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UEFA Euro 2024 is just a few months away and this summer's tournament in Germany will be set next week once the final playoffs have completed with those three final games taking place on Tuesday. Although Paths A, B and C could perhaps produce an outsider for the title, the chances are that the eventual winners are already in the draw. Some of the biggest names in international soccer are already set for the most part in terms of their main group threats and potential routes to the final so we can assess who has the best chance of emerging victorious in Berlin come 14 July.

Remaining playoffs

  • Path A: Wales vs. Poland
  • Path B: Ukraine vs. Iceland
  • Path C: Georgia vs. Greece

Favorites

This category is quite easy with just two national teams which really jump off the page when assessing the field. There is France after their FIFA 2022 World Cup final loss to Argentina and England who got knocked out by the French in Qatar in the quarterfinals. Both nations are stacked with quality and both Didier Deschamps and Gareth Southgate have shown good tournament tactical nous in recent years. As long as both win their respective groups, the draw suggests that they will meet in the Dortmund semifinal on the bottom half of the bracket which would also happen in the unlikely event that both finish runners-up in their groups. The only way to avoid that until the potential final is if one wins their group and the other comes second. With the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane leading their attacks backed up by the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Jude Bellingham, it appears unlikely so we may well have a final before the final.

Chasing Pack

The next category with teams capable of success but equally not strongly fancied to win it all has produced an interesting mix of Spain, Portugal and hosts Germany. Based on form alone, the Germans would be nowhere near this part of a the conversations but home advantage and a recent uptick in form under Julian Nagelsmann suggests that the host nation could actually have a wildcard element about them this summer. Elsewhere, the Spanish are improving under Luis de la Fuente who has already been handed a contract extension to oversee the FIFA 2026 World Cup cycle while the Portuguese have such talent which has been utilized well by Roberto Martinez that their impressive qualification record suggests that they will be very tough to come up against. Based on the groups so far, Spain are arguably at the greatest risk of not topping theirs with Italy and Croatia also in a stacked Group B which could wreak havoc on the side of the bracket which also might house favorites France and England should they top their groups.

Dark Horses

That leaves the third and final category which is a collection of teams that will require a number of things to work in their favor in order to triumph. However, it also a collection of national sides with impressive individual quality with the Italians, of course, defending champions after their unexpected success in 2020. Denmark and the Netherlands are arguably greater outsiders than the Azzurri and Belgium with Domenico Tedesco's side probably the pick of the bunch to go furthest despite a disappointing 2022 World Cup under Martinez. Italy repeating their Wembley heroics is unlikely to happen again but the Danes have shown the value of a solid squad and collective of talented players without too many individuals in recent tournaments. Luciano Spalletti's side will be tested by Spain and the Croats in their group while the Dutch are up against France, the Belgians happy to have Slovakia and Romania in their group so far and the Scandinavians facing a testing combination of England, Serbia and Slovenia just to reach the knockouts.