The Euros have finally arrived. On Friday night, Germany is set to play the tournament’s opening fixture against Scotland in the Allianz Arena. England doesn’t have to wait very long for their first game, which is on Sunday. Currently, websites like https://www.bookiesnotongamstop.com/ are seeing a flood of interest in predicting the tournament’s winners (and losers). To back England to go all the way, though, it would be helpful to know exactly our route to the final…
Group Stage
England’s journey to the Euro 2024 final starts with the group stage, where we must play Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia. Many believe this was a fairly lucky seeding, but they may not be aware of how feisty these European football players play one another. We have to go back to the last World Cup, Serbia vs Switzerland, and things got heated.
- England vs Serbia: The opening match is always vital, because if you don’t get three points, you will feel like playing catch-up for the next two. Serbia are a tough and physical team, but England remain firm favourites.
- England vs Denmark: Denmark has proven to be a tough opponent in recent years. This match will test England’s tactical acumen and will likely be the most plausible draw of the group stages.
- England vs Slovenia: Should England have six points on the board already, this one may be a chance to rest a key player or two, knowing that a draw is enough.
Round of 16
In the Round of 16, England can face a broad range of teams from groups A, B, D, E, or F. If England wins their group, they will play the third-placed side in either group D, E, or F. This is likely to be either Poland, Romania, or Turkey, but if they got really unlucky, it could be Czech, Portugal, Belgium, France, or the Netherlands (if any of those placed third).
If England comes second in their group, they will play group A winners, likely Germany.
Quarter-Finals
The most likely route so far is to win Group C and Round 16, which would mean playing against the runner-up of either Group A or B. This could be Germany from group A, but we think it’s more likely to be Hungary or Switzerland. From B, it could be Spain, but it will most likely be Croatia or Italy. The good news is that England has entirely avoided France, and it could mean yet another head-to-head with Croatia.
Semi-Finals
If England advances to the semi-finals, this is where they are most likely going to meet France. The semi-final is where the group E winners (Belgium, Romania or Slovakia) or group D winners (France or Netherlands) will be. There could of course be a curveball, but it’s difficult to cover every possible scenario.
Final
If England manages to get through what is likely their toughest game yet, they will likely be playing Spain or Portugal in the final – unless a surprise team makes an impressive run. The final is held in Berlin, and one would imagine England has enough confidence this time to go the whole way if they make it to the final.
Conclusion
England’s route to the Euro 2024 final is relatively normal – until it isn’t. Avoiding France and Spain until the semi-final and final respectively is a huge boost in confidence. Should England come second in the group, things will get much more difficult, much earlier on…
