The seventeenth edition of the UEFA European Championship takes place this Summer, with the tournament more widely referred to as “Euro 2024” going down in Germany across ten stunning venues.
The event will kick off on June 14th with the hosts Germany taking over Scotland within the opening contest. A complete of 51 matches will happen in total, with the ultimate played on July 14th on the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
The last tournament was played in 2021, with Italy beating hosts England on penalties in the ultimate at Wembley Stadium in a memorable final.
How Does The Tournament Work?
Twenty-four qualifying teams are split into six groups of 4 teams, with each playing the opposite once, for a complete of three matches apiece. The group winner and runner-up progress to the subsequent round, while 4 third-placed teams with the most effective records, will undergo to the knock-out stage.
Within the knock-out stage, teams play one-off fixtures, with time beyond regulation and penalties deciding a winner, if the scores are tied. We proceed the knock-out stage until the ultimate two remain, with these sides battling it out to develop into champions of Europe.
Who Are The Contenders?
Using data from a wide selection of UK Bookmakers (Read more here), five nations can be regarded as real Euro 2024 contenders for the title.
England
The leading candidate in keeping with sports betting odds are England, with the Three Lions trying to go one higher than they did within the last tournament, having lost to Italy. The relatively young team have grown in stature over the previous couple of years, with captain Harry Kane continuing his goalscoring feats, while the emergence of Jude Bellingham as one in every of the world’s top players only makes the side stronger.
France
The most definitely challenger looks to be France, who’re second favourites to win the title. The side missed out on winning the World Cup in 2022 and shall be trying to make amends by winning Euro 2024.
Les Bleus foremost star is after all Kylian Mbappe, one of the recognisable players on the planet and star for PSG, nevertheless a formidable supporting case including Antoine Griezmann and Eduardo Camavinga only adds to the impressiveness of the French side, one which shall be tough to beat.
Germany
Next up are the hosts, Germany. “Die Mannschaft” have had the luxurious of not needing to qualify, because of its hosting commitment, but form has not been ideal over the past yr or so, with surprising defeats to Colombia, Japan, Austria and Turkey in that point.
The team goes through something of a transitional period, as older players retire and latest stars look to bed in, but it surely is hoped that the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Leon Goretzka can galvanise the hosts and lead the nation to victory.
Spain
Spain are one other team expected to go far within the tournament and like Germany, “La Furia Roja” is slowly constructing momentum after a flurry of international retirements lately.
Luis De La Fuente’s team eased to the highest spot in qualification, although they did endure a loss away to Scotland, so there may be room for improvement. Nonetheless, any team with the talented Gavi and Rodri in midfield will certainly be in the combo.
Portugal
The last of the “big five” is Portugal, with the “Seleção das Quinas” still dominated by one Cristiano Ronaldo. The legendary star possibly 39 years old, but his influence and skill know no bounds.
It might be unfair to call this a Ronaldo team, with Roberto Martinez also having the likes of Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias at his disposal, but when CR7 can perform, Portugal should go very far.
Dark Horses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG5u1uurPik
A “dark horse” can describe an individual(s) who has a surprising ability or skill that was previously hidden or not acknowledged/respected. A famous dark horse in football history is Greece, which surprisingly won the 2004 UEFA European Championship, beating hosts Portugal.
Could we’ve one other potential surprise on our hands in Euro 2024?
Now I don’t particularly imagine we’re going to see a monumental surprise as in 2004, but there are a pair of countries who’ve flattered to deceive lately, that will just come up trumps in Germany.
Belgium are doubtless one in every of the largest disappointments lately, with the “golden generation” of players failing to live as much as the mantle. A third place on the 2018 World Cup is all of the side has to indicate for it up to now, but could this yr be any different?
Neighbours, the Netherlands are a side that has the load of history and expectation on their shoulders but have struggled since ending third within the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. A team with a really strong backline led by Virgil Van Dijk has the potential to go far, but the dearth of firepower going forward might be their downfall.
And at last, we come to the present champions, Italy. It’s a bit of unfair to call them dark horses, considering they hold the Henri Delaunay Trophy going into the tournament, but after winning in 2021, most of the Azzurri players retired from international football, leaving an enormous gap to fill. Manager, Luciano Spalletti has an enormous task on his hands to retain the title, but could they once more lift the famous trophy?
Will Euro 2024 Be On TV?
Football coverage is now big business, with many competitions selling exclusive rights to indicate the respective matches, akin to UEFA Champions League or Premier League matches, but are you able to watch Euro 2024 on regular TV channels?
The reply is yes! Thankfully, like its predecessors Euro 2024 shall be shown across nearly all of domestic free-to-air channels all over the world, meaning fans can watch their star players and watch the motion unfold.
The last European Championship saw an estimated viewership of 328 million back in 2021 and that figure might be beaten this Summer.
