PARIS — The Euro 2024, beginning in Germany on June 14, is a mouth-watering prospect, as France and England lead the heavyweight contenders for a tournament which will be played out in some of the continent’s finest stadiums across a football-mad nation.
England was booed by some of its own fans after losing 1-0 to Iceland on Friday in its last friendly before the European Championship, while host nation Germany had to come from a goal down to snatch a last gasp 2-1 victory over Greece in a lacklustre dress rehearsal ahead of the tournament start.
The setting for the month-long competition is important, given the underwhelming nature of the last Euros three years ago, held all over the continent rather than in one country, and played before limited crowds during the Covid pandemic.
This time all fans will descend on 10 stadiums in Germany, many with memories of the unforgettable summer of 2006 when the country last staged a major tournament.
The hope is this competition will be just as memorable, and for the right reasons, despite security concerns in a tense global climate and complaints about Germany’s creaking rail network.
That 2006 World Cup was won by Italy, who comes into this European Championship as title holders, but it also saw Germany emerge again as a force to be reckoned with after years in the doldrums.
Back then there were question marks about the host nation’s chances, yet they reached the semi-finals.
Host hopes
There are similar doubts this time surrounding Julian Nagelsmann’s team, given Germany has exited the last two World Cups in the group stage and lost in the last 16 at the last Euros.
However, it would be foolish to talk down the three-time European champions too much given the players at their disposal.
“I have the feeling that we can win the tournament. And most of the time, my intuition is not too bad,” said Germany coach Nagelsmann, whose team play Scotland in the opening game in Munich.
There are good reasons why France and England are widely seen as the favourites to raise aloft the Henri Delaunay trophy at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on July 14.
France is Europe’s top-ranked nation and has been in the last two World Cup finals. Their team has evolved since Qatar in 2022 but the quality at their disposal, beyond Kylian Mbappe, is fearsome and they are eager to win a first European Championship since 2000.
“Like other nations we have the potential to maybe go all the way, but we must not already be thinking about the semifinals or a possible final,” France’s coach Didier Deschamps warned according to AFP.
It is not always the case that everything goes to form. But if it does, and France and England top their groups, they will be on a collision course to meet in the semifinals at Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park.
France head into Euro 2024 as quite possibly the standout candidates to lift the trophy but their prospects may to a large extent depend on Kylian Mbappe not being distracted by his club future.
Mbappe’s long goodbye from Paris Saint-Germain and switch to Real Madrid has dominated headlines in France and Spain in recent months.
The 25-year-old’s presence for PSG over the last three months of the season could no longer be taken for granted and he did not look at his sharpest in his final appearances for the French champions.
However, he still scored 44 club goals in the campaign just finished and France coach Deschamps has no doubt that his captain will be firing on all cylinders at the European Championship.
“Kylian has always considered himself to be part of a collective. Obviously he has responsibilities with his club. He also has responsibilities, if not more, with France.”
England carries the burden of never having won the Euros. Beaten on penalties by Italy in the 2021 final, Gareth Southgate’s team lost a nail-biting quarterfinal to France at the last World Cup.
The two men who could give them the edge are Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.
Kane will be at home in his surroundings having just scored 44 goals in his first season for Bayern Munich.
Ronaldo still going
Munich’s Allianz Arena hosts the first semi-final. The other semi-final venue was Bellingham’s home ground for the three years he spent at Dortmund, but he comes to the Euros after a fine first campaign at Real Madrid, fresh from winning the Champions League.
“Are we one of those teams who can win? Of course,” said England’s coach Southgate, whose team is in Group C with Denmark, Serbia and Slovenia.
“I’d be an idiot if I said no, but if I said yes, that doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of work ahead of us,” Southgate added.
Absent from the last two World Cups, Italy will be in Germany to defend their European crown, despite losing twice to England in qualifying.
The Azzurri is in a group with Spain, semifinalists at the last Euros but who have not won a major tournament knockout game in 90 minutes since Euro 2012.
There may be as many as eight realistic potential champions, including 2016 winners Portugal, still led by Cristiano Ronaldo, even though he is now 39.
Belgium and the Netherlands will hope to make an impact too, but the Euros – the third edition since expanding to 24 teams – are richer for the presence of less-fancied nations.
Ukraine has a decent team under Serhiy Rebrov. Albania, under the Brazilian Sylvinho, appears at only their second Euros, while Georgia makes their debut.
Their opening match will be on June 18 against Turkey in Dortmund.
Managed by former France and Bayern Munich defender Willy Sagnol, and led by Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, they will be worth watching.
