The 2024 European Championship in Germany is one of the many highlights of this summer’s packed sporting calendar.
Twenty four teams are competing for the trophy, and it is shaping up to be one of the most exciting tournaments for many years.
At the last European Championship final, Italy beat England on penalties at Wembley. Less said about that the better.
So what are our chances of going the distance this time around?
England
It has been 58 years now since England last won a major football tournament, but there is a strong belief that the Three Lions can end that drought this summer.
The 2020 runners-up have consistently reached the latter stages of the European Championship and World Cup during Gareth Southgate’s reign in charge.
England are the 7/2 favourites in the outright betting with the bookmakers for Euro 2024 following an impressive qualifying campaign.
Those looking to place a bet on the Three Lions should consider one of the Euro betting offers at Freebets, as you could pick up a £50 free bet when you sign up for an account with Copybet or Betfred.
Harry Kane is coming in hot having scored 36 goals last season in his debut campaign for Bayern Munich in Germany. He will lead the Three Lions’ impressive attack alongside Jude Bellingham who has been billed as the saviour of English football in the build-up to this year’s championship.
France
Kylian Mbappé is France's leading goal scorer
Кирилл Венедиктов / Wikimedia Commons
France are expected to be one of the biggest rivals to England at the latest major tournament. Les Bleus reached the final of the FIFA World Cup in 2022, losing on penalties in the final to Argentina. Didier Deschamps’ side defeated England in the quarter finals of that event in Qatar two years ago.
Germany
When it comes to football, you can never write off Germany. (Don’t we know it.) Especially when they’re the hosts. According to Opta, they have a 15.9% chance of winning – only pipped by England and France.
Scotland (ahem)
This summer’s European Championship also sees Scotland in action, having qualified for the tournament for the second time in a row. Steve Clarke’s side were eliminated in the group stages of Euro 2020 after losing all three games, and if their opening game against Germany is anything to go by, things aren’t looking much better.
They were drawn into Group A, so will also have tough tests against Hungary and Switzerland.
The Dark Horses
As with most major football tournaments, there’ll always be heavy pre-tournament favourites and those who are talked about most in the media. However, there are also a cluster of nations that go under the radar as a result. This year’s UEFA European Championships look like being one of the most competitive in recent memory.
Hungary is one nation that’s considered to have an outside chance of making a deep run in the tournament. They’re drawn in Group A alongside Scotland, Switzerland and hosts, Germany. They smashed England 4-0 in June 2022 in a friendly and conceded just seven goals in eight games en-route to topping their Euro 2024 qualifying group.
Belgium have been the perennial underachievers at major tournaments in the last decade. Much was expected from a crop of players including Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku. They were unbeaten in qualifying and have a fortunate group at Euro 2024, facing Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania. This could set them up for a run at the knockout stages.
Finally, Croatia are another team who punches above their weight. Although Luka Modric is surely playing his final major tournament, the Croatians know what it takes to go far in these competitions. They finished third at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and second in the 2023 UEFA Nations League.
Watch every Game Live on Terrestrial TV
The BBC and ITV have exclusive rights to Euro 2024, which means every game will be free-to-air in the UK this summer. The two channels will share live coverage of the tournament, with highlights also available on the two networks.
It is expected that many football fans will head to screening events in London and across the UK for some of the biggest games, including the final on the 14 July.
As with all major football tournaments, these are likely to be popular, so do book a table well in advance.
Enjoy every minute of the action from Euro 2024. Hopefully, it ends up being a tournament to savour and gives the nation a feel-good boost this summer.
