Germany

The road to Euro 2024 has not been easy for Germany. Following an earlier World Cup group stage exit in 2022 and an underwhelming Round-of-16 elimination at Euro 2020, they later parted ways with their manager, Hansi Flick, in September 2023. As the new head, Julian Nagelsmann steps up and restores the credibility of the team by making the transition as smooth as possible. 

Convincing recent wins over the Netherlands and France have increased confidence. Germany, with three European titles and four World Cup victories, has not missed a major tournament since 1970. The 1996 European Championship title is the only one left pending for the candidates, who are already intensely hungry. But they will have to try hard to achieve it, especially as the host of the 2024 European Championship.

Player to Watch: Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)

For the upcoming 2024 European Championship, the young player from Germany, Jamal Musiala, is the one to look out for. Even though Bayern have failed to win the trophy this season, Musiala showcased a strong and promising performance for both the country and his team. With all the significant changes happening in the national team, the 21-year-old player makes one thing certain: to be a rising star player that will become a threat to their opponents for many years to come. 

Scotland

For the second successive year at the European Championship, the national team of Scotland has managed to qualify again and have the chance to win their first ever championship title. Scotland finished as runners-up in their group and defeated the winners of their group. But their recent performance is something to worry about. They lost their last four friendlies match before the season ended, letting in a whopping 12 goals and only scoring two of their own. This includes a home loss to Northern Ireland, which is a weaker side by what appears to be a considerable margin.

With all of this under their belt, Steve Clarke’s young player may yet prove to be a shocker. Last time they played the Euros, they took a point from group finalists England. And although one would need a third-place finish to proceed to the playoffs, Scotland may quietly harbor hopes—few people honestly believe they can for once get out of the groups at a major tournament.

Player to Watch: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)

Scott McTominay served as a key player for the coming Scotland Euro Championship game. This 27-year-old midfielder was featured in every match and started all but one. The most impressive statistic is that he was Scotland’s highest goalscorer, with seven goals. This is in contrast to his club role, where he is granted more freedom to attack. This tactic of fielding him in a more advanced position on the field yielded positive results during the qualifying games. His goals can be useful to intensify the score for the national team.

Hungary

Hungary comfortably qualified for Euro 2024 by winning their group without a single loss. Compared to the last two qualifications, where they snatched qualification through the playoffs, this time is much better. They were able to qualify in the group and end their campaign without losing a single game, as evident in their game against Serbia in Group G. Hungary got a less daunting group this time compared to their Group of Death in the last Euros. They are more confident of progressing to the knockout stages, having been on a 14-match unbeaten run that includes draws against European powerhouses France and Germany in the last Euros. It’s been quite a while since either last defeat was against Italy in the National League in 2022.

Player to Watch: Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)

Despite being young, the rising star player at Liverpool is already the captain of his national team. The 23-year-old midfielder hit the headlines last summer when he became the most expensive Hungarian player ever on a €70 million transfer. So far, he has performed well at Liverpool, playing a crucial part in their title push throughout the season. However, his influence goes further back, as he was also the joint top scorer in his nation’s qualifiers, scoring four times.

Switzerland

Having no massive names doesn’t stop Switzerland from being a significant player in the major tournaments. In the last few years, they have qualified for most Euros and World Cups. This time, they made it to Euro 2024, securing the second spot in the group stage of qualifiers. The final qualifier was lost surprisingly to Romania, but despite that, Switzerland still reached the quarterfinals in the last Euros, setting their best-ever record. One of the highlights of their game was their comeback win against France, scoring an equalizer late in the game and later winning on penalties. However, their journey ended after the following game, when they lost another penalty against Spain.

Player to Watch: Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen)

The 31-year-old team captain of Switzerland showcased an incredible display of the season. Bayer Leverkusen’s purchase of Xhaka this summer has already made quite an impression. This season, Xhaka and his new club had done something historical—they conquered the first ever Bundesliga franchise in Germany. This was Bayern Munich’s 12th consecutive Bundesliga title, clearly meaning that Xhaka is capable of playing at the highest level again.

