Following the March play-offs, the final spots for Euro 2024 were confirmed, revealing the 24 countries that will be competing in Germany this summer.
Only one country will be able to claim the title of European champions; the competition is scheduled to start on June 14 and run for a full month, ending on July 14.
Host nation Germany, dependable France, and England under Gareth Southgate are among the favorites; current leaders Italy, along with nations like Spain, Belgium, Portugal, and the Netherlands, will all be quietly confident of their chances.
Next are the dark horses, which could include Croatia, Denmark, and even Scotland. Meanwhile, other competitors will be looking to impress at what looks to be yet another exciting international competition.
Group A: Scotland
Despite going on a run of five straight victories during the qualifying stages, Scotland has somewhat regressed in the last six months and hasn’t won in their last seven games, in contrast to fellow Group A members Germany.
They easily qualified for the main tournament thanks to their recent run of success, but they now have a fight to recover before June.
Despite a recent setback, manager Steve Clarke has been with the country for nearly five years, and during that time, their progress has been impressive.
The likes of Andrew Robertson, Scott McTominay, and John McGinn will be crucial to their chances of success in their opening match against Germany.
Group A: Switzerland
Switzerland completes what looks to be a very competitive Group A, with Germany being the only true standout and the other three countries all competing at a respectable level.
With just one loss since the beginning of 2023, the Swiss have been mainstays at international competitions for more than ten years, and they are still going strong under Murat Yakin.
With the support of fellow seasoned leaders like Yann Sommer and Manuel Akanji, Captain Granit Xhaka, who had a fantastic season with Bayer Leverkusen, will help assemble a strong national team.
Hungary (A group)
Surprisingly, Hungary is among the best teams going into Euro 2024, having won all of their qualifying matches and not dropped a game in almost two years.
Since 2018, Marco Rossi has led the national team with consistency, making them a formidable team that has defeated teams like England and Germany.
Dominik Szoboszlai, a captain from Liverpool, is their most recognizable player and will be crucial to any success this summer.
Germany (A group)
Germany did not have to go through the qualifying rounds; instead, they played friendlies against other countries, and they will host Euro 2024.
Up until the March break, they had been in poor form, but they showed improvement under new manager Julien Nagelsmann when they defeated France and the Netherlands.
Over the past year or so, Nagelsmann has faced challenges of his own, including being fired by Bayern Munich and finding it difficult to impose a distinct coaching philosophy on the national team. But now it appears that things have turned around, and going into the tournament, the hosts are in a strong position.
The team now features players from a younger generation, such as Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, who form an exciting midfield.
Group B: Spain
This year’s “group of death” also includes World Cup bronze medalists Croatia and defending champions Italy, including three-time European champions Spain.
The Spaniards have quietly gone about their business, assembling a strong team that includes young players like Pedri and Lamine Yamal along with seasoned veterans like Dani Carvajal, Aymeric Laporte, and Rodri, positioning them as real contenders heading into Euro 2024.
After coaching his way up through their youth teams, Luis de la Fuente assumed leadership of the national team in 2022. During qualifying, his team only suffered one loss, to Scotland 2-0, and they exhibited excellent offensive play, crushing Georgia 7-1, Cyprus 6-0, and Norway 3-0.
Group B: Croatia
Croatia have enjoyed plenty of success in recent years under Zlatko Dalic, who is approaching his seventh year in charge of the national team.
Under his guidance they reached a World Cup final in 2018 and the third-placed play-off in 2022.
Dalic will be hoping to push further once more and have a successful European campaign, although once again Croatia will be considered dark horses rather than favourites – particularly because of the tough group they find themselves in.
Luka Modric is still a mainstay in the side and Josko Gvardiol will help bring together a usually solid defence that only conceded four goals throughout the qualifying campaign.
Group B: Italy
Italy, the current champions, have had a difficult time since winning the trophy in 2021. They struggled to advance through the World Cup qualifying process and then the tournament this year.
Still, Luciano Spalletti’s team has arrived in Germany and now has a challenging Group B to deal with.
With Spalletti in command, though, there will be fresh optimism after his Serie A triumph with Napoli the previous campaign, and the Italians will hope to make a deep run once more.
Another team that benefits from a potent defense is Italy, which features players like Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alessandro Bastoni, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Destiny Udogie.
Group B: Albania
Albania, who have only twice qualified for a major tournament in their history and have never made it to a World Cup, is a surprising addition to the Euro 2024 roster.
They were eliminated in the group stages of Euro 2016, their most recent significant international competition.
