The Road to UEFA Euro 2024: Qualification Update

The road to Euro 2024 betting in Germany begins this week with Italy defending the title of champion The moment of truth has arrived. After the 2022 World Cup and two years since the last EURO (it was in 2021 due to the pandemic), the road to the next continental competition begins the Euro 2024 betting in Germany. In total, 23 teams will join the host in the final tournament of UEFA EURO 2024 schedule, which will have a total of 24 teams. Italy, the current champion, defends the sceptre despite its notorious absence in the last two World Cups… and Spain wants to recover its smile by winning a tournament that it has already won three times. Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, some of the best teams in the world, are preparing to secure their ticket to the most important competition on the old continent. Italy, which comes from being left out of the last World Cup, is the current champion of the Euro tournament. Three months after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar won by Argentina, national team soccer returns to Europe with the start of qualifying for the continental tournament to be held in Germany next year. Due to its status as host, Germany will not have to go through this procedure, but after its World Cup fiasco, it will begin to prepare for the tournament with two friendlies, against Peru (Friday) and Belgium (Tuesday of next week). The rest of the European powers will take advantage of this qualifying phase to start new processes, often with new faces, both on the bench and on the pitch.

Who Qualifies for EURO 2024 in Germany?

As UEFA explains, the first 20 places will be decided in the qualifying group stage, with the top two in each group advancing. The remaining three spots are for the play-off winners, linked to the 2022/23 Euro 2024 betting. So, they are easy to predict in Euro 2024 betting. This is the UEFA regulation: “12 teams will be selected based on their performance in the 2022/23 Nations League, nominally the group winners of Leagues A, B and C, but if they have already qualified, they will be replaced by the next highest ranked team in its league. If there are not enough unranked teams in the same league, it filters down to the next league and ends up in League D.”

The Groups of the Qualifying Phase

Since the draw was held on October 9, 2022, Spain and the different teams that aspire to be in Germany 2024 already know their rivals. The Germans will be the only ones who should not be in this Euro 2024 betting qualifying phase by having a direct ticket to the tournament that they organize. That is why they will be playing friendlies to prepare the contest in the best possible way. Shortly before, specifically on September 20, 2022, the UEFA Executive Committee confirmed that Russia would not be able to qualify for this tournament due to the ban imposed by UEFA in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That is why they are not on the following list. The groups of the qualifying phase for Euro 2024 betting.

Group A Euro 2024 Betting: Spain, Scotland, Norway, Georgia, Cyprus

Spain is framed in the first of the groups. One that can be cheating… and that is that Norway and Georgia have golden generations, while Scotland is always a difficult place to visit although the British team is not experiencing its best moment. Cyprus is the weakest team in this group of five teams.

Group B Euro 2024 Betting: Netherlands, France, Republic of Ireland, Greece, Gibraltar

A beautiful duel between France and the Netherlands is what this Group B leaves us. Both teams, however, should have no problem qualifying. Greece and Ireland are competitive teams but whose technical level is far from the two European giants.

Group C Euro 2024 Betting: Italy, England, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Malta

The current Euro 2024 betting is in the same group as the current runner-up of the Old Continent. And Ukraine, as a guest artist. In addition, North Macedonia was precisely the team that left Italy out of Qatar 2022 in the Playoffs. A ‘trap’ group that can choke more than one.

Group D Euro 2024 Betting: Croatia, Wales, Armenia, Turkey, Latvia

Anything can happen with EURO 2024 betting in Group D. Although Croatia starts as favourites after showing a great role in the last World Cup, from then on everything is open. Turkey starts as a great candidate to qualify but Wales (although now without Bale) always competes.

Group E Euro 2024 Betting: Poland, Czech Republic, Albania, Faroe Islands, Moldova

An open group on E although with a favourite to go first: Poland. Although Lewandowski’s men always leave ‘a duty’ in the big tournaments, they are a fixture in the qualifying phases. On the other hand, the Czech Republic and Albania aim to compete for second place.

Group F Euro 2024 Betting: Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Estonia

A new dawn in Belgium. The ‘Tedesco era’ and De Bruyne’s captaincy start with a good group… but treacherous. Austria and Sweden are two difficult rivals. On the other hand, Azerbaijan and Estonia should fight not to be at the bottom of the group.

Group G Euro 2024 Betting: Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Lithuania

The last of the groups of five teams… and beautiful duels in the Balkan area. Serbia, after a disappointing World Cup, must redeem itself… but Hungary has already shown in the last Nations to be tremendously competitive.

Group H Euro 2024 Betting: Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland, San Marino

Denmark is the clear favourite to be first in the group. While they were also a disappointment at Qatar 2022, the Nordics may have found the striker they needed in Hojlund. The second square is tremendously open.

