France
A team desperate to bring glory back to their nation after heartbreak in 2022. France were defeated in the 2022 World Cup Final after a devastating loss to Lionel Messi’s Argentina on penalties after fighting back from 2-0 down to tie the game in Qatar. They now go into this tournament trying to avenge their defeat by winning the Euros for the third time to become the nation with the joint most European Championships alongside Spain and Germany.
France managed to top their qualification group in rather easy fashion, winning seven of their eight matches and going undefeated throughout the process to finish on 22 points. These wins included a double over the Netherlands and a record-breaking 14-0 victory over Gibraltar. After the draw for the group stage, France found out that they will be in Group D alongside the Netherlands, Austria, and the winners of the A Playoff Path, which have now confirmed to be Poland.
It is no surprise that France are considered one of the favourites for this tournament with the quality they have in their squad. Superstar Kylian Mbappe leads the line for France, currently in yet another fantastic season for PSG. He has 31 G/A in 24 matches for his club and is desperate to win this tournament for the first time. With players such as Aurelien Tchouameni, Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani alongside him, France will be a force to be reckoned with and it would not be surprising if they are the ones lifting the trophy at the end of the tournament.
England
It would almost be impossible to create this list without including England. Another team who are desperate to put things right after their gut-wrenching defeat in the 2020 (played in 2021 due to COVID-19) Euros final. They suffered the same fate as France, as penalty misses from Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka meant that they lost the final at Wembley Stadium to Italy on penalties.
England suffered another defeat in the 2022 World Cup, as a late goal from Olivier Giroud paired with a penalty miss from Harry Kane saw England exit the tournament at the quarter-final stage. They are a side widely considered to be one of the best in the world and have been for some time, but they remain trophyless since their infamous World Cup victory in 1966. They will be desperate to change that in Germany.
The Three Lions, like Les Blues, completed qualification without defeat. They topped their group on 20 points, with their results including a revenge double over Italy and a huge 7-0 victory over North Macedonia as they cruised to qualification in unsurprising style. England were then subsequently drawn into Group C, where they will face Slovenia, Denmark, and Serbia in Germany.
England’s squad is probably the strongest it has been in recent years. Established players such as Kane, Kyle Walker, and Jordan Pickford provide the perfect attributes to integrate their new, young stars. Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Phil Foden are just some examples of the excellent talents that England has available to them ahead of this tournament. Bellingham has been particularly impressive in Spain for Real Madrid, scoring 16 goals in 23 games at just 20 years of age and from centre midfield. Awe-inspiring statistics for a player so young at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
However, it is difficult to ignore England’s drought without a trophy, with many of their competing nations having seen success much more recently than them. Questions have been asked about the future of manager Gareth Southgate after failing to deliver a trophy for England so far in his tenure, so the pressure is certainly on him ahead of Euro 2024. England find themselves in a golden generation of talent and they cannot afford to waste it.
Germany
The hosts of the tournament, it would be the perfect story to see Germany win the Euros this year on home soil. It is not improbable either, as they look to avenge their disappointing performances at the last three tournaments. In 2018, Germany were eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup after poor defeats to Sweden and South Korea saw the Germans finish bottom of their group which they were considered heavy favourites to win before the tournament.
They then were eliminated in the first knockout game at Euro 2020, as a 2-0 defeat to England saw them underperform at yet another tournament. This disappointment then carried over into the World Cup yet again, as defeat to Japan saw them yet again eliminated in the group stages.
Germany will be desperate to avenge this poor run of tournament form, luckily for them, they did not have to participate in the qualification process due to them hosting the competition. They have plenty of talent in their squad that is eager to impress, especially on their home turf.
The experienced heads of Toni Kroos, Joshua Kimmich, and Ilkay Gundogan have suffered through many if not all of the recent disappointments in tournaments for Germany and will want to win more than ever in front of their home crowd. This talent is partnered with a new generation of talented youngsters. Florian Wirtz has been a vital part of what is set to be a record-breaking Bayer Leverkusen side, achieving 17 G/A in 26 matches at just 20 years of age. A short distance away at Bayern Munich sees the brilliant talent of Jamal Musiala, a player with 16 G/A in 21 matches and has been a vital part of one of the biggest clubs in the world this season.
Germany fans will hope that the new influx of young players mixed with the superb, experienced stars will be enough to finally bring glory back to German football. On the 10th anniversary of their World Cup victory in Brazil, it would be poetic for Germany to secure another trophy in Berlin this time around.
With plenty of other competitive nations including a young-blooded Spain and the defending champions Italy, it is set to be a remarkable tournament that will likely provide drama all the way until the final, it is going to be an amazing summer of football in Germany.