The European Championship has hosted some of the most iconic international footballing moments. From Paul Gascoigne’s incredible volley against Scotland at Euro 96 to Cristiano Ronaldo conducting the Portuguese winning team to victory in 2016 from the sidelines, many of the top-ranked teams in the world hail from the continent. This often means the tournament has global, elite talent and can act as a strong indicator for the World Cup that occurs cyclically, a couple of years after the Euros.
With many teams already qualifying over the last few weeks, there remains a handful whose fate is yet to be decided. The sports betting companies didn’t see any significant surprises regarding the teams that were first to cross the finish line. Although Scotland might have surprised a few people, seeing them emerge from their group alongside Spain wasn’t a shock for many people. Now that the usual suspects have made it over the finish line with a couple of games to spare, the sportsbooks odds are thinning, and a few countries have a decent outside chance of making it to Germany in 2024.
Outright group winners – Group A to D
For those teams that have qualified, there’s still an impetus to finish at the top of the group. Not only could this result in a more manageable group in Euro 2024, but it gives the team momentum heading into next year’s tournament. If we break down each group, Group A is a straight shootout between Spain and Scotland, but with Scotland at odds of 9/1 to come out on top and missing their captain Andy Robertson, Spain will need to drop points, and they’ll be keen to cement their standing as the number one team in Group A.
Given that England and France have essentially won their groups mathematically, we move along swiftly to Group D. It looks as though Turkey has already wrapped this up, with most bookmakers offering evens for them to come out as outright winners. However, Croatia has similar odds to Scotland, so while there might be some outside chance, we’d say both teams will finish second in their groups.
Group E to J
When the teams got picked out of the hat, and these groups started to take shape, Group E contained a selection of teams that all would have believed had a strong chance of advancing, other than the Faroe Islands, of course. As the group heads into the last two games of the group stages, Group E has become a straight shootout between Moldova, Albania, the Czech Republic and Poland. Although Poland has played one more game than the rest, and it looks like it is Albania’s to lose, this has arguably been the most exciting qualifying group of them all.
With all the other groups reaching a premature conclusion, Group I is another three-way race between Israel, Romania and Switzerland, with Israel trailing behind the two-horse race. It’d be a shock if Switzerland didn’t win the group, but there’ll likely be a few dramatic moments as we head into the final game week of these Euro qualifiers.
Predictions
A wager on Romania to overleap Switzerland at the final hurdle could be a decent offer. Most bookmakers have them to finish top anywhere between 4 or 5/1. With every other group already decisively concluded or very slim odds, Group E and Group I are the two that should provide the most value for entertainment as the final two games play out.
Going into the Euro competition next year, there are a lot of pundits, ex-professionals and bookmakers who believe that England are the favorites and could be on course to end their international trophy drought that spans nearly 60 years. Just behind England is France, and although the Germans and Spanish can’t be underestimated, we’d say it will be either England or France’s time to shine.
England seemed to be missing that X factor that could take them over the finish line in recent years. However, the emergence of the soon-to-be global superstar Jude Bellingham has galvanized the expectations of English fans and pundits, and the 20-year-old plays with the maturity and skill that few players have ever displayed at that age. Other world-level players, such as Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka, are right alongside him in terms of ability, and this could be a true golden era for the English national team.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, at this juncture, the formation of the next European Championships has already taken shape. As we’ve explored today, except for one or two groups, the structure for how next year’s tournament in Germany will shape up has already been decided.
While there might be a shock or two on the cards, especially given that teams who have already qualified at the top of their group will be playing weakened teams, there shouldn’t be anything too shocking that takes place between now and the final few games of the group stages. Once the qualifiers come to their natural conclusion, there will be a shift in focus to see which team will be able to carve out a path to glory in Germany next summer. While the bookmakers fancy England, there are plenty of other teams that could cause an upset too.
