Euro 2020 Tournament Guide and Preview
It may be a year late, but Euro 2020 is finally here. Slated to start Friday and run to July 11, we’ll be taking a look at each group and the biggest storyline facing every team heading into the tournament.
Make sure to check out the latest match odds, outright odds and group odds.
Group A
Potentially the tightest group in terms of skill and expectation, all four Group A teams will be expecting to make the knockout stages. Italy has to be considered the favourite in this group and should benefit from playing all of their group games in Rome. Switzerland and Wales play a skilled and tough style that could help them go far in the tournament and Turkey has the potential to be a dark-horse candidate.
Italy – Roberto Mancini was hired as manager after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and he has completely turned this team around. Italy is unbeaten in their last 27 matches and they won all 10 of their qualification games. The key question surrounding this team is how well their defence will hold up with an elderly backline?
Switzerland – The Swiss have won six straight games and are coming off a 7-0 blowout of Lichtenstein, but they also went seven straight games without a win before their current winning streak. Fabian Schar has missed most of the season with injury and Xherdan Shaqiri hasn’t played much in Liverpool this year. Can this roster click at the right time?
Turkey – Turkey was strong in qualifying, picking up a win and a tie against world champion France, but they’ve been a bit inconsistent. Leicester defender Caglar Soyuncu helped Turkey keep eight clean sheets in the qualification round and has made the defence this team’s biggest asset. How far can defence bring Turkey in this tournament?
Wales – Wales is looking to stun the soccer world again. After qualifying for the tournament for the first time ever in 2016, they made an improbable run to the semi-finals before losing to eventual champion Portugal. The current core of this roster was there in 2016, but they’ll also be backed up with some skilled younger players. Can Wales repeat 2016?
Predicted group runner-up: Turkey
Predicted group winner: Italy
Group B
There’s a mixture of expectations in this pool. Belgium’s core group is well into their prime and will see anything short of a long run as a bitter disappointment, while Finland has already beat expectations with their first tournament qualification. Russia has an edge with home-field advantage throughout the group stage and Denmark is fielding arguably their best roster since they last won the tournament in 1992.
Belgium – Belgium crushed teams in the qualification stage, winning all 10 games and scoring 40 goals. But, with injuries to key players heading into the group stage, can the Red Devils continue their dominance?
Denmark – The Danes proved they are a dangerous squad as they enter this tournament with wins in all three of their 2022 World Cup qualifying matches. They even outscored opponents 14-0 in those wins. Can Denmark handle a tougher group of opponents?
Finland – Without a win in their last six matches, there are serious concerns that the Finns might not even record a point in their first-ever tournament appearance. Can they hang with the rest of this group?
Russia – This is a fairly different roster than the one that hosted the 2018 World Cup and reached the quarter-finals. With their first three games in St. Petersburg, will home-field advantage help out again?
Predicted group runner-up: Russia
Predicted group winner: Belgium
Group C
After failing to qualify for Euro 2016, the Netherlands come into this tournament as the favourite to win Group C. They’ll be up against a defensively tough Ukraine team and an Austrian roster that could be dangerous if overlooked. And with an upset win over Germany in March, you even need to be wary of North Macedonia.
Austria – Austria has focused more on defence over the last few years and they come into this tournament after finishing ahead of North Macedonia in the qualifying stage. Do they have what it takes to make the knockout stage of a major tournament for the first time since 1982?
Netherlands – The Dutch will be without Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk in this tournament as he continues to rehab a knee injury. Will that absence even matter for the Netherlands, in a very winnable group?
North Macedonia – With only four wins and two draws in 10 qualifying matches, North Macedonia had to beat Georgia in a play-off just to get in this tournament. Can they at least stay competitive?
Ukraine – Ukraine is finally starting to reap the benefits after completely overhauling the way they train their youth players a few years ago. Can this group of technical and talented players make some noise on the world stage?
Predicted group runner-up: Ukraine
Predicted group winner: Netherlands
Group D
The opening match of this group will be a replay of the 2018 World Cup semis, which saw Croatia take down England. This is a better English squad, however, and they have what it takes to win this tournament. Croatia is essentially the same roster as 2018, but it’s an older, slower roster. This is Scotland’s first major tournament since 1998, while the Czechs are hoping to at least make it to the knockout stage.
Croatia – The 2018 World Cup runners-up won the most competitive qualifying group, but they had the lowest point total of any group winner. They’ve proven they’re a tough competitor, but they struggle to win on the road. Is there anything left in the tank in this aging roster?
Czech Republic – Some of the young players on this roster are drawing interest from club teams across Europe, but can they perform on the biggest stage?
England – This is the most talented group of young attackers England has seen in years, but a lack of depth on defence leaves some concerns about this roster. Can England score their way to success?
Scotland – Scotland’s run of bad luck since losing out on the knockout stage of this tournament in 1996 by a tiebreaker, seems to be over. They won two penalty shootouts in the qualifying stage, but will their offence come alive in the group stage?
Predicted group runner-up: Croatia
Predicted group winner: England
Group E
Spain is gambling on a younger roster in this tournament, hoping their players can make the jump to superstardom. Sweden and Poland can’t match Spain’s talent, but they should compete for the runner-up spot. Slovakia drew the short straw to land in this group.
Poland – After making the quarter-finals at Euro 2016, Poland disappointed at the 2018 World Cup and finished last in a group they should have challenged for. Can they start the tournament off strong with a win against Slovakia?
Slovakia – Slovakia had to down Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League playoffs to qualify for this tournament. With the odds stacked against them, can they repeat the solid run they had in 2016?
Spain – After winning back-to-back European Championships and the 2010 World Cup, it’s been mostly disappointment for Spain in major tournaments over the last decade. Will the new blood in this roster get Spain back on top?
Sweden – Ironically, Sweden has actually looked like a more cohesive squad without Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the lineup. Can the Swedes continue to thrive out of Ibrahimovic’s shadow?
Predicted group runner-up: Sweden
Predicted group winner: Spain
Group F
This group of death will easily provide the most entertainment during the group stage. Comprised of the last two World Cup champions and the reigning Euro titleholder, Hungary got the worst drawing in this tournament. France, Germany and Portugal will all have their eyes set on the Euro title.
France – The reigning World Cup champions have depth throughout the roster and are the favourites to win this tournament. Can the star power on this team click together in the right way?
Germany – The 2016 World Cup champions are coming off a disappointing 2018 World Cup and a poor Nations League showing last year. With few veterans left on the roster, can a younger generation give manager Joachim Low one last bit of glory in his final tournament?
Hungary – Poor Hungary. They needed to qualify for this tournament through the Nations League playoffs and they’re up against three of the toughest teams in Europe. Can they turn one of their two home games into an upset?
Portugal – The defending European champions were surprise winners in 2016, but expectations will be much higher in this tournament. Despite having Cristiano Ronaldo and a wealth of attacking talent on this team, manager Fernando Santos prefers a conservative defensive style. Will that style be enough in the tournament’s toughest group?
Predicted group runner-up: Germany
Predicted group winner: France