Euro 2024 overview: Favourites and dark horses to keep an eye on

After hosting the previous edition of the European championship all over the continent, UEFA have decided to go back to the traditional route as the Euro 24 is set to be hosted by only Germany.

The competition will commence on June 14 next year and will finish exactly one month later. The qualifying rounds are already underway and 24 teams will qualify for the group stage, while Germany have already booked their place in this competition as a host nation.

Defending champions

Italy managed to win the competition last time around, beating England on penalties. However, surprisingly since that ecstasy, they have endured a downfall in recent years and even failed to qualify for last year’s Qatar World Cup.

Roberto Mancini has recently stepped down from the Italian head coach job and Luciano Spalletti has been appointed as the new boss. So, it remains to be seen how the two times European champions perform under the new manager.

Host

Germany’s recent form is a real concern for them ahead of next year’s Euro 2024. They used to be deemed as the hot favourite to win every competition but their recent performances in the elite competitions have been poor. But, they will be hoping to bounce back in this competition by taking the home advantage.

Top favourites

England have an excellent depth of talent and they are a strong favourite to overcome their trophy drought next summer. They have been hovering around semifinals and finals in recent competitions and Gareth Southgate’s team will be hoping that they will finally be able to go all the way and become the European champion.

Considering the talent Southgate has at his disposal, anything but winning the competition will be deemed a big failure.

Portugal also have a pretty talented squad and they should be one of the favourite to win this competition this time around. They decided to appoint Roberto Martínez as their new boss after dismissing long-term server Fernando Santos following a disappointing exit from the World Cup last year.

Martinez has started his tenure promisingly by winning the first four games. So, the expectations will be high on the Spaniard to guide an extremely talented Portugal team to win this competition.

The question is whether Cristiano Ronaldo will be playing in this competition next year but given he was called up by Martinez to feature in the qualifying fixtures despite moving to Saudi Arabia. It is expected that he will be part of the Portuguese squad for the Euro 24.

France are also packed with extremely talented players so they are one of the favourites to win this competition. After winning the World Cup 2018, they reached the final of World Cup 2022 before losing to Argentina on penalties. So, this suggests their recent dominance in world football.

However, surprisingly they were knocked out by Switzerland in the Euro 2020 on penalties despite leading the game 3-1 at one stage. All eyes will be on Kylian Mbappe as the Blues are always heavily reliant on him.

Raphael Varane and Hugo Lloris have retired from international duties so it is going to be interesting to see how France can fill the void of the duo. But, they have Mike Maignan – who is an excellent goalkeeper and Ibrahima Konate is expected to replace the Manchester United man at the back.

France continue their qualification campaign when they take on Ireland next month. Euro 2024 tickets are in high demand for France games as football fans from all over the world want to see the likes of Mbappe in action.

Teams to keep an eye on

Belgium’s golden generation have now all reached the twilight of their career. They missed out on winning either the World Cup or European Championship during this period.

They are now rebuilding their squad under Dominico Tedesco with young talents and it remains to be seen how they perform in the Euro 24 as it is expected that they will easily be able to book their tickets for this competition through the qualifying round.

Following a disappointing exit from World Cup 2022, Luis Enrique has parted ways from being the Spain head coach and Jose Luis de la Fuente has been appointed as the new boss.

He has already enjoyed success as the Spain manager, helping his nation lift the Nations League this summer. So, the Spaniards will be hoping that de la Fuente will be able to bring the glory days back and help La Roja win the Euro 24 next summer.

However, the biggest issue for Spain in recent years is the lack of a positive striker and as a consequence of that, finishing off opportunities. So, it is going to be interesting to see how De la Fuente can resolve that issue.

Croatia have been showing outstanding performances in recent years as after coming second in the World Cup 2022, they ended up finishing in third position in the Qatar World Cup.

So, eyes will be on Zlatko Dalic’s side as to how they can perform in next year’s Euro 24. Their midfield has been the biggest foundation of their success in recent years. But, they are all now coming towards the twilight of their career.

Ivan Rakitic has already retired from international football, while Luka Modric is set to turn 38 next month. In addition, Marcelo Brozovic has also entered his 30s and has moved to Saudi Arabia. So, it remains to be seen whether they can replicate their recent performances in next year’s Euro 24.

British nations other than England

After remaining absent in major competitions over the last few years, Scotland managed to qualify for Euro 20 but couldn’t go beyond the group stage. They have started the qualifying rounds brilliantly and have already won four out of four games, beating Spain in one of those encounters.

So, they are currently well-placed to qualify for the back-to-back European Championship and it is going to be interesting to see how they will perform in Germany should they eventually manage to book their tickets in this competition.

Wales managed to reach the group stage of the previous two European championships and even managed to qualify for Qatar World Cup last year. Gareth Bale has been the mainstay of their success in recent times.

But, following his retirement, it remains to be seen how they perform. They have struggled so far in the qualifying rounds so that has jeopardized their possibility of qualifying for Euro 24.

Underperforms in recent years

After being deemed one of the biggest forces in European football over the last few decades, Netherlands have lost that reputation in recent times. It is expected that they would be able to qualify for the group stage but it remains to be seen how far they can go in this competition.

Denmark managed to reach the semi-final of last edition’s European championship but they displayed disappointing performances in the Qatar World Cup last year. So, it is going to be interesting to see how they will perform in the Euro 24 should they manage to secure their place.