Spain            

By winning seven of their eight games in Group A, Spain, the three-time European Championship holder successfully made their qualifying campaign. They were also the UEFA Nations League title holders because of their win against Croatia in a penalty shoot-out set up about a year ago in Rotterdam. However, their World Cup campaign is the complete opposite. After a bright start, they failed to progress beyond the Round of 16. As most of the players that drove them to previous success have retired or moved on, Spain returns with a different team than the one that last played in the World Cup. The nation’s form currently hinges around a new generation of young talents, although whether or not they can cut it at the World Cup level remains to be seen.

Player to Watch: Rodri (Manchester City)

Rodri, the 28-year-old Manchester City midfielder, is expected to step up for the national team. Over the last few years, he has helped the team win the Premier League, the FA Cup, and even become champions. Now, his nation will have to rely on him. If they plan to make it out of the group stage of the tournament, he will have to recreate the same performance in matches. He has already demonstrated the desire to do so by practically attending all of Spain’s qualifiers. Now it is his time to shine.

Croatia

Croatia is known for their shocking achievements in major competitions, proving their title as the dark horse of the competition. They are often off the list when it comes to the team to look out for due to their age and inexperience, but somehow manage to make an outstanding semifinal or even a final. They reached the final of the 2018 World Cup and later took third place in Qatar in 2024. Although their selection for Euro 2024 was difficult and not convincing, they were still able to do so. Although their latest Euro results are not good, as they have been eliminated twice in a row. Moreover, one of the group’s matches is the rematch with Spain for the championship, which had already dismissed the Croats from the Euro and Nations League.

Player to Watch: Luka Modric (Real Madrid)

Midfielder Luka Modric is almost certainly competing in one of his final European Championships, and he may even be participating in his final major international competition. The Croatian player is currently 38 years old and has previously won the Ballon d’Or. As usual, he will attempt to lead Croatia to a victory. However, the midfielder played less often for his club, Real Madrid, this season. Modric recently claimed his 174th cap for the European country and helped Croatia secure the La Liga title.

Italy

The international form of Italy can be characterized by inconsistency. It is noteworthy that while the team is the reigning European champions after a dramatic victory over England three years ago on penalties at Wembley, the team has failed to qualify for major tournaments. Italy only guaranteed their place in this year’s Nations League by finishing second in their qualifying group to Ukraine on goal difference alone. Moreover, in the previous Nations League, Italy only reached third place after defeating the Netherlands, as the team lost to the Red Furies in the finals. As a result of the difficult stages of the current tournament group and not the best performance of the team, it honestly seems that Italy will not be able to transfer the achievement of the Euros to other competitions.

Player to Watch: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain)

Italy starts the competition with a well-rounded defense, even though their best scorer in qualifiers has managed only three goals. Several average offensive players hold the destiny of the team’s competition in a strong defense, and the matter lies in the hands of a young goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, with years of experience behind him. At least they have one way to be successful, don’t they?

Albania

In a surprising turn of events, Albania, also known as the Minnows, secured a spot in their second major tournament by impressively winning their qualification group. Despite the presence of teams with experience (Poland and Czechia) in such competitions, Albania only lost one match throughout the qualification. In addition, they were also strong at home but took only a draw with the Faroe Islands. This achievement comes eight years after their first major tournament appearance at Euro 2016. Then they performed quite well, taking third place in the group after France and Switzerland and even defeating Romania. Of course, the current group will be stronger, but the status of an outsider is perfect for Albania.

Player to Watch: Armando Broja (Chelsea)

Broja, despite being only 22, proves to have promising potential. Although this may not be overly apparent yet due to his limited chances with Chelsea since he joined them four seasons ago, the player’s loan at Vitesse, and then Southampton and Fulham, proves to be a great platform to show his skills. Therefore, within this largely unknown squad, the forward may prove to be a viable choice due to his experience in the Premier League with other teams.