Group I Euro 2024 Betting: Switzerland, Israel, Romania, Kosovo, Belarus, Andorra

Another of those groups that can bring surprises… Switzerland, a World Cup player in the last round, is a regular at the final stages but the group is very level. Romania, Israel or Kosovo in an ascending phase want to be in Euro 2024 betting.

Group J Euro 2024 Betting: Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Liechtenstein

The ‘Roberto Martínez era’ begins this week in an affordable group for the Portuguese. Bosnia, Slovakia and Iceland can be difficult opponents but Portugal has no excuse for not being first in the group.

Euro 2024 Betting Qualifying Calendar

Dates of matches of the qualifying phase:

03/23-25/2023 – Matchday 1
03/26-28/2023 -Matchday 2
06/16-17/2023 – Matchday 3
06/19-20/2023 -Matchday 4
07-09/09/2023 -Matchday 5
10- 09/12/2023 – Matchday 6
12-14/10/2023 – Matchday 7
10/15-17/2023 -Matchday 8
16-18/11/2023 – Matchday 9
19-21/11/2023 -Matchday 10

The Return of Italy

Italy was the great absentee in Qatar, but it returns to the scene to begin the defence of the European crown obtained in 2021 at Wembley and it will do so precisely against its rival from that final, England, which is still looking for a first continental title. Despite the World Cup fiasco, Roberto Mancini remains as a coach but introduces new faces to try to straighten the course of the Azzurra. The main novelty is the call for the first time from Mateo Retegui, a 23-year-old striker born in Argentina who plays for Club Atlético Tigre, with whom he has shown his effectiveness. “A few years ago it was said that to play with the national team you had to be born in Italy, but the world has changed and all the teams have players who are nationalized or who come from other countries”, justified his decision, a Mancini who needs goals. Italy and England appear as the two main candidates to occupy the two places in Group C that will give access to the Eurocup, without forgetting Ukraine, which will face the English on Sunday.

Mbappé Debuts Bracelet

The French coach needed a new captain after the international retirement of Hugo Lloris after the World Cup and has chosen to give the bracelet to the Paris Saint-Germain star, Kylian Mbappé (24 years old). “Kylian meets all the requirements to have this extra responsibility”, Deschamps has justified himself after making Mbappé the new boss of the ‘Bleus’, a decision that according to the French press has annoyed other heavyweights in the dressing room such as Antoine Griezmann, more experienced, to the point that the Atlético de Madrid striker could rethink his future in the national team. Mbappé made his debut with his team in 2017 and since then he has recorded 36 goals in 66 games played. With the added withdrawals of Raphaël Varane and Karim Benzema and the long list of casualties due to injury (Pogba, Nkunku, Lucas Hernández, Kanté, Dembelé and Kimpembe), Deschamps will have to give new responsibilities to players who until now were secondary players in their first games, against the Netherlands on Friday and against Ireland on Monday. Milan’s Mike Maignan should be the new occupant of the goal, while new to the list are substitute goalkeeper Brice Samba (Lens), Jean-Claire Todibo (who has replaced the injured Wesley Fofana, also injured) and midfielder Khéphren Turam (Nice), son of 1998 world champion Liliam Thuram, joining his older brother Marcus on the list.

Cristiano Ronaldo Continues With Portugal

Another team that will debut as a coach will be Portugal, but unlike De la Fuente, his compatriot Roberto Martínez has opted for continuity in his first list, which includes Cristiano Ronaldo, despite his age (38 years) and his exile to Saudi Arabia. , away from the spotlight of European football. Cristiano Ronaldo, the greatest reference in the history of Portuguese football. “I don’t look at my age,” explained Martínez, who also has other heavyweights such as goalkeeper Rui Patricio, central defender Pepe (on injury leave) and midfielders Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes. Cristiano Ronaldo, who is already the top goalscorer for national teams (118) in history, could add another record to his impressive record: if he plays against Liechtenstein on Thursday or against Luxembourg on Sunday, he will become the player with the most international caps. (197 commitments). Portugal should have a placid transition from the Fernando Santos stage (with the only two Seleçao titles, the Eurocopa-2016 and the League of Nations-2019) to that of ‘Bob’ Martínez and achieve one of the two places in Group J that complete Iceland, Slovakia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

New Faces on the Benches

The two Iberian teams are not the only greats on the continent that will debut selectors in this qualifying phase for the Eurocup. Ronald Koeman returns to the Netherlands bench after Louis van Gaal closed his stage in Qatar, while Fernando Santos has changed the Portuguese team for Poland and the German of Italian origin Domenico Tedesco replaces ‘Bob’ Martínez in Belgium. Michael O’Neill also returns to the Northern Ireland bench, a team he qualified for the round of 16 at Euro 2016.