Thanks to its tradition in the sport, England is and always has been the high-profile national football team. Without a trophy in the big competitions since 1966, the Three Lions are once again among the favourites to win Euro 2024 if you check any football odds provided by the bookmakers. But will they manage to get over the finish line first? Let’s find out together what their chances are.
It’s been a long time since the English supporters had something palpable to get excited about. More exactly, it is 58 years since that legendary World Cup was organised in 1966 on home soil.
Even if their performances on the field disappoint most of the time, the waves of exciting talents coming out of the British Isles always fuel the hopes of the immense fanbase the Three Lions players enjoy. The same scenario is valid this summer for England, as Euro 2024 is underway.
England’s Euro Record: One Final in 10 Appearances
Whenever you talk about England’s national football team, the 1966 World Cup performance always comes into discussion. Though their record in the Euros hasn’t been as stellar as you assume it would be for a team of such calibre.
It’s true the format of the European Football Championship was always more exclusivist than the World Cup proposed over the years. For example, in their first appearance in 1968, England managed to grab the bronze medals with only one win. With only four teams at the start of the tournament, the Three Lions lost their opening game against Yugoslavia, only to get past the USSR in the third-place play-off thanks to goals scored by Bobby Charlton and Geoff Hurst.
It was their last mentionable performance in the Euros as the next six tournaments, as the English national team either didn’t qualify (1972, 1976, 1984) or succumbed in the group stage (1980, 1988, 1992). But here comes 1996!
Back organising a final tournament after the 1966 success and with the now legendary “It’s Coming Home” anthem, the English fans could smell the success getting closer and closer. After having a blast in the group stage, penalty shootouts proved, once again, to be the nightmare of England's most beloved team.
Coincidence or not, it was precisely Gareth Southgate who missed the decisive penalty in the semifinal against Germany, who then lifted the trophy after the final against the overlooked Czech Republic national team. The same Gareth Southgate who, 25 years later, shepherded the most significant performance by the England national team in the Euros.
Again on home soil, the Three Lions got past the group stage with relative ease, then managed to reach the final after victories against Germany, Ukraine and Denmark. In the final, though, another penalty shootout will shatter the dreams of the England squad, and the nightmare returned.
England Euro 2024 Squad: New Blood for Southgate
As with every national football team that boasts that much talent, Southgate’s England Euro 2024 squad came under scrutiny. Known for his conservative style when making the selection, Gareth Southgate—who said before the tournament that he would step back if England didn’t win it—made massive changes.
An ex-Crystal Palace defender himself, Southgate brought four players from the team to the squad, which provided the stage for his debut on the big football scene. If Guéhi, who currently sits as a starter in England’s Euro squad, already had 11 caps before the tournament, Eberechi Eze, Dean Henderson and Adam Wharton gathered only six caps among them. And since Crystal Palace only finished in 10th place in the recent Premier League season, the quartet selection might come as a surprise.
During his 8-year tenure, Gareth Southgate became known as a manager who doesn’t embrace change easily. A number of players became permanent fixtures starting with the 2018 World Cup, with some of them still present in England’s Euro 2024 squad.
Starting with the captain, Harry Kane, and going through Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Kieran Trippier, Southgate developed a clear pattern. With just a few days available a few times a year to develop a strategy, England’s manager put all his money on consistency.
This has changed, though, before this edition of the Euros. Permanent fixtures like Harry Maguire, Jordan Henderson, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling were all left out of the England Euro 2024 squad, a clear sign that Southgate embraced change before pulling the last straw in his quest for glory.
Of course, the young blood that improved the Euro 2020 squad, comprised of the stellar quartet Bellingham—Saka—Foden—Rice, could not miss the selection. But new faces like Guehi, Konsa, Gordon, Toney, Palmer, Wharton, and Kobbie Mainoo are among the 26 players England took in Germany precisely to add some balance and some unpredictability for the adversaries.
England Euro Fixtures: Who Should They Come Against?
For the Three Lions, qualification to Euro 2024 was never in doubt. Drawn in a tough group against Italy, Ukraine, and Macedonia, all present in the 2020 edition of the tournament, England's path to the Euro qualifiers was pretty smooth.
No losses, only four goals conceded, and just two draws, both in the second half of the qualifiers, is a record that provides hope to the Three Lions die-hard fans.
Until now, in Germany, England has won against a tough Serbian team (1-0) and drew against nemesis Denmark (1-1).
But we all know that in a final tournament like the Euros, it’s not necessarily how you start but how you finish, so let’s have a look at the future England Euro Fixtures.
England will play their last game of the group stage on the 25th of May against surprising Slovenia. Chances are that Southgate's men will manage to secure the first spot of the group, which will help them get a smoother path towards the final.
Assuming England will finish top of the group, the Round of 16 should not be a big hurdle since the opponent will be a third-place team. Then, in the projected quarter-final, either Switzerland or Italy might stand in front of the Three Lions.
The bookies seem to fancy England’s chances. According to the respectable betting analysis portal BetBrain, England and France are both the main favourites, with 11/2 odds to lift the trophy. Right behind them are Germany, Portugal, and Spain, with odds of around 7/1, according to BetBrain’s odds comparison tool.
For our betting-savvy readers, we can suggest that most of England’s Euro fixtures will not provide many goals, as Southgate's tactics seem quite prudent. Against Serbia and especially against Denmark, after opening the score early, Kane and his teammates took a step back to secure the victory, which, against the Danes, cost them two points.
Going forward, it’s hard to provide a solid prediction, considering this is football, and everything can happen on the pitch. But England's chances to win the trophy are there, especially when you go through the first 11. The squad depth might be the weak point of Southgate’s men, but with the 53-year-old manager playing his last card as the Three Lions’ manager, this can prove to be the key to reaching glory.