Slovenia

After a long absence, Slovenia will be back on the big stage. Fourteen years have passed since their last major tournament, and an incredible 24 years have passed since their sole appearance at the UEFA European Championship. The road was bumpy, and they faced playoff heartbreak on several occasions, but they secured an automatic ticket this time by finishing second. Better still, they finished level on points with the group winners, Denmark. Finland, Kazakhstan, and even Northern Ireland (who had past major finals experience) all pushed Slovenia, but it was their record of seven wins in ten that clinched their deserved route back to Germany.

Player to Watch: Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig)

Benjamin Sesko is only 21 years old, but he has already become one of the standout players who can turn into a future superstar. Having smashed 16 goals in 30 games for Salzburg two campaigns ago, the forward has shown a decent performance at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga. Sesko has scored 10 goals despite his team’s poor performance and fight for a place in the Champions League. Importantly, he was also the top scorer in the qualifying rounds for his national team with five goals. Thus, he is the player to watch in the upcoming tournament.

Denmark

Denmark is on the rise after a period of struggles. They won their qualifying group to secure their fourth straight major tournament appearance, but the competition was tough and decided by only one point and the goal difference ahead of Slovenia, their next opponent in the group stage. Such a gap separated them from the third- and fourth-place teams in the final standings. The 1992 European champions did not manage to repeat that feat in recent years, but they accomplished an impressive run to the semifinals at the last Euros before a controversial penalty shootout saw them lose to England in extra time. They'll get another shot at revenge when they face England again in the group stage.

Player to Watch: Rasmus Hojlund (Manchester United)

Manchester United’s young star, Rasmus Hojlund, has shown impressive performances despite suffering from injuries this season. Even as a 21-year-old player, he has become the second-youngest player to score in five Premier League games in a row. Now, having recovered from those early season injuries and leading Denmark's qualifying charge as top scorer, he'll be shouldering a heavy goal-scoring burden for his national team in this tournament.

Serbia

Serbia has had some difficulty in recent international tournaments. Yes, this team has qualified for the World Cup a total of four times since 2000. However, they haven’t reached the group stage in any of them, which is quite telling. In terms of the European Championship, their current status is even more dismal. The last time Serbia even appeared in this tournament was back in 2000, and then it was still part of Yugoslavia. Moreover, Serbia only managed a second-place finish in the group round of the Euros, with Hungary leading the group. With a shaky record of just winning half of their qualifying matches, Serbia seems likely to be considered an underdog in their upcoming group.

Player to Watch: Aleksandar Mitrović (Al Hilal)

At only 29 years of age, Aleksandar Mitrovic may seem too young to be a known name when it comes to Serbian football. However, he is not only the nation’s all-time leading goal scorer with 57 goals under his belt, nearly double the amount accrued by the next best scorer. He is currently also Serbia’s eighth-most-capped player. Realistically, between his proven track record and current club form—scoring a goal every game with 22 goals in 22 appearances—this competition could easily see him add to his rapidly increasing goal tally. He was even his nation’s highest scorer in the qualifying rounds with five goals.

England

England has firmly established itself as one of this year’s European Championship candidates. Their fantastic squad and overwhelming progress throughout the last few seasons clearly show what they’re capable of. Making it to the finals four years ago, followed by a World Cup semi-final appearance and a blood-curdling show in the qualifiers, does indeed make you think they are up to something. On the other hand, both at the World Cup and the last European Championships, they couldn’t handle the pressure—they barely missed the Euro Cup and left the World Cup earlier than expected. And then there is this incredible historical burden: no European titles and merely one win at the World Cup back in 1966. Should you trust them with that huge historical load?

