The Euro 2024, to be held in Germany, is swiftly heading towards us. With the few international breaks so far in the 2023/4 season, lets review who is going to partake in this prestigious tournament and which stars are missing out on their chance to reach glory.
The Euro 2020 ended in despair and anguish for many England supporters as the team, who looked brilliant throughout the tournament, fumbled during the penalty shoot-out with world famous stars and upcoming greats such as Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho all missing their penalties, leading to a victory for the 'gli Azzurri'.
This year, England have qualified to participate once again in the tournament, hoping to reboot and improve their previous campaign with a now star-studded lineup including players such as Jude Bellingham, who has had a breathtaking start at his new club, Real Madrid, having a total of 19 G/A in just 17 games for the club. Other countries who have also qualified include Germany (hosts), Portugal, France, Belgium, Spain, Hungary, Turkey, Denmark, Albania, Romania, Austria, Netherlands, Scotland, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Italy, Serbia and Switzerland. The draw for Euro 2024 takes place on Saturday December 2 at 5pm GMT.
For the draw, there will be four pots of six teams. England will be in Pot One along with hosts Germany, Portugal, France, Spain and Belgium. Pot Two will comprise Hungary, Turkey, Denmark, Albania, Romania and Austria. Scotland will be in Pot Three alongside Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Croatia.
Defending champions Italy will be in Pot 4 alongside Serbia and Switzerland, and the three-play-off winners, which could be Wales.
Many are expecting footballing greats such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe, who has just come off the back of a hattrick in the World Cup final, to shine for their respective countries and lead them to great victories and hopefully, the title itself.
Norway's wait for a first major tournament since 2000 continues after they finished behind Spain and Scotland in Group A, while Sweden are another casualty, as they failed to qualify for a European Championship for the first time since 1996. This means that stars such as the Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland alongside his Arsenal colleague Martin Ødegaard will miss once again another major international tournament. Erling Haaland has not yet featured in one and may need to wait until World Cup 2026 for his first opportunity.
This tournament will be held in many prestigious stadiums across Germany, including Bayern Munich's Allianz arena and also Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park.
The countdown to Euro 2024 is well under way, with qualifying for the tournament reaching its conclusion. So, who do you think will take the trophy home this year and perhaps, will it finally come home?