Euro 2024 kicks off with the host nation Germany taking on Scotland at the Allianz Arena in Munich on 14 June.
It looks likely to be a highly competitive tournament, although England currently lead the market as far as the bookies are concerned at best odds of 10/3 with Betway, with France next best at 4/1 with bet365, followed by Germany at 6/1 with Betfred, Portugal at 9/1 with BetVictor and Spain at 9/1 with Betway.
Defending champions Italy can be backed at 16/1 with William Hill for a successful defence of the trophy, with the Netherlands another 16/1 shot with Coral. Belgium, perhaps not quite the force of a few years ago, are 20/1 with Betway and Croatia, who regularly exceed expectations, are on offer at odds of 40/1 with 888sport.
England 4/1
England certainly have to be considered serious candidates to win the trophy given the talent available to Gareth Southgate. Any team with a striker as prolific as Harry Kane has to be in with a shout, while in the likes of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice there is a wealth of additional talent to call upon.
There are ongoing doubts about the England rear-guard though and Southgate isn’t a coach that has ever had universal backing from the fans, with many considering him to be too conservative and tactically lacking at the highest level. Those odds of 10/3 look to be based more on the weight of money anticipated from patriotic wagers more than genuine expectation.
England are in a group with Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia. There are a few potential banana skins there, but the Three Lions will certainly expect to qualify from that group.
France – 5/1
No country in the world can match France in terms of the depth of talent currently available to them. There is tremendous strength in depth across most positions in the squad, so much so that finding the best balance to his starting XI might be the biggest issue facing coach Didier Deschamps.
Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann are both world class attackers, while the veteran Olivier Giroud rarely lets his team down and remains a reliable source for goals.
Drawn alongside Austria, the Netherlands and Poland, France might not have it all their own way in the group stage, but few would expect them to be in any serious danger of being eliminated prior to the knockout stage, particularly with four of the six best 3rd ranked teams in the group stage qualifying for the last 16.
Germany – 11/2
The Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann was only appointed in September last year and recently extended his contract until World Cup 2026. The Germans have struggled in recent years, but friendly international wins in France and at home to the Netherlands earlier this year are an indication that they are still very strong contenders for Euro 2024.
In addition to home advantage and a highly rated young coach, Germany also possess a squad that features a couple of outstanding young talents in Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz.
They will also be boosted by the recent upturn in form of Kai Havertz, who is now impressing on a regular basis for Arsenal, while Nagelsmann can also call upon the vast experience of players like captain Ilkay Gundogan, Toni Kroos, Antonio Rudiger and Tomas Muller.
Another positive is that, as is almost obligatory for the host nation in major tournaments, Germany have been drawn in a group that shouldn’t prove to be too demanding. In addition to Scotland, they will also face Hungary (a team that has improved significantly in recent years, but still one which the Germans would expect to beat on home soil) and Switzerland (a team that is usually well-organised, but that Germany will be expected to beat).
If Germany can build confidence in the group stage, they might just have the momentum behind them to go all the way, so at 6/1 with Betfred, they look worth an each-way punt.
Outright Prediction: Euro 2024 Winner
Germany each-way (½ odds for place 1, 2) @ 6/1 with Betfred
Brian Morgan is a seasoned sports writer known for his in-depth analysis and engaging coverage of major golf tournaments. With over a decade of experience, he provides expert insights and betting tips for leading sports betting websites.
