It is not too long now before we reach the start of this summer’s Euro 2024 tournament in Germany. 24 of the best European nations will compete to become the new European Champions.
The tournament will start with the teams competing in the opening Group Stages of the finals. Each team will play three matches, one against the other teams in their group, to decide who qualifies for the Round of 16.
It is a straight knockout tournament from the Round of 16 onwards, with the winner crowned on July 14th at the final in the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
The action gets underway in Germany exactly a month earlier, on June 14th, with hosts Germany facing Scotland after the official opening ceremony for Euro 2024.
Before we work through the groups to give you our idea of who will qualify, let’s first examine how teams qualify for the next phase of the tournament.
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Euro 2024 Group Stage Qualification Criteria
To qualify for the Round of 16 at Euro 2024, teams must either: –
- Win their group.
- Finish second in their group.
- Finish third and be among the four best of the six third-place teams in the tournament.
The Round of 16 draw is pre-determined based on the Group and Position a team finishes in and is as follows: –
Round of 16 Draw
29th June
- Match 38 – Runner Up Group A v Runner Up Group B (Berlin, 5 pm)
- Match 37 – Winner Group A v Runner Up Group C (Dortmund, 8 pm)
30th June
- Match 40 – Winner Group C v 3rd Place from Group D or E or F (Gelsenkirchen, 5 pm)
- Match 39 – Winner Group B v 3rd Place from. Group A or D or E or F (Cologne, 8 pm)
1st July
- Match 42 – Runner Up Group D v Runner Up Group E (Dusseldorf, 5 pm)
- Match 41 – Winner Group F v 3rd Place Team from Group A or B or C (Frankfurt, 8 pm)
2nd July
- Match 43 – Winner Group E v 3rd Place Team from Group A or B or C or D (Munich, 5 pm)
- Match 44 – Winner Group D v 2nd Place Team from Group F (Leipzig, 8 pm)
Which teams will be the ones to fill the spaces in the draws above? Let’s take a closer look at each group and find out.
Euro 2024 Group Stage Predictions
Outlined below are each of the six groups combined with the fixtures and predicted results for each of the games shown. We have also provided you with a predicted final table for the group, complete with the predicted number of points for each team.
European Championship 2024 – Groups & Fixtures
Group A
- Germany
- Scotland
- Hungary
- Switzerland
Fixtures
- 14th June – 8pm – Germany v Scotland (Munich) – Germany Win
- 15th June – 2pm – Hungary v Switzerland (Cologne) – Draw
- 19th June – 5pm – Germany v Hungary (Stuttgart) – Draw
- 19th June – 8pm – Scotland v Switzerland (Cologne) – Draw
- 23rd June – 8pm – Switzerland v Germany (Frankfurt) – Germany Win
- 23rd June – 8pm – Scotland v Hungary (Stuttgart) – Hungary Win
Latest Betting Odds at bet365 To Qualify from Group A
- Germany – 1.05
- Scotland – 1.72
- Hungary – 1.66
- Switzerland – 1.50
Our Group A Finishing Positions Prediction
- Germany – 7pts
- Hungary – 5pts
- Switzerland – 2pts
- Scotland – 1pt
It’s hard to see even a somewhat average German side not winning this group on home soil. Hungary’s hugely impressive recent form sees them steal second ahead of the Swiss, who will be left sweating on whether 2 points is enough to qualify as one of the best third-place teams.
Group B
- Spain
- Croatia
- Italy
- Albania
Fixtures
- 15th June – 5pm – Spain v Croatia (Berlin) – Spain Win
- 15th June – 8pm – Italy v Albania (Dortmund) – Italy Win
- 19th June – 2pm – Croatia v Albania (Hamburg) – Croatia Win
- 20th June – 8pm – Spain v Italy (Gelsenkirchen) – Spain Win
- 24th June – 8pm – Albania v Spain (Dusseldorf) – Spain Win
- 24th June – 8pm – Croatia v Italy (Leipzig) – Draw
Latest Betting Odds at bet365 To Qualify from Group B
- Spain – 1.083
- Croatia – 1.30
- Italy – 1.12
- Albania – 3.75
Our Group B Finishing Positions Prediction
- Spain – 9pts
- Croatia – 4pts
- Italy – 4pts
- Albania – 0pts
The fact that Spain plays Italy and Croatia first defines this group. I see Spain winning all three games, as even if they rest players for the third game with Albania, they should still win that game. Italy and Croatia will fight for second. I have Croatia taking it on goal difference or goals scored, but I think Italy will easily qualify as one of the best third-place teams.
Group C
- Slovenia
- Serbia
- Denmark
- England
Fixtures
- 16th June – 5pm – Slovenia v Denmark (Stuttgart) – Denmark Win
- 16th June – 8pm – Serbia v England (Gelsenkirchen) – England Win
- 20th June – 2pm – Slovenia v Serbia (Munich) – Draw
- 20th June – 5pm – Denmark v England (Frankfurt) – Draw
- 25th June – 8pm – Denmark v Serbia (Munich) – Draw
- 25th June – 8pm – England v Slovenia (Cologne) – England Win
Latest Betting Odds at bet365 To Qualify from Group C
- Slovenia – 2.25
- Serbia – 1.57
- Denmark – 1.33
- England – 1.04
Our Group C Finishing Positions Prediction
- England – 7pts
- Denmark – 5pts
- Serbia – 2pts
- Slovenia – 1pt
While I feel England will win the group, I can’t see them doing so emphatically with three wins. I expect the Danes to finish second with Serbia pipping Slovenia to third. However, they will be worried whether their points total is enough for a spot in the Round of 16.
