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Euro 2024: Why favorites could fall short of winning it all
England head coach Gareth Southgate. PA Images/Alamy Images

Euro 2024: Why favorites could fall short of winning it all

By Austen Bundy  |  Last updated Jun 11, 2024 10:59 PM ET

The UEFA European Championship begins Friday with host Germany playing Scotland in the opening match. 

"Die Manschafft" ("The Team"), as well as England and 2022 World Cup champion France, are tournament favorites. 

However, despite their strengths, those countries could fall short of winning the title in the tournament, which ends with the final on July 14. Here's why.

England

Manager Gareth Southgate is under tremendous pressure to deliver a major title for England for the first time since 1966. Per Fox Sports, the English have the best betting odds to win the tournament. 

Finalists in the last Euro tournament (played in 2021 due to Covid), England fell heartbreakingly to Italy in penalties at Wembley Stadium. But only half the squad from three years ago will return as Southgate has chosen to ride the hot boots and youth of Premier League stars Cole Palmer and Kobbie Mainoo over veterans Jack Grealish, James Maddison and Harry Maguire.

Will the experience of stars such as Harry Kane and Kyle Walker be enough to guide the youngsters to European glory? There are certainly some kinks still left to work out as England fell 1-0 to Iceland in its final tune-up before leaving for Germany. 

Expect the pressure to weigh heavy on English shoulders.

France

World Cup runners-up from two years ago, "Les Bleus" could be the first country since Spain in 2010 and 2012 to win the World Cup and the Euros consecutively. But like England, it had a less-than-inspiring performance in its final warmup match, drawing 0-0 with inferior Canada.

The French boast some of the best talents in the world with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele up front, but midfielders Antoine Griezmann and Adrien Rabiot could be liabilities for manager Didier Deschamps.

High pressure and expectations are also big obstacles for France to overcome. A semifinal appearance seems to be the minimum requirement for this team, but its competition in Group D is strong.

The Netherlands and Poland may have injury issues, but they're formidable. Plus, Austria can't be slept on, either. It is undefeated in its past seven matches, including a 2-0 win over Germany during the qualifying tournament last fall.

Germany

A host nation hasn't won a European Championship since 1984 (France) and the Germans are attempting to win their first since 1996, so they have their work cut out for them.

New manager Julian Nagelsmann has a nice mix of youth and experience on the roster, but the team lacks a star striker. How it makes up for it tactically is still to be seen as the Germans' past two matches were a 0-0 draw to Ukraine and a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Greece.

Team chemistry will be key for Germany. Captain Ilkay Gundogan has publicly chastised younger members of the team, so locker-room conflicts could hurt the Germans.

These three heavyweights shouldn't be dismissed, but they're vulnerable enough to be upset by lesser teams.

Austen Bundy
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Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

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