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Football fans can anticipate another brilliant outing among the 24 teams keen to earn Europe’s bragging rights.
Any country from the two dozen could become the winner.
However, while a few of them will shoulder the weight of high expectations, some will slip right under the radar.
Together, we will examine the most notable ones in each group, ranked in no particular order.
Meet the favourites to win Euro 2024.
Germany (Group A) – Favourites
Host nation Germany are favourites, with Die Mannschaft expected to take advantage of a passionate home crowd.
The familiar atmosphere in 10 host cities could see Germany’s dream of an ambitious fourth European Championship title come true.
Although they crashed out in the knockout stage last time out, the three-time winners are the joint-most successful country in the competition, along with Spain.
With the new and highly-rated manager, Julian Nagelsmann, Germany hopes to right the wrongs of Euro 2020.
On paper, The Team should finish at the top of Group A, which also features Scotland, Hungary, and Switzerland.
Well-covered in goal, Manuel Neuer (59 saves) and Ter Stegen (75 saves) made a combined total of 134 saves in 23 and 28 appearances for Bayern Munich and Barcelona, respectively, in the just-concluded season.
Bundesliga Player of the Season Florian Wirtz, who was a prominent figure in Leverkusen’s season-long unbeaten run to a maiden domestic title, also brings an extra dimension to the side.
A defensive line-up consisting of Antonio Rüdiger, who made 27 blocks for Madrid, 20 of them on shots, is arguably good enough to stop even the likes of Mbappe.
With the star-studded squad, friends and foes may have Germany’s name already pencilled down for the final.
Switzerland (Group A) – Dark Horse
Easily crossed out on paper, Switzerland’s national team will slip right under the radar, more so after winning only four games in the qualifying round (4W, 5D, 1L).
The Swiss will be in the safe hands of Inter’s Yann Sommer, who kept 19 clean sheets in 34 appearances and topped the charts in the said category in Italy’s top flight.
While City’s Manuel Akanji and Gladbach’s Nico Elvedi will calm any frayed nerves in defense, Murat Yakin’s side also has Noah Okafor.
Okafor has a habit of scoring decisive goals off the bench, having done so for AC Milan on several occasions in the just-concluded season.
While host nation Germany is the favourite in Group A, Switzerland will give Scotland and Hungary a run for their money.
Italy (Group B) – Favourites
Tipped as favourites, defending champions Italy are gearing up for a feisty duel against Spain, Croatia, and Albania in what could be described as the tournament’s ‘Group of Death’.
The Azzurri will be under the tutelage of new boss Luciano Spalletti, who steered Napoli to their first domestic league title after a 33-year-long drought.
While hoping to steer Italy to successive European titles, he parades one of the best defensive lineups in the competition.
Inter’s duo, consisting of Alessandro Bastoni and the attacking-minded Federico Dimarco, helped the Nerazzurri finish as the best defensive side in Italy.
Emerging centre-back Riccardo Calafiori, who helped Bologna to their first UCL qualification since 1964/65, is also expected to play a key role off the bench.
Despite eliminating Immobile, Italy’s attacking prowess remains undiminished, with prominent names like Federico Chiesa and Raspadori.
Spain (Group B) – Favourites
Current UEFA Nations League champions Spain are also favourites in Group B to reach the final.
Spain’s star-studded lineup will even be more lethal with the addition of Lamine Yamal.
The skilful 16-year-old, who has two goals in six caps for La Roja, will be making his maiden European Championship appearance.
With the youngster expected to team up with Rodri, who has a 4.99 shot-creating action per 90, Spain should have no problems creating goal-scoring chances.
Croatia (Group B) – Dark Horse
Despite successive exits in the round of 16, Croatia’s knack for showing up on football’s biggest stage remains undeniable.
Their ability to raise the bar when needed is a quality that has seen Dalić’s side claim medals in the last two editions of the World Cup.
Despite having a handful of ageing key players, Croatia is looking to go well beyond the knockout stage.
Zlatko Dalić parades an enviable midfield consisting of Madrid’s Luka Modric and City’s Mateo Kovacic.
Modrić’s progressive passes of 10.4/90 in the just-concluded season will combine well with Kovacic’s ability to distribute the ball effectively, thanks to a 93.7% pass completion rate.
Despite being in the same group as Italy and Spain, the Checkered Ones could surprisingly finish ahead of both favourites.
We all love stories of underdogs, don’t we? Croatia may just be the one.
England (Group C) – Favourites
If ranked on a scale of 1 to 10, only France can leave England in second place regarding favourites.
A talented pool of youth, blended with experience, could see the Euro 2020 runner-up replicate a similar form as they did three years ago.
With the likes of La Liga player of the season, Jude Bellingham, coming of age, England are tipped to go as far as the finals once again.
A player with an xG of 0.43 per 90, Bellingham’s progressive passes of 7.83 will surely come in handy for England in the final third.
With due respect to Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia in Group C, England should have little resistance finishing ahead of the trio.