Sylvinho, a former defender for Arsenal, Barcelona, and Manchester City, is in charge of them. Since taking over at the beginning of 2023, he has overseen 11 games, winning five, drawing three, and losing three.
Regretfully, Albania is drawn into an extremely difficult group and will require the leadership of Lazio defender Elseid Hysaj and Brentford goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha to step up in the summer. Additionally, watch out for Armando Broja up front, who is currently on loan at Fulham after excelling at Chelsea’s renowned youth academy.
Group C: Slovenia
Slovenia has only suffered two losses since the 2022–2023 season began, and they have a good amount of momentum going into the summer.
They only came in second to Denmark in the qualifying round, but they have since defeated the likes of Portugal and the USA.
Atletico Madrid’s young, dynamic striker Benjamin Sesko will lead the line at the Euros, and the team’s long-term manager Matjaz Kek will oversee the competition. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak will captain the team.
Group C: Denmark
Denmark, the surprise packages of Euro 2020, have improved and have only lost twice in qualifying this time around—a shocking 3-2 loss to Kazakhstan and a 2-0 loss to Northern Ireland.
The Danes will have a number of new faces in Germany, such as Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United, who was a sensation in the Premier League after the new year until suffering an injury.
With an astounding win percentage of 63.27%, Denmark appears to be a dark horse on the international scene once more under the direction of Kasper Hjulmand, who will continue to lead the national team. This is a team to watch out for in the summer.
Group C: Serbia
Serbia has made several appearances at the World Cup, but as a stand-alone team, they have never made it to the Euros.
This has finally changed for 2024, as Serbia qualified for the tournament in Group C with Denmark, Slovenia, and England after placing second in qualifying behind Hungary.
With record-breaking goalscorer Aleksandar Mitrovic and captain and appearance leader Dusan Tadic leading the attack, head coach Dragan Stojkovic is expected to guide Serbia to a successful first-ever European championship.
Group C: England
It looks like regardless of success, this could be Gareth Southgate’s final major tournament as England manager and despite some grievances in recent years, fans will likely look back fondly on his tenure.
The Three Lions reached the final of the previous Euros only to lose on penalties and will be looking to go one better in Germany.
They had an unbeaten qualifying campaign and have been handed a favourable group heading into the tournament, with supporters hoping to finally capitalise on what is an excellent generation of footballers.
Group C: Poland
Poland narrowly qualified for the European Championship after defeating Wales on penalties in the qualifying play-off final. They are now paired with the Netherlands, Austria, and France in the difficult Group D.
Despite their difficult qualifying campaign, they still have a strong roster that includes well-known players like Wojciech Szczesny, Piotr Zielinski, and the venerable goal scorer Robert Lewandoski. These players will all need to perform well if they are to advance from a challenging group.
Since being promoted from Poland’s under-21 team last year, Michal Probierz will be in charge during the summer. Though he began managing in 2005, the 51-year-old has not managed outside of Poland since 2012.
Group C: Netherlands
The Netherlands only made it to the first round of the Euro 2020 tournament after failing to qualify for the competition in 2016. Since then, they have struggled to make a significant impact on the European Championships.
They have experienced some success recently under the direction of head coach Ronald Koeman, who led the Dutch to a World Cup quarterfinal in 2022 and helped them qualify for the Euros with just two losses—both to France.
As one of the best defenders in the world, captain Virgil van Dijk is without a doubt their most important player on the field, leading their back line with his customary commanding presence.
Keep an eye on young talent Xavi Simons in attack, who has excelled over the last two seasons at both PSV and Leipzig.
Group C: Austria
With only one loss in their previous 14 games—a 3-2 loss in the qualifying round against Belgium—Austria is entering Euro 2024 in strong form, which will be necessary in a challenging Group D that includes Poland, the Netherlands, and France.
Marko Arnautovic, a former forward for Stoke and West Ham, holds the record for most appearances and is the team’s second-highest goalscorer ever. However, he was injured during the most recent international break and will hopefully recover in time for the summer.
For captain David Alaba, it’s a different story as he sustained an ACL injury towards the close of 2023. It’s unclear if he will recover in time for the summer, but it doesn’t seem likely.
Many fans will be familiar with Austria’s head coach, Ralf Rangnick, a former Manchester United manager.
Group C: France
Under Didier Deschamps, France appears to be the clear favorites to win the tournament and secure yet another major title.
Under the Frenchman, they advanced to the 2022 World Cup final and won the World Cup in 2018. However, they did not fare as well in the 2020 Euro tournament, losing to Switzerland in the round of 16.
