
Germany qualified for Euro 2024 as the host nation and enters the tournament as third-favorite despite a dreadful recent record. Germany is the master of tournament football, winning four World Cups and three European Championships. However, they fell in the Round of 16 at Euro 2020 and have failed to get out of their group at the last two World Cups.
Germany’s form going into Euro 2024 is not great. Although they may have defeated France twice in friendlies, they lost 4-1 at home to Japan, 3-2 to Turkey, and 2-0 to Austria. Mexico held them to a 2-2 draw. The Germany Football Association sacked head coach Hansi Flick and replaced him with former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann.
Unlike managers before him, Nagelsmann does not have the same talent pool to draw from. Some of Germany’s legendary players are on the verge of retirement, and a lack of young, up-and-coming talent is waiting to take their place.
Germany will make it tough for any opponent they face, but they are a team without an out-and-out striker or a superstar player, so they will likely struggle in the knockout stages.
Spain
Spain was the team to beat in the 2000s and 2010s, winning the 2010 World Cup and the European Championships twice. However, similar to Germany, the Spanish squad lacks a true stand-out talent who can turn the game on its head with a moment of brilliance, particularly in midfield.
Spain sailed through their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, brushing aside Norway, Georgia, and Cyprus, but those teams are international football minnows. Head coach Luis de la Fuente’s men find themselves in Group B at Euro 2024, meaning they face Albania, Croatia, and Italy. Although Spain should top their group, there is every chance they will finish third and rely on other teams’ results to progress to the knockout stage.
The Spaniards will not be pushovers, but they will unlikely reach the finals either.
Portugal
Portugal won the Euro 2016 competition without winning a game in regulation time until the semi-final stage. They fell in the Round of 16 at Euro 2020 and crashed out of the 2022 World Cup in the quarter-finals, and are the fifth favorite to become Euro 2024 champions.
Portugal sailed through their qualification group, but that was entirely expected because the group contained Luxembourg, Slovakia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Liechtenstein. Portugal’s reward for winning their qualification group is a place in Group F alongside the Czech Republic, Georgia, and Turkey. Roberto Martinez’s men should progress from their group with relative ease, but there is one significant issue in the squad: Portugal is ultra-reliant on Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo is the heartbeat of the Portugal team and is, without a doubt, the team’s best player. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has 128 goals in 206 appearances for Portugal. However, Ronaldo is 39 years old and has spent the last season and a half playing in the substandard Saudi Arabian Pro League. It has long been the case that stopping Ronaldo stops Portugal, but teams probably won’t even have to focus their attention on Ronaldo in the upcoming tournament.
Conclusion
Football fans do not have long to wait until Euro 2024 takes place in Germany. Although England go into Euro 2024 as the favorite for glory, it would take a brave person to write off France’s chances. Indeed, most pundits would argue that the French are by far the best team in the competition and the team to beat.
Finding a case for any team other than England and France winning Euro 2024 is challenging. That said, anyone who knows anything about tournament football knows not to write off Germany’s chances, and there is an outside chance that Spain will return to its brilliant best or that Ronaldo will guide Portugal to glory in what will surely be his last major tournament.
