Betsided

UEFA European Championship: Preview and Odds for Every Group

One of the biggest tournaments in international football is fast approaching -- let's take a look at the teams in each group and some key odds.

By William Schwartz

France v Luxembourg - International Friendly
France v Luxembourg - International Friendly / Catherine Steenkeste/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

We're just days away from the kickoff of Euro 2024, and with a big tournament come plenty of betting lines. Let's break things down group-by-group, and look at which teams might hold some value.

All odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Group A

Odds to win group

  • Germany (-245)
  • Switzerland (+500)
  • Hungary (+600)
  • Scotland (+800)

Odds to advance to knockouts

  • Germany (-2000)
  • Switzerland (-200)
  • Hungary (-160)
  • Scotland (-125)

This group features a clear frontrunner, but is not without intrigue. After all, Hungary fought valiantly in the last Euro tournament's "group of death" and even almost ended Germany's run. This time, they'll have young captain Dominik Szoboszlai on the pitch, while he was out with an injury three years ago.

As for Germany, they'll be a loaded squad once again, but still with the same big question to answer as they had at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup; who will score the goals? There's plenty of attacking talent, but no true "target man" striker, which has proven to be a real issue in the past.

Switzerland is most likely overvalued after a strong Euro 2020, coming in with a relatively thin roster. Lastly, Scotland's odds are those of an outside for a reason; this team is facing an uphill battle tom ake anything happen in the tournament.

Overall, Germany should be able to cruise through the group, but their ceiling in this tournament might be lower than some might imagine. Meanwhile, expect some good football from Hungary -- they can challenge the group favorites, and maybe even make some noise in the knockout stages.

Bets to watch: Exact result Germany 1st/Hungary 2nd (+300), Hungary to qualify for Round of 16 (-160)

Group B

Odds to win group

  • Spain (-145)
  • Italy (+225)
  • Croatia (+450)
  • Albania (+2200)

Odds to advance to knockouts

  • Spain (-1000)
  • Italy (-550)
  • Croatia (-300)
  • Albania (+300)

Considered by many to be the "group of death" for this tournament, this group includes the defending Euro champions, the team they knocked off in the semifinal, and a team that has been to the penultimate round of consecutive World Cups.

Of course, then there's Albania, who are in great form after a great run to wrap up qualifying for this tournament, but are likely a definitive fourth place in this group.

Spain is another team that struggles to create end product out of possession, but unlike Germany, it's not even clear that Spain can excel in the stages leading up to goalscoring. Rodri and Pedri should anchor the midfield nicely, but there's not a lot of depth behind them, and the defense lacks stars.

The same cannot be said of Italy, who have unsurprisingly reloaded nicely after losing the legendary duo of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci; Alessandro Bastoni will be the centerpiece of a good defense in front of Euro 2020 player of the tournament Gianluigi Donnarumma.

However, other than the goalkeeper and a few other familiar faces, there's a lot of change for Italy right up to the manager, so it's hard to think of this team as an extension of the previous champions.

Croatia's core is aging, albeit gracefully, but the end must come at some point; it's hard to imagine their "golden generation" making another deep push into this tournament. This group is a tough one to call, but with how overrated Spain appears to be, it's only logical to look at the competition as value.

Bet to watch: Italy to win the group (+225)

Group C

Odds to win group

  • England (-250)
  • Denmark (+400)
  • Serbia (+750)
  • Slovenia (+1200)

Odds to advance to knockouts

  • England (-2500)
  • Denmark (-280)
  • Serbia (-185)
  • Slovenia (+140)

Football may or may not be coming home this year, but England will certainly be getting through this group as the beneficiaries of a very soft draw, and they'll all but surely come out on top of it. This team is as talented as any in the world, but has a real management problem with Gareth Southgate, whose dismissal would surely come in the wake of any non-trophy ending to this tournament.

Denmark were the unlikely stars of last Euro, after Christian Eriksen's on-field medical emergency and the team's ensuing heroic run to the semifinals, but can they capture magic again? Eriksen is thankfully healthy and ready to go, along with a nice collection of talented players like Pierre-Emile Højberg, Rasmus Højlund and more.

In this tournament, Serbia should be a fun watch and not much more. They quietly have a solid number of big names- Dusan Vlahovic, Luka Jovic,

Aleksander Mitrovic and Dusan Tadic come to mind- but it's all in attack. They have little ability to repel attacks like England and Denmark, or those they'll find in the knockout stage should they get so far. On the contrary, Slovenia has little to boast of other than legendary keeper Jan Oblak, who can keep just about any side in a match.