Without mentioning Golden Shoe winner Harry Kane (36 goals), Gareth Southgate’s squad reeks of quality from one end of the pitch to the other.
Despite falling short on several occasions, Germany could be the next possible destination for a maiden European title despite a 58-year-trophy drought.
The pubs will be packed full once again as joyous English fans sing an amateur version of It’s Coming Home.
Denmark (Group C) – Dark Horse
Denmark have retained the core of its experienced players following a semi-final finish last time out.
The team’s strength lay in its unity and willingness to sacrifice for a common goal.
The Danes finished as Group H winners in the qualifying round (7W, 1D, 2L).
While England is expected to finish as group winners, barring any surprises, Denmark are contenders to finish in second place ahead of Serbia and Slovenia.
Manager Kasper Hjulmand would like to see Manchester United’s joint-top scorer, Rasmus Højlund (10 goals), find his goal-scoring touch in Germany.
France (Group D) – Favourites
If ranked on a scale of 1 to 10, it would be outrageous to see any team rated ahead of France as favourites in any major football tournament.
As a side parading a star-studded squad headlined by Kylian Mbappé, no other country bears the brunt of such high expectations to always reach the final.
France should have no problems emerging as the winners of Group D, which consists of the Netherlands, Poland, and Austria.
They will be in the safe hands of AC Milan’s Mike Maignan, who made 86 saves over 2,609 minutes of total playing time in the just-concluded season.
Although he achieved a zero percent success rate in stopping any of the seven penalties against Milan, he bagged a 78% save in open play.
His exploits between the sticks left him with 11 clean sheets in 29 appearances for the Diavolo.
Never mind Les Bleus’ unbeaten run in the qualifying round, where they won seven of their eight games in Group B [7W, 1D, 0L], you can expect plenty of goals from France with Mbappe.
The Frenchman was the third-highest goal scorer (9) in the qualifying round.
His 27 goals and 7 assists in Ligue 1 helped PSG to a third successive title after finishing as the league’s top scorer.
Les Bleus will be led by Didier Deschamps, who has a proven track record of success on the international stage.
Despite his 12-year presence in France’s managerial seat, his 65% winning rate with Les Bleus [152G: 99W, 29D, 24L] tops the list among his counterparts in Group D.
Anything short of reaching the final will be considered a disappointment for France.
Netherlands (Group D) – Favourites
After winning six of their eight games in the qualifying round (W6 D0 L2), Ronald Koeman’s team will be looking to go as far as they can.
With the likes of Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, who scored eight goals and created five more in the just-concluded season, Oranje should have no problems getting goals.
Without mentioning Virgil van Dijk, a defensive lineup with Nathan Aké and Denzel Dumfries may help the Flying Dutchmen concede the least number of goals.
Denzel Dumfries was a prominent figure in helping Inter become the best defensive side in the just-concluded season.
A second-place finish in Group D is expected for the bright-coloured team.
Belgium (Group E) – Favourites
No doubt, a team with the qualifying round’s top scorer will make the cut.
Lukaku’s 14 goals for Tedesco’s side helped Belgium achieve an unbeaten run during the qualifying round as Group F winners (W6 D2 L0).
Add Leandro Trossard and Jérémy Doku to the Red Devils’ attacking list, and Belgium shouldn’t have any problems emerging at the top of Group E.
Kevin De Bruyne’s 1.18 goal-creating action per 90 will leave Belgium almost certain to get a goal in each game.
Finishing as Group E winners could be the spark Belgium needs to go all the way to the final.
Portugal (Group F) – Favourites
Our list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Portugal, would it?
Led by the age-defying Cristiano Ronaldo, a squad that boasts a fine blend of youth and experience will be looking to go all the way in Germany.
Portugal were Group J winners with a 100% record, winning all ten qualifying games [10W, 0D, 0L].
Apart from the iconic CR7, who emerged as the second-highest goal scorer during the qualifying round (10 goals), Portugal has Bruno Fernandes.
Despite an underwhelming campaign, the 29-year-old was the shining light for Manchester United in the just-concluded season.
His 10 goals and 8 assists for the Red Devils saw him finish at the top of both club charts.
Roberto Martínez comes with a 17-year-long managerial career and a 92% winning rate with the Seleção.
Surely, you will be alone in underestimating the one-time European champions (2016).
Who would you put your money on?
While honourable mentions such as Austria could go beyond the knockout phase, predicting the winner of the Euro 2024 is a fool’s errand.
The history of the tournament is littered with unexpected heroes and Cinderella stories.
Greece’s triumph in 2004 and Portugal’s unlikely victory in 2016 are testaments to the unpredictable nature of the competition.
England and France may stand out as clear favourites, but could-be party poopers like Croatia may be the ones to create those unforgettable memories.
Which other favourite or dark horse could you think of?
In the meantime, why don’t you check out our easy-to-use Euro 2024 API? Head over to Sportmonks for the complete schedule.
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