Online Betting at Rabona. The 16th UEFA European Championship kicks-off in 2024 and is set to be one of the biggest ones yet. It marks the 60th anniversary of the tournament and to celebrate it’s being hosted across 12 different countries, spanning a dozen major cities and famous stadiums. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about this tournament, from live betting and outright odds, to:
- Euro 2024 Schedule
- Euro 2024 Teams
- Euro 2024 Betting
Euro 2024: The Basics
As mentioned above, the 2024 European Championships will be hosted across 12 major cities, the first time this has happened. It’s also set to be the first time that the Virtual Assistance Referee (VAR) will be used at the Euros.
This technology was deployed at the last World Cup and has been used in other major international tournaments, as well as multiple domestic leagues, but it has yet to make an appearance in this prestigious UEFA competition.
Portugal enters the tournament as defending champion, following the surprise victory in 2016, and Wembley Stadium, the largest capacity stadium in the competition, will be given the honor of hosting the semi-finals and the final.
The tournament will be held over a four-week period, beginning on June 12, 2020, and it will be contested by a total of 24 teams, all of which qualified via a grueling and prolonged qualifying stage.
Schedule
The Euro 2020 schedule begins on June 12th with the group stage. Typically, major international tournaments are kicked off by the hosts following a grand opening ceremony. This championship will be a little different, however, as there are 12 hosts vying for their share of the international spotlight.
There will still be an opening game though and this will kick-off following some pomp and flair in the Stadio Olimpico, Rome, with co-hosts Italy facing off against Turkey. The group stage will span a total of 36 games, and these will be played over the course of just 12 days, ending on June 24.
Schedule Euro
Three days later, the knockout stage will begin. This stage will be contested by two teams from each group of four, as well as four of the best third-place finishers, producing a total of 16 teams.
These teams will then fight for supremacy over the next few weeks, culminating with the final on July 12th.
- March – Qualifying Play-offs
- June 12 – Opening Match
- June 27 to June 30 – Knockout Stages
- July 3 to July 4 –Quarter Finals
- July 7 to July 8 –Semi-Finals
- July 12 –Final
Stadiums
Euro 2020 games will be hosted by some of the biggest stadiums in Europe, including the national stadiums of teams like England and Germany and the club stadiums of Bayern Munich. The stadiums are as follows:
- Wembley (London, England) – Will Host Final
- Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany)
- Stadio Olympico (Rome, Italy) – Will Host First Match
- Olympic Stadium (Baku, Azerbaijan)
- Krestovsky Stadium (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
- Puskás Aréna (Budapest, Hungary)
- Arena Nationala (Bucharest, Romania)
- Johan Cruyff Arena (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
- San Mamés (Bilbao, Spain)
- Hampden Park (Glasgow, Scotland)
- Aviva Stadium (Dublin, Ireland)
- Parken Stadium (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Euro 2020 Qualifying and Playoffs
Teams qualified for Euro 2020 via a long qualifying stage that incorporated finishing positions from the first Nations League tournament. It was a process that confused some fans (and probably some players as well) but one that ultimately resulted in more matches, more fiercely contested games, and a lot more action for fans to enjoy.
Twenty teams have already booked a place in the Euro 2020 finals, but four have yet to be accounted for. These four places will be contested by 16 teams in the final week of March 2020. The teams have been split into four groups, known as “Paths”, with one team from each group advancing to the finals.
The paths are as follows:
- Path A
- Iceland
- Bulgaria
- Hungary
- Romania
- Path B
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Slovakia
- Republic of Ireland
- Northern Ireland
- Path C
- Scotland
- Norway
- Serbia
- Israel
- Path D
- Georgia
- North Macedonia
- Kosovo
- Belarus
Euro 2020 Teams
The teams that have already booked places can sit back, enjoy the play-offs, and wait for their time to come. The groups have been drawn, the games have been decided, and now all that’s left to do is wait for the opening ceremony.
The teams that have booked a place already are listed below in their respective groups.
Group A
Group A will host the very first game on June 12th. This will be the only game played on that date and it will kick-off during the evening in Rome, Italy.
- Turkey: Always promising and always fun to watch, but can Turkey advance in what is a very tough group and a very challenging opening game?
- Italy: As one of the hosts, Italy will expect to qualify. The Italian team also has a lot of making up to do for after missing out on the last World Cup and struggling to find its feet on the international stage in recent years.
- Wales: It could be the last time we see Gareth Bale on the world stage, but can he make it count?
- Switzerland: The Swiss team is strong, and will no doubt expect to qualify alongside the Italians.
Group B
The very first game will take place during the evening of June 13th and will be contested by Denmark and Finland, two Scandinavian rivals.
- Denmark: Denmark has the advantage of several home games and will expect to advance through to the knockout stage.
- Finland: An outsider, but one that still has a great chance of progressing.
- Belgium: Many pundits believe that Belgium is due a big win, will this be the year?
- Russia: The Russian team has been hot and cold in recent years and its results are hard to predict.
Group C
One of the play-off winners will enter this group, so only three teams have been decided right now. That play-off winner will come from Path A or D and will play Austria during the group’s opening game on June 14th.
- Netherlands: The Dutch national team is always a threat, even if it hasn’t fared very well in recent competitions.
- Ukraine: A strong candidate to advance through the group stage in second place.
