How Have the Tournament Favourites Fared So Far at UEFA Euro 2024?

UEFA Euro 2024 has been a spellbinding tournament thus far, and we still haven’t reached the knockout stage. There have been plenty of goals, drama, and shocks throughout the first two rounds of action, and more will surely follow before the showpiece in Berlin on July 14th. However, when it comes to other frontrunners for glory, it has certainly been a mixed bag.

Heading into the tournament, England were the outright favourites, but following a couple of lacklustre displays, they have now been pushed down to third in the betting lists. Hosts Germany, however, were the hard favourites before the competition got underway, and impressive back-to-back victories have seen their odds shorten drastically. With each team playing only two group stage matches thus far, there is still a long way to go and a lot of football to be played between here and the showpiece. But even so, let’s take a look at the contrasting fortunes of the tournament favourites throughout the opening fixtures, and see who may end up winning it all.

France

First of all, we have France. Didier Deschamps’ France has been made the new +400 favourites to win Euro 2024 by online sports betting sites. The French have reached the last two FIFA World Cup finals, winning the first and losing the second. However, their continental adventures have been less impressive. Since winning the tournament at Euro 2000, they have made it past the quarterfinals just once in the 24 years since, but many feel that could all change this summer.

They started with a win and a draw from their first two games, and both performances were very conservative. They managed to defeat Austria by a solitary goal to nil, and that was an own goal. They then played out a goalless draw against the Netherlands in their second game. However, their lack of goals shouldn’t be cause for concern.

The French have become known for their pragmatic approach under Deschamps. They do just enough to win on every occasion, while making sure they remain watertight at the back. Had it not been for Antoine Griezmann missing two guilt-edged chances against the Dutch, they would have won that clash and already secured their spot as group winners. But even though they had to settle for one point, they won’t be worried at all, and they are rightfully the new frontrunners for glory.

Germany

Following two mouthwatering displays in their opening two games, the host nation is now the +425 second favourites. While France has shone on the global stage in recent years, Die Mannschaft certainly hasn’t. They have suffered back-to-back group stage eliminations from the last two World Cups, and their friendly matches over the last 18 months have yielded some dreadful results. However, the appointment of former RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann and the reintroduction of Toni Kroos has transformed their fortunes.

They were in stellar form at Euro 2024’s curtain-raiser, dismantling underdogs Scotland 5-1, thanks to goals from Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Nicholas Fullkrug, and Emre Can. They then went on to comfortably dispatch Hungary in their second game, with Musiala netting once again, as well as captain Ilkay Gundogan. They have already secured their sport in the last 16 as group winners, and they will be a team that everyone now wants to avoid, especially with boisterous home support on their side.

England

The biggest loser so far throughout Euro 2024 has been England. They headed to the tournament with a wealth of riches at their disposal, but thus far, they have been unable to make things click. They were the +400 favourites, but they have since slipped to +450 following two poor displays. They still remain unbeaten and sit at the top of their group, but despite that, the alarm bells are already ringing.

All looked right with the world for the Three Lions when they raced into a 1-0 lead inside 13 minutes in their opening game against Serbia, with wonderboy Jude Bellingham on target. However, from there on out, England’s performance levels dipped tremendously, and they were lucky to walk away with the victory. They took another early lead in their second game against Denmark, but once again sat back after scoring, and this time around it cost them. Morten Hjulmand equalised with a 25-yard rocket, and the Danes were unlucky not to walk away with all three points after dominating from there on out.

For England, they must now reshuffle the deck and find a way to get all of their stars functioning in one cohesive system. With players like Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, and Declan Rice, it’s clear to see why they were the favourites heading into the tournament. However they are now desperately struggling to find balance, and that could cost them dear if they don’t make changes, and fast.