Player to Watch: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)

Although there are many promising young attacking players in England, Jude Bellingham seems to be the best. Still just 21 at the time of the tournament, Bellingham’s stock has never been higher following a sensational start at Real Madrid since his summer transfer from Dortmund. He scored 17 goals as Real Madrid claimed the Spanish League title and his goal-scoring brilliance will be a major asset for England.

Poland

Poland has qualified for their fifth Euro in a row dramatically. They finished third in the tough group stage but needed a playoff victory over Estonia and a penalty shootout over Wales to make it into the main tournament. Historically, Poland has been very disappointing in these major tournaments, as they have been eliminated in the group stage in three of their last four Euros and World Cups. They are getting older, and this could very well be the last time people see stars like Szczesny, Grosicki, and Lewandowski on the international stage.

Player to Watch: Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)

Robert Lewandowski is a living icon in Poland, holding the national team's records for games played and goals scored. Now 35, he has little time left to compete against the strongest at the end of his career. This season may be the best opportunity in Germany, where he spent a significant part of his career to leave a solid mark. Despite a recent dip in form at Barcelona, his incredible scoring record with Bayern Munich (238 goals in 253 games) speaks for itself, and he remains a dangerous striker.

Netherlands

The Netherlands went through the qualifying games for this tournament with ease, finishing second in their group. Even though they lost both of their games against France, whom they’ll face again this time around, they remained comfortably ahead of the rest. They were also impressive in the Nations League, having reached the semifinals last year and following up a strong showing in previous editions, including a second-place finish and a runner-up spot. However, during the last Euros, despite their complete dominance of the group stage, they took an unexpected loss against Czechia in the knockout round.

Player to Watch: Xavi Simons (Paris Saint-Germain)

Xavi Simons is a 21-year-old attacker and one of the brightest stars in the Bundesliga. He is currently on loan at RB Leipzig, and his outstanding skills and mobility show that he has had an important impact on the squad. Simons might steer the team to clinch a position in the Champions League. Notably, he has been a prodigious talent since he was young and has represented the Netherlands in all the youth-level fixtures and every qualifier. No doubt, the attacking ability of this player is crucial since the Dutch national team has no elite striker.

Austria

Although they failed to qualify for the World Cup in decades, the team has managed to appear in four of the last five Euros. Last time around, they achieved their best result ever, reaching the Round of 16 by outperforming North Macedonia and Ukraine in their group stage. The Netherlands, who defeated them, will face them again this summer in the group stages. They were only inches away from topping the qualifying group, winning six out of eight games.

Looking at how Austria finished in the qualifiers, just a point behind Belgium, they should probably have had a great performance. What’s more, with Rangnick as the coach and the recent wins against strong teams (Turkey, Slovakia, and Germany), they will indeed perform better.

Player to Watch: Christoph Baumgartner (RB Leipzig)

The standout player of the Austrian national team is Christoph Baumgartner, who is one of RB Leipzig’s main gems. He scored in each of the three friendlies the team has recently played. Baumgartner also excelled during the qualification campaign for Austria and recorded 3 goals and 2 assists in the process. Besides, Baumgartner was also a key figure for the Bundesliga team, scoring four goals and helping his team secure a place in the Champions League.

France

France is the favorite of the competition as they have focused on the qualifiers with a single draw, which they played without stars in the final round. Therefore, the attacking line works fine, with 29 goals in 8 games, though a significant part was in the minor, weaker exercises. 

They have a world-class squad and a chance to repeat the 2018 World Cup victory. Their star striker missed a penalty in the Euro knockout stage, and he will be critical to France’s move to the top of European football. They have not won the trophy since 2000, and the runners-up in 2016 will be looking to perform even better.

Player to Watch: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)

We feel like Kylian Mbappé is already a household name in football, and he is only 25. His move to Real Madrid looks like it is going to happen next season, but we want to mention his phenomenal performance at PSG once more. Mbappé has scored nearly one goal per game over the past five years. His club's career has been nothing short of extraordinary. 