- Austria: Always performs well in qualifying, but struggles on the main stage—will 2020 be the year for Austria?
- Playoff Winner A or D: Could be Hungary, Iceland, Romania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Georgia, North Macedonia or Kosovo.
Group D
The Path C play-off winner will enter this group and play their first match against the Czech Republic on June 15, a day after the first game between England and Croatia at Wembley Stadium. This game is a replay of the World Cup 2018 semi-final and is set to be one of the best opening games of the group stage.
- England: A favorite with many bookmakers, helped in no small part by the inclusion of Harry Kane and other big-name Premier League Stars.
- Croatia: The Croatia team made it to the final of the 2018 World Cup and will be confident of doing the same thing here.
- Play-off Winner C: The Scotland team will be hoping to join its bitter rivals, but will have to fend off Israel, Norway, and Serbia.
- Czech Republic: The golden age of Czech football may be over, but this team has enough talent to bring it back.
Group E
Another play-off winner and one that will be forced to join what many consider to be the second toughest group in the competition.
- Spain: Although it’s still transitioning into a new era, the Spanish team is always a major threat.
- Sweden: The Swedish national team has undergone some major changes in recent years and could be ready to spring a surprise.
- Poland: Always a dark horse and always in with a chance. Anything is possible when you have the world’s most clinical striker in your team.
- Play-off Winner B: Both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will be fighting for this spot, but they’ll have to beat Slovakia and Bosnia to get it.
Group F
This is the so-called “Group of Death” and could be one of the toughest groups in European Championship history. It will have at least 3 former winners.
- Portugal: Portugal won in 2016, but this experienced team has a lot of work to do if they are going to make it out of this group.
- France: A favorite with many pundits, France is expected to go far.
- Germany: A disappointment during the last World Cup, Germany will no doubt be ready to make amends in the Euros.
- Playoff Winner A or D: Not only has Portugal, France, and Germany all won the competition previously, but they could be joined by Hungary, a team that made it to two third-place playoffs and won one of them.
Euro 2020 Betting Markets
Now we’ve looked at the UEFA Euro 2020 schedule, teams, and qualifying, there’s just one thing for it: The betting.
Which teams have the bookmakers tipped for success, which players are expected to shine, and what sort of Euro 2020 betting odds can you get?
One thing is for sure, there will be no shortage of Euro 2020 betting markets. Technology has come a long way since this tournament was last staged, with live betting more accessible and varied and with a large selection of markets and possibilities. Here are a few of our favorite Euro 2020 betting options:
Team Markets
The odds are usually in favor of the hosts and the defending champions, but things are a little different with Euro 2020. Portugal was the shock winner last time out, but performed poorly at the 2018 World Cup and haven’t been very impressive in qualifying. As for the hosts, well, there are 12 of those.
However, many bookies have put England at the top of the pile. Not only does England have the benefit of playing at Wembley Stadium for the semi-finals and finals, but it has also been impressive over the last few years and can boast a team that includes Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho, and many other stars of European football.
Euro
Belgium follows closely behind, and it could be argued that the Belgian team is even better equipped, with Hazard, Lukaku, De Bruyne, Mertens, Courtois, Origi, and countless other talented stars.
Both England and Belgium are priced at between 6.00 and 8.00, depending on where you look. Other teams priced at 15.00 or less include:
- France (7.50): France has one of the most expensive and exciting squad lists, with the likes of Pogba, Griezmann, Mbappe, Kante, Lloris, Dembele, and Varane all ready to set the Euro 2020 stage alight.
- Netherlands (7.50): Van Dijk is looking to lead a new generation of Dutch stars, including de Jong, Depay, and de Ligt.
- Spain (9.00): The golden age of Xavi, Iniesta, and peak Ramos/Pique may be long gone, but with Isco, de Gea, Assensio, Alba, and more, Spain is still a force to be reckoned with.
- Germany (10.00): With such a wide breadth of talent (including three world-class goalkeepers in Neuer, Leno, and Ter Stegen) Germany is always a threat.
- Italy (10.00): One of the hosts, but one that hasn’t had the best performances in recent years. Italy will look to Jorginho, Insigne, Immobile, and Donnarumma.
Player Markets
Harry Kane (5.5) and Cristiano Ronaldo (8.00) lead the way in the betting markets for the top goalscorer award. Ronaldo is always going to be up there, especially as this could be his last hurrah, while Kane is one of the most sought-after strikers in the game right now.
The Juventus and Tottenham strikers also led the way in qualifying. Kane topped the charts with 12 goals while Ronaldo was close behind with 11.
Teemu Pukki managed 10 for Finland and is considered a promising outsider at 80.0, but few are expecting Finland to go far so he might not get a chance. Other promising options include:
- Romelu Lukaku (11.00)
- Kylian Mbappe (12.00)
- Raheem Sterling (21.00)
- Timo Werner (21.00)
- Robert Lewandowski (33.00)
- Garth Bale (66.00)
Summary: Euro 2020 – Biggest Yet?
Euro 2020 has the potential to be the biggest yet, with more hosts, more possibilities, and a host of top teams and players at their peak. So, There are few notable omissions with regards to top-rated teams and there are many once-in-a-generation talents ready to strut their stuff.
We don’t know about you, but we personally can’t wait for this one to begin!
