Euro 2024 Review: who are the favourites to top each group?

Euro 2024 will take place in around seven months and the group draws have already been made.

Germany will host the rest of the continent in arguably the biggest international competition next summer.

The last Euro was played in several countries because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we expect things to return to normal this time.

Germany’s form is one of the biggest stories ahead of the games because they simply have been dismal and it seems they will just make the numbers at another international competition.

They have some of the world’s best players, which is why it baffles us that they cannot buy a win at the moment.

However, the German Machine is just one of several top nations that will compete for the competition, and we expect to see some top performance by the nations who have qualified.

The draws were made a few weeks back, and we now know where the qualified nations will play between groups A and F.

If you follow European football and watch the players on display every weekend in the respective leagues, you will know that there are no nations to underestimate.

The likes of France, England, Portugal and Belgium will be favourites to win the competition for most people, but make no mistake; there is more to these teams at the Euros.

Fans who buy Euro 2024 tickets are set to get the time of their lives when the competition kicks off, but who are the favourites to qualify from each group?

Group A

As we discussed earlier, it is hard to name a nation that could be the whipping boys of any group and group A will be tricky to predict.

Germany will face Hungary, Scotland and Switzerland to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.

On paper, Hungary seems like the nation that might struggle to qualify for the knockout stages and it is easy to consider them the country that will finish last in the group.

However, they finished the qualifying stages as the top side in their group, although they did not play the strongest nations.

But with Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai leading them as captain, we cannot underrate what Hungary can pull off.

Switzerland finished the qualifiers behind Romania, which was a surprise, but the Swiss have pedigree not just in European football but on the global stage as well.

They are one of the countries who always qualify for the World Cup and do well. They will be among the top two sides to qualify from this group.

Scotland impressed during the qualifiers as well and they have some of the finest players in the Premier League in their squad at the moment.

The ticket for their match against Germany could be the best seller in all the group matches.

Group B

Group B contains Spain, Croatia, Italy and Albania, easily making it the group of death in the competition proper.

Spain faced tough competition from Scotland in their qualifying group, but they finished the campaign as group leaders.

They won the Euros in 2008 and 2012 and have craved international success since then. Can they do it in 2024?

Croatia is seeing the end of their current generation, as this competition will be the last for Luka Modric and some other players in the team.

They have impressed in the last four international tournaments and would want to bow out in style.

Italy is the defending champion and had some difficulty qualifying for this competition, but the appointment of Luciano Spalletti as their manager has been helpful. Can the Azzurri defend the title they won in 2021?

Albania are easily expected to be the whipping boys of this group, but we must remember that they topped their qualifying group and might be tricky to play against.

The tickets between Italy and Spain, as well as the fixture between Spain and Croatia, are the best to buy in this group. We expect Spain to qualify for the next round, with one of Italy or Croatia joining them in the knockout stages.

Group C

England is slotted into group C and will face Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia as they bid to end the competition as European champions.

The Three Lions are one of the favourites to win the competition and are expected to qualify for the knockout stages.

The most exciting ticket to buy would be the game between England and Denmark, two of the countries that we expect to reach the next round.

However, Serbia has some very fine players, including Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandr Mitrovic, who cannot stop scoring in Saudi Arabia,

England knows they have to work to earn the right to play in the next round of the competition, so they will not underestimate any of these opponents.

Based on pedigree, Denmark and Serbia should fight for the other slot for the next round, but the Slovenians reached the group stage by merit and could cause an upset.

Group D

Group D has France, Netherlands and Austria, with the final slot still up for grabs and will be decided after the playoffs.

Netherlands and France were in the same group during the qualifiers and Les Bleus finished as the top country.

France has some of the best players in the world and reached the final of the last World Cup, but the Netherlands are also a world power in football.

The ticket for their match will be the most sought after in this group, but Austria was one of the first countries to qualify for the Euros and finished their qualifiers just below Belgium, whom they gave a run for their money.

They will be tough opponents for both nations to face, but we expect France and the Netherlands to qualify for the next round.

Group E 

Just like Group D, this group is missing a team at the moment, but it contains Belgium, the impressive Romania and Slovakia.

Belgium is a clear favourite to top this group, and we expect them to win all their matches, not because the games would be easy, but because Belgium is the king of playing European games.

A new generation is springing up as the likes of Jan Vertoghen, Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne leave the scene.

But, just like the Netherlands, Belgium can hardly run out of talent to use for international matches and competitions. 

If they fail to make the grade in this competition, we have to look at the manager, as harsh as that might seem.

Give this Belgium group to any world-class manager and he will dominate international football for a long time.

Romania had a very good qualifying campaign and would fancy their chance to play in the knockout stage of this competition; they should qualify ahead of Slovakia.

Group F

Group F contains hot favourites Portugal alongside Turkiye and Czechia, with the final team still to qualify.

The Portuguese team was absolutely unstoppable in the qualifiers as they won all their ten qualifying matches, scoring 36 goals and conceding just two.

Their main man remains Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been terrific for them despite nearly reaching 40.

He does not play in Europe anymore, but Ronaldo remains evergreen and is set to outlast Lionel Messi, who has been his competition for several decades.

Portugal is a clear favourite for this group, but Turkiye finished as the leader of their qualifying group, which had Croatia and they defeated Germany in a recent friendly game.

The Turk's game with Portugal will be one of the most watched in the group stages, but we expect both nations to qualify, and Czechia will struggle to keep up with them.

However, no country should be underrated and Portugal will know this very well.

The group stage of Euro 2024 will be an important part of the competition as every country looks to qualify for the next stage.