France vs. Belgium: Euro 2024 Round of 16 Odds, Prediction

Jordan Ramsay
June 30, 2024

Both of these teams were uncharacteristically quiet in the group stage. France finished second in Group D with a win against Austria followed by draws against the Netherlands and Poland. Belgium started their tournament off with a loss against Slovakia before beating Romania and drawing Ukraine to finish second in Group E.

Les Blues opened as -110 favourites to win on the Euro 2024 odds, while a tie is +225 and Belgium is +333.

France vs. Belgium Betting Odds

These teams have a rich history against each other, with Belgium leading the all-time head-to-head rivalry 30-26. However, France won the last two matchups, the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the semis of the 2021 Nations League in Italy. The French went on to win both those tournaments.

France enters the knockout stage at +550 to win the tournament on the Euro 2024 futures board, while Belgium is +3300. Kylian Mbappe started the tournament tied with England’s Harry Kane as +400 co-favourites to lead the tournament in scoring. Mbappe, who scored once in the group stage, is now +700, trailing Kane (+450) and Germany’s Jamal Musiala (+500).

France

Real Madrid-bound Mbappe finally broke through at Euro 2024 with a penalty shot goal in France’s 1-1 draw against Poland to close out group stage play. But, France continues to underperform as a whole and even if they get past Belgium, there are still juggernauts like Portugal, Germany and Spain on their side of the knockout bracket. One positive, however, is the one goal Les Blues were able to hold opponents to in the group stage, the second-best defensive rating behind Spain’s three cleansheets.

There was obviously major concern when Mbappe broke his nose in the tournament opener, but after playing 90 minutes against Poland, the former Paris Saint-Germain star doesn’t seem like he’s been slowed down. One change to the lineup against Poland was the demotion of Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann to the bench, but it’s believed he’ll return to the starting XI against Belgium. Bradley Barcola would likely come out in place of Griezmann.

Belgium

Belgium has been strong defensively, but failing to score in two of three group stage matches is concerning. It looked like the Belgians figured it out in a 2-0 win over Romania on matchday two, but a surprising 0-0 draw against Ukraine just brings more questions. Belgium even making it through the group stage wasn’t a guarantee. Group E all finished tied with four points, a European Championship first, and Belgium got through on superior goal differential.

Belgium will get a boost to the lineup against France as winger Dodi Lukebakio is available following his one-game suspension. Lukebakio will likely return to the starting XI in place of Leandro Trossard. Yannick Carrasco looked great against Ukraine and could also be a contender to move into the starting XI. Axel Witsel (adductor) and Thomas Meunier (thigh) are both expected to miss the match.