The Euro 2024 favourites have been named – is football finally coming home?
Here at FourFourTwo, we're gearing up for the tournament in Germany, with the countdown to another European Championship well underway. Euro 2024 promises to be huge, with so many European superpowers jostling for the trophy – and now that we know the group stage draw, it's a little easier to predict how the fixtures of the tournament will play out, and the routes some heavyweights might have to take if they're to reach the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on July 14.
All of the Euro 2024 squads are confirmed, too, so here's our run-through of the likely suspects to lift the Henri Delaunay trophy, courtesy of Betfair.
VIDEO: All You Need To Know About Euro 2024
Euro 2024 favourites to win odds
1. England - 10/3
This England squad is arguably the strongest ever, with Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden the best players in their respective leagues this season. The former duo are excelling abroad, while Foden isn't the only Premier League star in Gareth Southgate's team: Declan Rice and Buakyo Saka have been imperious for Arsenal, John Stones and Kyle Walker are consistently strong for Manchester City, and there's a smattering of young, hungry, talented players ready to make their names this summer.
There's reason, therefore, as to why England are ranked as the tournament's favourites, though defeat to Iceland in their final pre-Euro 2024 friendly caused some criticism among certain areas of the media and the fanbase. Plus, history does disagree with England's billing as favourites, with the Three Lions having never won a European Championship. Harry Maguire is missing through injury, too, leaving concerns over the defence.
Placing a bet on England, therefore, might not be as certain as the bookies think. Unless you're hopelessly patriotic, the odds are far too short for our reckoning when considering recent history and the quality of the other contenders, too.
2. France - 4/1
Full to the very brim with talented individuals, this is a France squad that every nation will fear playing this summer. Kylian Mbappe may be the standout performer, but he's not the only player to fear in Didier Deschamps' side - Antoine Griezmann is still at the top of his game, Real Madrid duo Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni provide solidity and creativity in midfield, while Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate are rocks in defence. Somehow, William Saliba can't even force his way into the starting XI, such is the side's quality.
Les Bleus are out to redeem themselves, too, after heartbreak in recent tournaments. Penalty shootouts have proved their nemesis in both the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2020, with Argentina beating them in the final in Qatar two years ago, while Switzerland shocked them in the Euros last 16.
True, their odds might not be particularly favourable, but the squad's winning experience makes victory a very real possibility. That being said, don't bet against a very Gallic fallout, either: this is a nation that has a long history of imploding rather than being outplayed… and there are a fair few egos in this side, after all.
3. Germany - 9/2
Playing on home soil can always provide a boost, and the bookmakers believe this could prove the difference for one of the most underwhelming Germany squads for a generation.
Individuals do possess great quality, such as Florian Wirtz, Ilkay Gundogan and Jamal Musiala, but how that translates into the team dynamic is a question mark, especially when considering recent tournament performances - in the last three international tournaments, Germany have crashed out of the group stages twice and been beaten in the last 16 on the other occasion. They'll need a much better showing in front of their home crowd this time around.
By FFT's reckoning, 9/2 odds are quite good considering Germany are the hosts and have a long history in the tournament. Plus, at Euro 2020, the winners were the best-coached team. We'd expect Julian Nagelsmann to be the best manager at this edition.
4. Portugal - 7/1
The standouts in qualifying now have Roberto Martinez in charge, following his much-maligned spell with Belgium – who he didn't, by the way, do all that badly with, actually – while there are obvious superstars across the Portugal squad.
If ever a team seemed undervalued, then this is it. The clear standouts in qualifying - they won all 10 of their games, scoring 36 and conceding just twice - Portugal have a squad stacked to the rafters with huge names and undeniable ability. From Cristiano Ronaldo to Bruno Fernandes, Raphael Leao, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias and Diogo Costa, there's not a position on the pitch that isn't filled by one of the world's best.
Roberto Martinez is in charge, following his much-maligned spell with Belgium – who he didn't, by the way, do all that badly with, actually - perhaps owing to the bookmakers' belief that they'll fail to sweep the tournament, but topping a straightforward group would mean they'd reach the semi-finals without having to face any other group winner.
Ultimately, Portugal are FFT's pick to bet on. Their squad isn't just full of big names, they're also big-game players, while there's balance and unity across it, too. As long as Ronaldo doesn't throw his toys out the pram, then they could fly through to the final with relative ease. Frankly, 7/1 odds are unmissable.
5. Spain - 8/1
The lack of an out-and-out goalscorer since the days of David Villa and Fernando Torres has failed to impact them in qualifying, though it could come back to bite a Spain squad in transition. New boss Luis de la Fuente is inexperienced at senior level, and could come unstuck in games where more ruthless ammunition is required.
Gone are the heady days of a decade ago when Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets reigned supreme, too, though Rodri and Pedri are more than adequate to dominant the ball in that typical La Roja fashion. Overcoming a difficult group containing Italy, Croatia and Albania is required before Spain even start to consider winning the tournamnet, and even then they'll want to ensure they don't get taken the distance in potential knockout games due to their woeful penalty record.
Odds of 8/1 are good for a country that made a semi-final last time around – but given how wholly unreliable the Spanish have been for over 10 years now, we'd hold off on that bet.
The Rest
More Euro 2024 stories
England's side is likely to look like this for Euro 2024 – while Kieran Trippier has labelled team-mate Jude Bellingham as "frightening".
The Euro 2024 draw was interrupted by sexual noises in porn prank like the one heard during Wolves vs Liverpool earlier this year.
FFT have also created a Euro 2024 wall chart, which is free to download and contains the full schedule and dates.
