The final draw for the 2024 European Championship in Germany next June and July took place on Saturday in Hamburg. Twenty-one of the 24 participants, including the hosts, now know their opponents — or potential opponents — at the tournament, with the final three qualifiers for Euro 2024 to be determined via a 12-team playoff in March.
Here’s how the eight four-nation groups shake out:
Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland
Don’t be fooled: Playing on home soil, Germany is a legitimate title contender despite its recent struggles. Scotland has to like its chances of also getting out of this tough foursome in Group A after its impressive qualifying campaign. But the Scots will face stiff competition from a Hungarian team that is participating in its third consecutive Euros, and a Swiss side ranked higher by FIFA than either.
Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
The undisputed Group of Death features three teams ranked in FIFA’s Top 10. Spain and Croatia contested the last UEFA Nations League final in June, with La Roja ultimately prevailing on penalties. Italy, the defending champion, can win any major tournament it qualifies for. As for Albania, all the Eagles did was win their qualifying group — one that included Robert Lewandowski-led Poland and a former European runner-up, Czechia.
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Group C: England, Denmark, Serbia, Slovenia
The Three Lions were already many bookies pick to win a first continual title next summer. Saturday certainly didn’t change that, with England getting drawn into one of the weaker groups in the competition in Group C. Denmark is probably the biggest threat to Harry Kane & Co., but, realistically, it’s a three-horse race for second place. Serbia has elite forwards in all-time top scorer Aleksandar Mitrović and Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. But they also bombed out of the last two World Cups and are playing in a Euro for the first time in 20 years. Meantime, Slovenia was the second lowest-ranked nation to qualify outright after the Albanians.
Group D: France, Netherlands, Austria, POL/WAL/FIN/EST
France is the other odds-on favorite to win it all, and a stiff test from an improving Dutch outfit — which it beat twice in Euro 2024 qualifying, including a narrow 2-0 victory in October — in the first round should set up Les Bleus nicely for the all-or-nothing knockout rounds. It would be stunning if Austria somehow snuck into the top two in Group D, but they’ll have a real chance to advance as one of the best third-place finishers. It won’t be easy, though, especially if either Poland or Wales — two teams with recent experience at major tourneys — emerge as the playoff winner.
Group E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, ISR/BIH/UKR/ISL
As with England in Group C, Belgium is the clear favorite to top its quartet in Group E. With all due respect to the Slovakians and Romanians, both of which were eliminated in the group stage of the last Euros, the Red Devils might face even less resistance in reaching the second round. Ukraine is probably the favorite to round things out over Israel, Iceland or Bosnia and Herzegovina after giving Italy all it could handle on the final match day of qualifying — a game the Azzurri would probably have lost had the Ukrainians’ late penalty appeals not been controversially waved away by the referee and his video assistant.
Group F: Portugal, Czechia, Turkey, GEO/GRE/KAZ/LUX
Portugal has a roster stacked enough to win its second continental title since 2016 in what is widely expected to be then-39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo’s farewell at the international level. The Portuguese were the best team during qualifying hands down, finishing as the only unbeaten, untied team with a perfect 10-0 record and an astounding 36 goals for and just two against. Czechia made the quarterfinals of the last Euro, while Turkey appears ready to take the next step after reaching the last two tourneys but failing to advance in either. Greece, the 2004 champions which had the misfortune of sharing a qualifying group with France and the Netherlands, should fill out Group F over relative minnows Georgia, Kazakhstan or Luxembourg.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
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