This group should be a fun one to watch with plenty of attacking talent and one heroic goalkeeper, but the outcome is realistically going to be a predictable one.

Bet to watch: Exact result England 1st/Denmark 2nd (+210)

Group D

Odds to win group

  • France (-200)
  • Netherlands (+275)
  • Austria (+800)
  • Poland (+1200)

Odds to advance to knockouts

  • France (-1600)
  • Netherlands (-500)
  • Austria (-150)
  • Poland (+145)

This group probably isn't quite as straightforward as the odds make it seem, but make no mistake- France are the team to beat.

Since now-captain Kylian Mbappé's breakout at the 2022 World Cup, this squad hasn't lost a World Cup or Euro knockout match by any method other than a penalty shootout, and the roster they're bringing to Gemany does not suggest that an end to that run is in the near future.

Mbappé, Olivier Giroud, and the rest of the attack is still intact, but the midfield and back end should be much less injury-plagued than we saw in Qatar, with the most notable injury returnee being goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

The Netherlands have recently been dealt a major injury blow, star midfielder Frenkie de Jong, but this squad should be as hard to score on as any in the tournament with a ridiculous array of defensive talent. On the other end of the pitch, things are less impressive, but the attacking group is an underrated one that should play together well.

Speaking of injury news, Poland is anxiously awaiting more updates on the status of legendary striker Robert Lewandowski; without him, they have very little going for them, but even if he's on the pitch, the team is not likely to make a deep run.

Austria's odds are some of the most puzzling in the entire tournament field; if they do in fact lose to both France and the Netherlands, which they really should, they'll absolutely need to beat Poland, and do it in enough style to get themselves above at least two other third-place teams.

Group E

Odds to win group

  • Belgium (-225)
  • Ukraine (+400)
  • Romania (+700)
  • Slovakia (+950)

Odds to advance to knockouts

  • Belgium (-2000)
  • Ukraine (-250)
  • Romania (-160)
  • Slovakia (-140)

This is another group where there's a clear favorite, but below there, qualification could get pretty interesting. It's the last chance for Belgium's "golden generation" to win a major trophy, or at least make it to a final, but the odds aren't looking great; aside from Kevin de Bruyne, the stars are quickly passing their prime, and Thibaut Courtois was left off of the roster after a dust-up with manager Domenico Tedesco.

Ukraine is going to be tough to score on, especially in terms of group play. Goalie Andriy Lunin had a great year for Real Madrid, and much of the squad's veteran leadership resides on the back line. The question is whether Mykhalio Mudryk can regain his best form, or if he'll look more like his Chelsea self, in which case the side might be hard-pressed to find goals of its own.

If for no other reason, Romania and Slovakia have a fair chance to get through to groups because when they face off head to head on the final group stage matchday, one side might win. Those three points would give them a fighting chance to move on to the knockouts as a third-place team, and if it happens after a draw with Ukraine, qualification is all but a guarantee.

In fact, both of these squads, especially Slovakia, have some solid defensive talent, and could fight their way to a tough draw against either group frontrunner.

Bet to watch: Belgium to be knocked out in the quarterfinals (+200)

Group F

Odds to win group

  • Portugal (-250)
  • Turkey (+400)
  • Czech Republic (+600)
  • Georgia (+1800)

Odds to advance to knockouts

  • Portugal (-1600)
  • Turkey (-280)
  • Czech Republic (-175)
  • Georgia (+165)

This group might have the clearest stratification of any in this tournament; one team expected to win, two with a good chance to make it to knockouts, and one that is unfortunately overmatched at this level. Georgia is making its first appearance at a Euro or World Cup as an independent nation, a momentous accomplishment, but also likely the end of the road.

It'll be interesting to see Cristiano Ronaldo's role; he's still the captain and a national hero, but is no longer the team's best forward. There's lots of talent, but it's stacked at a couple of positions, so picking the right XI will be tough for manager Roberto Martínez.

Turkey and the Czech Republic both have some solid headline players, but neither really has the depth to compete in this kind of tournament. The odds for this group are just about right; it could have a disappointingly chalky outcome.

Bet to watch: Georgia to allow the most goals of any team (+900)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Home/Soccer