In order to accomplish their goals, Les Bleus will rely on Kylian Mbappe, who is closing in alarmingly quickly on becoming France’s all-time top scorer. Mbappe is expected to perform brilliantly on the big stage once more.
Group E: Belgium
The ‘golden generation’ of Belgian football players doesn’t seem to have much time left to leave their mark on the game, and Euro 2024 might be their last real chance to win large.
Given that Romelu Lukaku is erratic and seems to avoid the biggest moments, and that Kevin De Bruyne is frequently sidelined by injuries, it appears that Belgium has one final opportunity to win on the international scene.
But in his managerial career, Dominic Todesco has led Belgium to a perfect record thus far and has assembled a strong team ahead of the competition.
They have gone toe-to-toe with England and Germany in the last year and could build momentum further with a fairly straightforward group at the European Championships – perhaps this will finally be the year that Belgium add fresh silverware to their trophy cabinet.
Group E: Slovakia
Slovakia won seven, drew one, and lost two to finish second in their qualifying group, behind Portugal.
But during the most recent international break, they struggled, losing to Austria and only drawing with Norway.
However, Milan Skriniar, their captain and unquestionably best player, was absent from those matches, which will be critical to their chances of qualifying for Euro 2024.
It’s interesting to note that their manager, Francesco Calzona, was just named interim head coach of Serie A’s Napoli, a position he will hold in addition to managing his country’s national team.
Group E: Romania
Romania is participating in its first major tournament since 2016, having emerged victorious from their qualifying group while allowing just five goals to be scored against them.
Although Edward Iordanescu’s team is performing admirably, they have yet to defeat a top-tier opponent, with the exception of a 1-0 victory over Switzerland at the end of 2023.
Supporters will recognize Ianis Hagi, a midfielder for Rangers who is currently on loan at Alaves. His father, Gheorghe Hagi, is a legendary figure in soccer.
Group E: Ukraine
Ukraine, who qualified for Germany by defeating both Iceland and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the qualifying play-offs, completes Group E.
They had an excellent qualifying campaign, finishing level on points with Italy; their head-to-head record with the Italians was the only reason they did not qualify automatically.
In any case, they are in a very evenly matched Group E and could be favorites to go on in second place, behind Belgium.
Serhiy Rebrov, who had a solid playing career with teams like Dynamo Kyiv, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United, is the manager of Ukraine.
Group F: Turkey
This time around, the notorious “dark horses” of Euro 2020 are back and will be looking to improve on their previous performance, in which they lost all of their games and were unable to score a goal.
Turkey won both of its games during the March break, including a 6-1 loss to Austria, but otherwise breezed through qualifying, finishing first in a group that included Wales and Croatia.
After some encouraging performances for Real Madrid this season, Arda Guler is the main player to watch, but the 19-year-old will need assistance from his more seasoned teammates.
Their manager is Vincenzo Montella who has been in charge since 2023 and has experience at big clubs in the past, taking charge of the likes of AC Milan and Sevilla.
Group F: Georgia
Georgia upset the odds by qualifying for Euro 2024 after defeating Greece on penalties in the play-off final.
Expectations are low and they will probably struggle in the summer, but in Germany, they will have some hope thanks to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the mercurial winger for Napoli.
Over the past two seasons, Kvaratskhelia has performed admirably, especially in 2022–2023 when he scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in the Serie A.
Willy Sagnol, a former defender for Bayern Munich and five-time Bundesliga champion, is the interim coach and brings a winning mentality that will be essential to any hopes of success in the summer.
Group F: Portugal
Portugal will be clear favourites to advance from Group F following a perfect qualifying campaign, winning all 10 games and only conceding two goals.
They have one of the strongest squads at the tournament too – on paper, at least – boasting the likes of Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leao and the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo.
Under the tutelage of experienced international manager Roberto Martinez, Portugal could be a real force come the start of the tournament in June.
Group F: Czech Republic
Since placing second in 1996, the Czech Republic has been a constant at the Euros. They have experienced some success since then, reaching the quarterfinals the most recent time around and the semifinals in 2004.
Despite only taking over at the beginning of 2024, manager Ivan Hasek has a perfect record, having won 2-1 against both Norway and Armenia.
Fans will recognize Patrik Schick from his five-goal performance in five games at the previous European Championships, and he is expected to start at the front of the Czech attack.
The striker has done well when called upon for Leverkusen this season, scoring 11 goals in all competitions.
