The 17th edition of the Eurocup, which is the most watched football tournament after the World Cup, will begin in Germany on Friday. Euro 2024 i.e. this edition of the European Championship is considered important in many ways.
The championship, which is the biggest international football tournament after the FIFA World Cup, was held a year later in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Europe’s best competition is once again back on a 4 year cycle.
Italy are the defending champions of the Euro Cup. The team won the final tournament of Euro 2020 by defeating England in a penalty shootout. All eyes are on the competition of European contenders in the competition starting today.
The first match of the tournament will be played between the hosts Germany and Scotland at 12:45 midnight according to Nepali time.
Prediction of Ronaldo’s last Eurocup
Euro 2024 is expected to be the last continental tournament (Euro) for Portugal’s world-famous football star Cristiano Ronaldo. He is said to be last seen in the 2026 FIFA World Cup next tournament in the national jersey.
Ronaldo, 39, has played in the last 5 Euros, with his team once champions in 2016. Which is Ronaldo’s biggest international football title so far. He has scored a record 130 goals in 206 matches and has placed himself at the top of the list of top scorers in international football.
What is the format of the competition?
The 24 teams selected in the competition are being divided into 6 groups. In which there are four teams in each group. The top 2 teams from each group and the best four third-placed teams will advance to the Round of 16.
After that, there will be knockout stage matches from which the quarter-finals and semi-finals will proceed to the finals. In the knockout, if the match is tied at the scheduled time, extra time (half time of 15 minutes each) will be played. In the event of a tie in extra time, the match will be decided by a penalty shootout.
Germany and Spain are the most successful teams
Hosts Germany and Spain are the most successful teams in the Euro Cup. They have an identical 3-3 EuroCup title record. But Germany last won the tournament in 1996. Spain last won the title in 2012.
Here are the title contenders for this edition:
France
France has not changed much in the team since reaching the final of the FIFA World Cup 2022. Star striker Kylian Mbappe will be the main weapon in the team. One of the best forwards in the world, he is trying to win the Eurocup. He is also the top scorer of FIFA World Cup 2022.
France is trying to end the disappointment of being eliminated from the quarter-finals of 2020. Also some experienced players are not in the team due to injuries. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and defender Raphael Varane have been left out of the squad.
England
England, who reached the finals of the last edition of the Euro, are always considered the best team and contenders for the title. For him, the biggest question is not quality, but mentality. Despite having world-class players like Harry Kane, Judge Bellingham and Phil Foden, the team has been unlucky.
The team has many of the top players from the English Premier League. But when the knockout rounds begin, England start to falter. However, this time, England, who has maintained a good rhythm from the selection, has gained confidence by defeating teams like former champions Italy. That’s why he is considered to be the best contender for the title this time.
Portugal
2016 Euro champions Portugal easily won their matches in the European Championship qualifiers. The team was able to show its rawness by winning 10 out of 10 matches. In qualifying he scored 36 goals from 10 matches and conceded only two goals.
The form of players like Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo in the team will set the stage for where they will go in the Eurocup.
Portugal have goalscoring ability, creativity and some excellent defenders. All these things are considered necessary and important to win the competition.
Germany
Germany, the 2014 World Cup winner, is considered strong at home. Germany, backed by domestic support, is trying to move on from a poor performance in 2023. Germany, who qualified for the Euros as hosts, lost five and won just two of their nine friendly matches in 2023. But they are believed to have improved since the end of the year – especially after defeats to France and the Netherlands.
Germany, who managed to hold their own, will try to show their title contender image from the first appearance. Combined with talented players like Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gundogan, Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, he will make a difference in results. Also, the team will have the best goalkeeper of this decade, Manuel Noir, and the confidence will increase even more. This tournament will likely be the last tournament for Kroos.
Spain
Spain won three consecutive international titles between 2008 and 2012. Two Euros and a World Cup. However, since then there have been many changes in the team and the performance of the team is considered to be continuously declining. At the 2018 World Cup, the 2021 Euros and the 2022 World Cup, they played better football than Russia, Italy and Morocco respectively, but lost to all of them on penalties. But in 2023, they returned to world football by winning the UEFA Nations League against Croatia.
Spain has nothing special compared to other teams, but this team is full of young players like Dani Carvajal, Nico Williams, Pedri and Dani. If the young player is able to perform in moderation, Spain can be believed to return to the image of a champion in world football.
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