GOAL has evaluated and ranked all 24 teams that will be participating in Germany this summer for Euro 2024. The teams range from the highly-favored France and England to the unexpected qualifiers Georgia and Albania.
After the completion of the qualifying rounds, Poland, Ukraine, and Georgia emerged as the winners of the play-offs on Tuesday night. This finalizes the list of teams that will be competing in Germany. However, it is evident that some nations secured their spots in a more impressive manner than others.
During the qualifiers, France displayed a formidable performance, while England showcased their talent and potential to end their long wait for a major trophy since 1966. Additionally, Portugal has been performing exceptionally well under the guidance of their new coach, Roberto Martinez.
Of course, Spain and Belgium, with their talented squads, are also considered strong contenders. However, the focus now shifts to the host nation, Germany, who are displaying promising signs of revival under their new manager, Julian Nagelsmann.
GOAL has compiled a ranking of the top contenders for Euro 2024, which will commence on June 14 in Munich.
24. Georgia (New Entry)
Georgia, despite being the most unexpected qualifiers, managed to secure only two victories in Group A and ended up in fourth place, accumulating a mere eight points from their eight matches. Nevertheless, they managed to secure a spot in the play-offs through the Nations League.
23. Albania
Albania secured the necessary point in Moldova last November, thereby qualifying for the European Championship finals for only the second time in their history.
However, despite Albania’s victory over Poland in their home qualifiers and the presence of talented Serie A players like Elseid Hysaj, Berat Gjimshiti, and Nedim Bajrami, it would be highly unlikely for them to advance to the knockout stages in Germany. The draw has not been favorable for them, as they find themselves grouped with Spain, Italy, and Croatia in Group B. Furthermore, their performance in the March internationals, where they suffered consecutive defeats against Chile and Sweden, has not helped to raise expectations.
22. Poland (New Entry)
Poland will be competing in their fifth consecutive Euros, however, they will need to perform better in order to avoid a fourth group-stage elimination. The team, led by Robert Lewandowski & Co., faced a stroke of luck just to qualify for the tournament in Germany.
21. Serbia
It is difficult to shake the notion that Serbia was extremely fortunate to be drawn into one of the weakest qualifying groups. They only earned 14 points out of a potential 24, were defeated twice by Hungary, and surrendered nine goals in eight games. However, they were able to secure second place in Group G by scoring late through Srdan Babic to earn a 2-2 draw at home against Bulgaria.
20. Scotland
Scotland secured their spot in the Euros with two games remaining after a remarkable turnaround following a defeat to Ukraine in the World Cup play-offs. The team’s qualification was confirmed by Spain’s victory over Norway, but it was well-deserved as they defeated Spain at home and staged a thrilling comeback to win 2-1 in Oslo. Scott McTominay emerged as a standout player with seven goals, outscoring Erling Haaland, while captain John McGinn also delivered a stellar performance alongside the Manchester United midfielder.
19. Romania
Is Romania experiencing a resurgence? Edward Iordanescu has achieved remarkable results with a team that initially failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, following their absence from Euro 2020 and Russia 2018. Romania initially drew four out of their first eight qualifiers, but ended on a high note by defeating Israel 2-1 to secure their place in Germany. They further solidified their position by defeating second-placed Switzerland, ultimately clinching the top spot in Group I.
18. Slovenia
Slovenia had to wait until the penultimate matchday to earn automatic qualifying for the Euros, but their 2-1 win over third-placed Kazakhstan meant they finished level on points with Denmark at the top of Group H. They also scored more goals than the Scandinavians and conceded less, but finished second due to a poor head-to-head record, with the 2-1 loss in Copenhagen being pivotal. Not that the nation’s football fans will be too concerned.
17. Czech Republic
Czech Republic secured their spot with a rather routine 3-0 victory over 10-man Moldova, however, the events surrounding the match were far from ordinary. Just a day before the game in Olomouc, manager Jaroslav Silhavy dismissed three players for violating curfew to visit a nightclub. Following the Group E clash, Silhavy made public that he and his coaching team would be resigning. “We had made the decision prior to the match to step down,” he stated. “The pressure was already immense – at times, it was incomprehensible. This was also a factor in our choice.”
16. Switzerland
Switzerland, renowned for their understated expertise, have missed out on participating in just one major international tournament in the last twenty years (Euro 2012). Their journey to Germany was secured through a 1-1 draw against Kosovo in Basel.
Nevertheless, the Swiss team’s performance in the qualifying matches has been less than impressive. After starting their campaign with three consecutive victories, they went on to draw five out of their six subsequent matches. Their hopes for securing the top spot were dashed when they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Romania in a crucial play-off match.
15. Slovakia
To be honest, Slovakia was fortunate in the qualifying draw, as evidenced by their closest rival for second place in Group J, Luxembourg. However, Italian coach Francesco Calzona has continued to do an excellent job since taking over in November 2022, which is why Napoli appointed him on an interim basis until the conclusion of the season.
Slovakia earned 22 points in total during qualification, and while they were defeated at home and away by Portugal, it was only by one goal on both occasions. Furthermore, while Calzona’s roster is unlikely to intimidate any German opponents, he can rely on two great players: Paris Saint-Germain defender Milan Skriniar and Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka.