Belgium

The golden age of Belgian football certainly seems to be coming to an end, but maybe they have one last dance left in them. They topped their qualifying group and did so rather easily, not losing a single game and finishing one point ahead of Austria. 

Their defense was the standout, allowing just four goals in their eight games to make it to their third successive onward. They have exited the quarterfinal stage in the last two tournaments, losing out to the eventual winners in France and Italy. 

The World Cup 2022 was a disappointment a few years ago, with defeats from Morocco and Croatia only enough to see them finish third and miss out on the Round of 16. They will be confident of going further this time, though, so there’s no surprise they are placed where they are in the betting.

Player to Watch: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Since Kevin De Bruyne will be 33 years old at the time of the World Cup, Belgium has to rely on his leadership and performance for a deep run in the tournament. This might also be one of the last opportunities to see one of the greatest golden generations, with four of the highest-capped players for Belgium still playing together. The impact of De Bruyne is, in fact, enormous, with Manchester City’s results in the Premier League starting to resemble their past success as soon as he recovered from injury.

Slovakia

Slovakia will play in their third straight Euro after finishing second in their qualifying group, behind Portugal. This is despite the country's only World Cup appearance since 1994, which ended early in the group stages. Francesco Calzona has been coaching the national Slovak squad alongside Napoli since mid-February, and earlier shortcomings have not detracted from the team's progress. Slovakia missed out on the round of 16 in their last outing in the Euros after finishing third in the 2016 tournament, despite a win over Poland and a loss to Spain.

Player to Watch: Milan Skriniar (Paris Saint Germain)

One of the best defenders this season is a player who already has a rich history behind him. He played at Inter Milan for six years before joining Paris Saint-Germain last summer. He was an essential part of the French club’s title run in Ligue 1, as well as their great performance in the Champions League. The future of PSG looks very promising under his leadership, and people are cautiously optimistic that this 29-year-old will achieve positive results with the Parisian club.

Romania

Romania has more experience in the Euros as compared to the World Cup. Their most recent Euro appearance was in 2016, but they have never managed to go past the Group stage during their five attempts. However, Romania topped their qualification group for Euro 2024 despite scoring just 16 goals, one of the low-scoring among all the finalists. They only conceded just 5 goals, the lowest among the other finalists, which represents their good defense strategy that could ensure they have a good run in the tournament.

Player to Watch: Nicolae Stanciu (Damac)

The Romania team has a player to be looked out for, Nicolae Stanciu. He is one of the best Romanian footballers playing in Saudi Arabia. He has won titles in four countries, including Romania, Belgium, Czechia, and China. In addition, he was the winner of the “Romanian Footballer of the Year in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019” and took 2nd place in 2015 and 3rd in 2014. Thus, his experience and achievements show that he will become one of the country’s key players, and Romania will overcome the qualifiers. Furthermore, Romania is also unsurpassed in the role of an outsider.

Ukraine

Ukraine nearly missed qualification for Euro 2024. The team finished third in Group H, just behind England and Italy. Ukraine has demonstrated itself in the playoffs very confidently, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina in both matches and then Iceland. This will be the fourth European Championship in a row, and the team is improving the result, which they reached at the same tournament for the first time.

Player to Watch: Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea)

Despite the fact that Mudyrk has been struggling in the last few seasons of the tournaments, he remains the man his team can rely on. During the past few games of this season, he performed very well, which also explained why his club paid over $70 million for him. He has scored some crucial goals for Ukraine in the qualifiers, including the winning goal against Iceland. He is expected to bang in the goals once again to enable them to go out of the group stage.

Turkey

Turkey had a successful qualifying campaign as they topped their group to qualify automatically for Euro 2024. They are participating in their third straight Euros, although they have been unable to match the 2008 season when they reached the semi-final. They had a disappointing run the last time out as they lost all their games and scored only one goal.

While their goal-scoring drought was evident during the successful qualifying campaign, where no player scored more than two goals, Turkey might struggle to get the ball into the back of the net once again this summer.