Group D
- Poland
- Netherlands
- Austria
- France
Fixtures
- 16th June – 2pm – Poland v Netherlands (Hamburg) – Netherlands Win
- 17th June – 8pm – Austria v France (Dusseldorf) – France Win
- 21st June – 5pm – Poland v Austria (Berlin) – Austria Win
- 21st June – 8pm – Netherlands v France (Leipzig) – France Win
- 25th June – 5pm – France v Poland (Dortmund) – France Win
- 25th June – 5pm – Netherlands v Austria (Berlin) – Draw
Latest Betting Odds at bet365 To Qualify from Group D
- Poland – 2.25
- Netherlands – 1.20
- Austria – 1.90
- France – 1.05
Our Group D Finishing Positions Prediction
- France – 9pts
- Netherlands – 4pts
- Austria – 4pts
- Poland – 0pts
France won’t have any fears in this group and I think wins over Austria and Netherlands will mean they can rest players for the Poland game and still win it. Austria could be a surprise package in this tournament and I expect them to qualify for the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams with Netherlands second.
Group E
- Belgium
- Slovakia
- Romania
- Ukraine
Fixtures
- 17th June – 2pm – Romania v Ukraine (Munich) – Draw
- 17th June – 5pm – Belgium v Slovakia (Frankfurt) – Belgium Win
- 21st June – 2pm – Slovakia v Ukraine (Dusseldorf) – Ukraine Win
- 22nd June – 8pm – Belgium v Romania (Cologne) – Belgium Win
- 26th June – 5pm – Slovakia v Romania (Frankfurt) – Slovakia Win
- 26th June – 5pm – Ukraine v Belgium (Stuttgart) – Draw
Latest Betting Odds at bet365 To Qualify from Group E
- Belgium – 1.05
- Slovakia – 1.90
- Romania – 1.61
- Ukraine – 1.50
Our Group E Finishing Positions Prediction
- Belgium – 7pts
- Ukraine – 5pts
- Slovakia – 3pts
- Romania – 1pt
This could be a close group as I feel after Belgium, who will likely win the group, it is very close between the other three teams. I have Ukraine just edging second spot, with Slovakia snatching third, and potentially a place in the Round of 16, with a crucial final game win over Romania.
Group F
- Turkey
- Georgia
- Portugal
- Czechia
Fixtures
- 18th June – 5pm – Turkey v Georgia (Dortmund) – Turkey Win
- 18th June – 8pm – Portugal v Czechia (Leipzig) – Portugal Win
- 22nd June – 2pm – Georgia v Czechia (Hamburg) – Czechia Win
- 22nd June – 5pm – Turkey v Portugal (Dortmund) – Portugal Win
- 26th June – 8pm – Georgia v Portugal (Gelsenkirchen) – Portugal Win
- 26th June – 8pm – Czechia v Turkey (Hamburg) – Turkey Win
Latest Betting Odds at bet365 To Qualify from Group F
- Turkey – 1.28
- Georgia – 2.25
- Portugal – 1.04
- Czechia – 1.72
Our Group F Finishing Positions Prediction
- Portugal – 9pts
- Turkey – 6pts
- Czechia – 3pts
- Georgia – 0pts
With such a talented and deep squad, it is easy to see Portugal winning this group. I think Turkey are a very good bet to finish second, with Czechia benefitting from having the weakest team in the tournament in Georgia in this group, earning the win, which will ultimately earn them a spot in the Round of 16.
Who Would Qualify As The Best Third-Placed Teams?
If those predictions are correct then the third-placed teams would rank as follows:
- Italy – 4pts (Group B)
- Austria – 4pts (Group D)
- Slovakia – 3pts (Group E)
- Czechia – 3pts (Group F)
- Switzerland – 2pts (Group A)
- Serbia – 2pts (Group C)
What Round of 16 Would That Give Us?
Now that we know the potential winners and runner-up from each group, plus the four teams that qualify as the best third-placed teams, and their groups, here is how the draw for the Round of 16 would look:
29th June
- Match 38 – Hungary v Croatia (Berlin, 5pm)
- Match 37 – Germany v Denmark (Dortmund, 8pm)
30th June
- Match 40 – England v Slovakia (Gelsenkirchen, 5pm)
- Match 39 – Spain v Czechia (Cologne, 8pm)
1st July
- Match 42 – Netherlands v Ukraine (Dusseldorf, 5pm)
- Match 41 – Portugal v Italy (Frankfurt, 8pm)
2nd July
- Match 43 – Belgium v Austria (Munich, 5pm)
- Match 44 – France v Turkey (Leipzig, 8pm)
In this scenario, the bigger teams largely avoid each other, although the Portugal v Italy game would be a cracker to watch.
This would then lead to the following quarter-final ties
5th July
- Match 45 – Spain or Czechia v Germany or Denmark
- Match 46 – Portugal or Italy v Netherlands or Ukraine
The winners of these two quarterfinals would then face each other in the first semi-final
6th July
- Match 48 – England or Slovakia v Hungary or Croatia
- Match 47 – Belgium or Austria v France or Turkey
The winners of these two quarterfinals would then face each other in the second semi-final.
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