14. Ukraine (New Entry)
The feel-good narrative of the qualifiers was Ukraine’s ability to go to Germany despite having to play all of their games on foreign land due to the horror unfolding at home.
Italy narrowly defeated Ukraine for an automatic qualification slot, claiming the point needed from the two sides’ final-round game in Leverkusen to advance due to their superior head-to-head record. Serhiy Rebrov’s side showed even more extraordinary tenacity after that, coming from behind to defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland to qualify for the Euros via Nations League play-off Path B.
13. Turkey
Turkey’s chances of qualifying for a third consecutive Euros seemed to be in serious jeopardy following a 1-1 draw against Armenia. Nevertheless, the bold move to dismiss Stefan Kuntz as coach after a 4-2 defeat in a friendly match against Japan turned out to be a stroke of genius. Under the guidance of Vincenzo Montella, the new coach, Turkey achieved a remarkable 1-0 triumph over Croatia in Osijek. This victory marked Croatia’s first-ever home defeat in a Euro qualifier, highlighting the impressive turnaround for the Turkish team.
12. Denmark
Rasmus Hojlund’s rise has significantly contributed to Denmark’s recovery from the disappointing early elimination at the 2022 World Cup. Despite being considered dark horses, the team only managed to score one goal and earn a single point in Qatar.
11. Croatia
Croatia faced a tough situation after consecutive defeats to Turkey and Wales in October, as captain Luka Modric acknowledged, “We haven’t performed this poorly in a while.” Nevertheless, Zlatko Dalic’s team showed their resilience by winning their last two matches against Latvia and Armenia, securing a second-place finish in Group D.
10. Netherlands
The Netherlands suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat in Paris and a 2-1 loss against France, led by Kylian Mbappe. These results have highlighted the shortcomings of the team, raising questions about the decision to reappoint Ronald Koeman as coach. Despite this, the main goal of qualification was achieved with a 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland, securing their spot with a game to spare.
9. Austria
After a difficult start under Ralf Rangnick, which included relegation to the Nations League’s second tier, Austria has transformed into an entirely different prospect under the former Manchester United manager, securing qualification for a third consecutive Euros in October by defeating Azerbaijan 1-0 thanks to a penalty from Marcel Sabitzer.
8. Hungary
Hungary’s journey to the European Championship has been remarkable, despite a stumble at the finishing line. The team, led by Marco Rossi, secured their spot in the tournament with a 2-2 draw in Bulgaria, marked by an own goal from Alex Petkov in the final minutes.
7. Italy
The reigning champions have secured the opportunity to protect their title, although it was a close call. Italy required a single point from their last match against Ukraine to advance as the second-placed team in Group C, behind England. They managed to achieve this through a goalless draw in Leverkusen. However, the Azzurri were incredibly lucky as VAR inexplicably chose not to intervene despite a seemingly obvious foul committed by Bryan Cristante on Mykhailo Mudryk in the penalty area during injury time.
6. Spain
Luis de la Fuente deserves significant praise for his management of Spain’s qualifying campaign. Despite some criticism from supporters and pundits about his lack of top-level experience, especially after a disappointing 2-0 loss to Scotland that upset Rodri and many others.
5. Germany
Germany’s preparations for Euro 2024 have been far from satisfactory, to say the least. Following their disastrous performance in the previous year’s World Cup, Die Mannschaft experienced a complete breakdown, suffering defeats in four out of their first six matches in 2023. This dismal run ultimately resulted in the dismissal of Hansi Flick as coach, following a shocking 4-1 loss to Japan on home soil.
4. England
Is football finally going to come ‘home’? Well, you certainly wouldn’t bet against Gareth Southgate’s side triumphing in Germany. They’ve got the talent and, at this stage, they’ve also got the experience, having reached the final of the last Euros.
Qualification was secured with two games to spare after a very impressive, come-from-behind win over Italy at Wembley. However, after concluding their campaign with two dire performances, against Malta and North Macedonia, there are still some doubts, mainly surrounding the manager, who has a worryingly poor record in big games against strong opposition, as the friendly loss to Brazil and lucky draw with Belgium made painfully clear.
3. Belgium
Belgium’s 2022 World Cup journey turned into a disaster, as Kevin De Bruyne stirred controversy by suggesting some of his teammates were too old even before the tournament started. This led to a division within the team, contributing to their early exit in the group stage. Romelu Lukaku’s lackluster finishing also played a role in the Red Devils’ disappointing performance.
2. Portugal
Portugal’s fortunes took a turn for the better when Roberto Martinez took over from Fernando Santos, following a disastrous World Cup campaign that saw Cristiano Ronaldo visibly upset and disappointed.
1. France
Germany’s unexpected victory over France has surprised many, but it does not diminish the fact that Les Bleus still hold the top spot as the highest-ranked European team globally. Despite their vulnerabilities, particularly in the right-back position, France possesses a vast array of talented players. Their squad comprises a perfect blend of exceptionally talented young players and experienced veterans who have achieved remarkable success throughout their careers.
