5 storylines to emerge from the 2020 European Championship draw

With the groups for the 2020 European Championship set, here’s a look at five storylines to emerge from Saturday’s Euro 2020 draw in Bucharest, Romania.

The 2020 European Championship that takes place next summer across 12 cities has finally taken shape following Saturday’s draw in Bucharest, where the tournament’s six first-round groups were drawn.

The 24-nation, 51-game tournament, which will be played from June 12 to July 12, celebrates its 60th anniversary. As a result, there is no one host nation. Instead, a dozen venues across Europe will be used during the group stage and knockout rounds, culminating with the final at London’s Wembley Stadium.

With the draw complete (and playoffs to determine four more finalists, out of 16, to be played in March), here are five storylines to keep an eye on heading into Euro 2020.

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5. Italy stake their claim among the favorites

Italy was one of the major talking points during qualifying after coach Roberto Mancini helped lead the team to a 10-0 record with a staggering average of 3.7 goals per game. Those stats are historically unprecedented for a team that has in the past not scored tons of goals and been known traditionally for their great defending.

After failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Mancini was called in to help rebuild a program that was in tatters. He’s been able to do that.

On Saturday, Italy was placed in Group A for Euro 2020 and will play all three of their first round matches in the friendly confines of Rome’s Olympic Stadium: against Turkey to open the tournament, followed by Switzerland and Wales.

The Italians, four-time World Cup champions, only won the Euros once – and that was back in 1968. The Azzurri’s hopes will depend on whether the offense persists and if striker Ciro Immobile can finally have the kind of tournament on the international stage that ends with the lifting of a trophy.

4. Portugal’s tough road to a title defense

More difficult than winning a title is defending it. That’s the position Portugal finds themselves in after winning the European Championship for the first time in 2016 and confirming their status as the best on the continent by winning last summer’s UEFA Nations League.

Of course, never count out Portugal, primarily since they have Cristiano Ronaldo on the roster. Ronaldo, unlike Lionel Messi, has proven that he can add national team success to his club accolades.

It could also be the tournament where the torch is passed from Ronaldo to 20-year-old starlet Joao Felix. Currently at Atletico Madrid, the lanky forward is seen by many as the heir-apparent to Ronaldo. After playing a part in the Nations League finals, Euro 2020 could very well be the chance for Felix to truly burst onto the world stage at a major tournament.

Portugal has a particularly tough road to title defense, being placed in Group F, the group of death, alongside Germany, France and a team yet to qualify.

Only Spain, Euro champions in both 2008 and 2012, have been able to win back-to-back titles. But those Spanish teams were exceptional (they had won the World Cup in 2010 as well), while this Portugal side is mostly a one-man act.

3. Watch out for the ‘Group of Death’

Every major soccer tournament has one and the Euro 2020 version of the Group of Death can be found in the aforementioned Group F, featuring Portugal, Germany, France and a team yet to qualify.

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The early favorites to finish one and two are Germany and defending World Cup champions France, respectively. Nonetheless, don’t count out Portugal to spoil the party, meaning that every game in this group will matter.

2. Don’t count out the dark horses

The Euros have a history of dark horses going all the way. You don’t have to look any further than Denmark in 1992 and Greece in 2004 for proof of it. Will 2020 also feature a Cinderella side?

It’s not entirely out of the question. The rise of teams like Iceland and Wales, darlings at the last European Championship, could very well mean some upsets are on the horizon. Croatia, surprise runners up at the World Cup, could have some more upsets left in them.

Other teams to consider are Russia, surprise quarterfinalists at the World Cup, Switzerland and Turkey, these last two both in Group A. Indeed, this tournament is stacked with talented teams.

1. Will it come home for England?

“Football’s coming home” was the song England fans serenaded the team with at the 2018 World Cup, hoping to bring the trophy home for just the second time. After that historic win at home in 1966, England have failed at one major international tournament after another. That the song was actually written in 1996, when England played host to the Euros that year, isn’t lost on fans.

London will host both the semifinals and final, another thing not lost on the Three Lions.

Should England, one of the pre-tournament favorites, successfully navigate the opening round (Croatia and Czech Republic could prove tough), they could very well find themselves in position to once again make history.

The Premier League may be the best domestic tournament in the world, but the national team has been unable to do it. If Harry Kane stays healthy this season, England could very well win it all. Manager Gareth Southgate has an uphill task once again, but the experience, and success, of the past few years could finally culminate in silverware this summer at Wembley.