Euro 2024 will be here before we know it, with bookmakers already offering odds for the highly anticipated tournament. France are early favourites as we look at the best UEFA Euro 2024 predictions below. Football tipsters are closely following France on the odds table, as Germany look to bounce back from a disappointing exit from the World Cup group stage.
Reigning European champions Italy holds the seventh-shortest odds to win the tournament after failing to even qualify for the World Cup.
France goes far in tournaments
The Blues fought until the very end in Qatar, losing on penalties to Argentina in the final, and will be among the favourites again in Germany in 2024. As we saw at the World Cup, it helps in tournaments like this to boast having the best player on the pitch, and France will be able to do that in every game thanks to an ultra defensive block. solid plus fast forwards.
There have been changes since their World Cup final defeat to Argentina, with Hugo Lloris, Raphael Varane and Karim Benzema all leaving the international scene, but certainly no French revolution, with Didier Deschamps signing up for three years and a half more years at the head of the Blues.
Group D: France / Austria / Netherlands / Poland
England were finalists in the last Euro
Gareth Southgate is confirmed to stay for Euro 2024 and it’s a tournament England should have a chance of winning. They were runners-up at Euro 2020, look even stronger with Jude Bellingham at the heart of their midfield and were in no way disgraced in their World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.
The Euro 2020 finalist will look for revenge four years later. An ever-improving England squad is expected to feature some of the best players in the Premier League, as Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka attempt to lead England to their first international tournament victory since the country won the World Cup in 1966.
England were consistently underperforming ahead of Euro 2020, and they proved at this event that this version of the team can make a deep run. But will they fail at the finish line again? England are in Group C with Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia, so should have a relatively easy route to the knockout stages.
Group C: England / Denmark / Serbia / Slovenia
Germany playing home
A second consecutive exit from the World Cup group stage was far from ideal for Germany, but expectations will be heightened in 2024, when they host the European Championship. Hansi Flick is a capable head coach and youngsters such as Karim Adeyemi and Jamal Musiala should only get better and better over the next couple of years.
The only reason Germany is so short is because they are the tournament hosts. There is no other way to justify the Germans being priced just behind France after their exit from the group stage at the 2022 World Cup. Of course, home advantage will play a major role, but this German team has looked so disappointing at the World Cup that it’s unlikely the support from across the country will be enough to get the hosts to the final.
The Germans found themselves in a very advantageous group alongside Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland, but qualifying for the round of 16 is only a small step in this tournament.
Group A: Germany / Hungary / Scotland / Switzerland
Portugal stars
Cristiano Ronaldo, despite his move to Saudi Arabia, is unlikely to lead Portugal’s attack line, but that doesn’t matter because this is a team with stars. They were frustrated by a stubborn Moroccan side in the quarterfinals but performed well, beating Switzerland 6-1 in the previous round, and youngsters like Rafael Leao and Goncalo Ramos will become more crucial in the years to come.
Roberto Martinez fell upwards again, this time all the way to Portugal after being bombed by Belgium. Having replaced European Championship and Nations League winner Fernando Santos, Martinez faces a big job balancing senior players with the need to develop and introduce young talent. He had a great qualifying campaign to find the right formula.
Group F: Portugal / Czech Republic / Türkiye / Georgia
Spain is full of promise
Luis Enrique left after Spain’s shock defeat to Morocco in the round of 16, but new head coach Luis de la Fuente inherits a team full of promise. The key to success in Germany will be whether or not La Roja can improve on their current options in the final third of the pitch.
De la Fuente is better placed than anyone to integrate Spain’s prodigious young players, such as Gavi, Pedri and Ansu Fati, having coached in the under-19, under-21 and under-23 age groups. But, in his first team, he also recalled a number of experienced heads, such as Kepa, Nacho Fernandez and Iago Aspas, while retaining just 11 from the team Enrique took to the World Cup.
La Roja won the Nations League, which was impressive without a striker worthy of the bill.
Group B: Spain / Italy / Croatia / Albania
Belgium is in a period of transition.
The Red Devils were hopeless in Qatar and arguably deserved to finish below Canada in Group F. Roberto Martinez is gone and it’s fair to say a tricky transition period could be on the horizon for Belgium, who are unlikely to make a splash in 2024.
After their catastrophic exit from the World Cup in the group stage, the Red Devils have a new manager with a big cleanup to do. Domenico Tedesco’s first team had no room for Axel Witsel and Dries Merten, with another member of the Golden Generation, Eden Hazard retiring. Between the trio, they have 365 international caps. Toby Alderweireld and Simon Mignolet also retired nationally.
The 37-year-old’s priority must be to restore some harmony after the infighting that marred their campaign in Qatar. It’s fair to say he’s failed so far.
Group E: Belgium / Romania / Slovakia / Ukraine
Additional Euro statistics – the last four finals
2021 Italy 1-1 England (3-2 at penalties)
2016 Portugal 1-0 France (after extra time)
2021 Spain 4-0 Italy
2008 Spain 1-0 Germany