The draw for Euro 2024 has been made and as the tournament nears, the contenders now know who their opponents will be in the group stages.
We pick out some of the big runners who might go all the way to lifting the trophy in Berlin on July 14.
- France to win
- Spain to win
France To Get World Cup Compensation
France and England are joint-favourites for next summer’s European Championships but it is Les Bleus who have the better major tournament pedigree.
Kylian Mbappe and co were beaten by Argentina in a dramatic World Cup final last year but that result meant that France have reached at least the final of three of the last four major championships, demonstrating how effective they are.
The talent levels in their squad is impressive and in Mbappe they have arguably the best player in the world.
His performance in the World Cup final showed what the Paris Saint-Germain forward can do on the biggest stage and he is crucial to his team’s chances next summer.
Another positive for France’s hopes is the holes that can be picked in the credentials of most of the other fancied teams.
England have as talented a squad as Les Bleus but have failed to get over the line in major tournaments and were beaten by these opponents at the World Cup.
Germany have been in turmoil recently, losing six of their last 10 matches, and defending champions Italy did not qualify for the World Cup.
France won seven and drew one of their eight qualifiers and should be able to get the better of a group containing Austria, the Netherlands and one of the play-off winners.
From there, they have shown how effective they can be in knockout football and look like taking all the beating as they aim to win their first European Championship since 2000.
Spaniards Underrated
An away loss to Scotland in qualifying aside, Spain have been in rock-solid form since being knocked out of the World Cup by Morocco last year.
La Roja have won eight of their 10 games in 2023 and picked up the Nations League title after getting the better of Italy in the semi-final and Croatia in a penalty shootout in the final.
They may not be the dominant force of 15 years ago but Spain did reach the semi-finals of the last European Championships and have a number of talented youngsters such as Lamine Yamal, Gavi and Pedri.
Lack of goals is an issue that is typically levelled at a Spain side but they scored 25 in eight qualifiers and seem to be spreading them around the squad, which is always a good sign.
With question marks about some of the other contenders, Spain could be flying under the radar and look worth keeping on side.
