Euro Team Guide

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.