Player to Watch: Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Inter Milan)

Hakan Çalhanoğlu, one of the best midfielders in Europe was originally born in Germany but is now the team captain of Turkey. The player is in his 30s now and has played in Italy since 2017. In 2021 he left AC Milan for their city rivals – Inter Milan. The player quickly became one of the key men for the Nerazzurri and helped them win the Serie A title in 2024. Çalhanoğlu currently stands in the top ten Turkish players by national team appearances with 8th and goals scored with 9th through its history.

Georgia

Qualifying for Euro 2024. Georgia qualified against expectations. The qualifying group saw them finish fourth. However, the Nations League granted them a route to the playoffs. Georgia won the knockout stages by beating Luxembourg and Greece. The win against Greece in second place was particularly a fight, as loyalties were divided. Nevertheless, Georgia won 4-2 after extra time due to strong defense.

This achievement is the crowning glory of Georgia’s exceptional rise through the ranks in the Nations League. In the space of three seasons, they’ve gained promotion in two separate divisions, demonstrating an incredible rise of the team. With that being the case, it wouldn’t be too optimistic to consider their promotion to the top tier in the following Nations League season.

Player to Watch: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)

Any team that will play against Georgia will need to defeat the team’s star player, Kvaratskhelia to achieve victory. The 23-year-old Georgian player shone throughout the team campaign after finishing second in the club’s scoring charts behind Victor Osimhen. Kvaratskhelia has also showcased his goal-scoring acumen for his country. He was Georgia’s top scorer in qualifying for the tournament and is already his nation’s third-highest scorer of all time after netting 11 goals. Kvaratskhelia is predicted to be the major offensive player for his club.

Portugal

If there would be a dark horse for this year’s tournament, it would undoubtedly be Portugal. They topped their qualifying group by winning all their ten matches and netting a sensational thirty-six goals. The team also only let in two goals, which confirmed their qualification for the tournament for the 8th straight event. 

Over their previous appearances, Portugal has shown impressive results. They have reached the semi-finals on two occasions and once advanced to the finals. However, it was in 2016 that the club had the most outstanding victory by clinching the entire championship played in France.

However, the country’s performance at the 2020 Championships was far from ideal. Having passed the group stage with third place, the national team left the championship after losing to Belgium in the round of 16.

Player to Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr)

With all of the records he broke, Cristiano Ronaldo is definitely considered one of the greatest players of all time. The 39-year-old Portugal player is the all-time leader in international caps, having played for his national team over a whopping 200 times, and he has scored over 120 goals. Although this would likely be his last European Championship participation. 

He’s also the team captain of his club team in Saudi Arabia and has managed to maintain his regular spot on the team. Ronaldo has already broken a record, becoming the first player to score 5 European Championships, and has scored a total of 11 goals overall. 

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is another team that will play in the upcoming Euro 2024. They finished as a runner-up in the qualifying group, which served as their eighth consecutive participation in the European Championship.  In the last Euro, three years ago, Czechia finished third in a group with England and Croatia but still advanced as one of the four best third-placed teams. Round 16 became a significant success for the team after beating the Netherlands 2-0 but eventually losing to Denmark.

The Czechs reached the final only once in 1996 and played in the semi in 2004. Due to unsuccessful serial wins in recent years, the European Championship's qualifications and outcome give them too cautious optimism about what the Czech Republic will finally achieve in the current Euro.

Player to Watch: Tomas Soucek (West Ham)

Within the Czech Republic, Soucek served as one of the key players in helping his team qualify for the upcoming tournament. Although he was mostly used for defensive duties, he made the Czech Republic one of their greatest attacking threats. He was the joint-highest goal scorer for the Czech Republic during the qualification stage. Yet his scoring has been strong throughout the season, with his national team and West Ham. 

Soucek also moved to tenth in the Czech Republic’s all-time goalscoring charts during qualifying. With an impressive performance in the upcoming tournament, he can move even further up the list.