Euro 2024 gets underway on Friday, and England are one of five teams likely to win the prestigious tournament.
Gareth Southgate has picked a 26-man squad full of talent, and the nation expects the Euro 2020 runners-up to go one better this time.
TBR Football assess England’s chances, as well as the teams most likely to stop them from bringing football home this summer.
Spain – three-time winners (1964, 2008, 2012)
Spain won three consecutive international tournaments between 2008 to 2012, but they have not come close to reaching those heights since.
La Roja’s squad for Euro 2024 has a nice blend of youth and experience, featuring the likes of Barcelona prospects Pedri and Lamine Yamal and proven winners Rodri and Nacho.
Athletic Bilbao legend Luis de la Fuente’s side are in good form, too, having won all but one of their qualifiers and thumping both Andorra (5-0) and Northern Ireland (5-1) in the lead-up to the tournament.
Germany – three-time winners (1972, 1980, 1996)
As tournament hosts, Germany did not have to qualify for Euro 2024, meaning they have strictly been playing friendlies since the 2022 World Cup.
And, they have had mixed results in those matches, beating tough opposition such as France and the Netherlands, but losing to Japan and Austria.
Though their preparation has been far from ideal, Julian Nagelsmann does have plenty of firepower to call upon, with Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz all in line to start.
Germany also have the added bonus of home advantage to help pursue a record fourth European Championship title.
England – runners-up (2020)
For some reason, England so often fall short in international tournaments despite having the talent to go all the way.
The Three Lions are trending in the right direction, though, as their second-place finish at Euro 2020 was their best to date – albeit they will never have a better opportunity than a home final at Wembley.
The majority of their top players, such as Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, are in fine form, and they went unbeaten in qualifying.
However, the recent 1-0 defeat to Iceland would not have filled them with confidence, and they are probably under the most pressure of any team in the tournament.
Portugal – winners (2016)
Portugal lifted the Euros in 2016 with a far inferior team to their current crop of players, so they have to be among the favourites to win in Germany.
Of course, star striker Cristiano Ronaldo is not the force of old, but with the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Rafael Leao, they have more than enough firepower to make up for his decline.
And, even their defence is impressive, with Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot and Manchester City’s Ruben Dias expected to start.
France – two-time winners (1984, 2000)
France are many people’s pick to win Euro 2024, and for good reason, as they have the best squad depth of any nation by some distance.
Les Bleus’ reserves could go far in this tournament, let alone their strongest side, which boasts Real Madrid’s latest ‘galactico’ Kylian Mbappe, as well as Antoine Griezmann and ever-present Olivier Giroud.
France also have the intangible qualities of dealing with pressure and gamesmanship that other countries, such as England, sorely lack.
Whatever the question, France probably has an answer, and that makes them incredibly dangerous at Euro 2024.