The battle for the title of the best soccer team in Europe begins Friday with kickoff in the 2024 UEFA European Championship.

Italy defeated England in the 2020 final, but it’s the runner-up that are favored to win the 2024 Euros. Will England finally bring it home, or will the field win out?

Below are our preview and best bets for Euro 2024, which takes place from June 14 until the final in Berlin on July 14:

As we mentioned, England is the odds-on favorite to take home the Euro Cup. They have never won the competition and are coming off their best-ever finish in 2020.

The English squad is filled with prolific attackers such as Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden. The midfield is the weakest part of the team, but is led by Champions League winner Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.

Following England is the World Cup runner-up, France. They shockingly bowed out in the first round of the knockout in 2020 after a penalty kick shootout loss to Switzerland but are still regarded as arguably the deepest team in the world.

Next in line are the Germans, who lost to England in the first round of the knockout in 2020. They only won one of three recent friendlies during the build-up to the tournament, though that win was against France.

Portugal and Belgium round out the top five for betting odds. Both teams are past their primes with their current rosters but are still highly capable with elite players all over the field.

Italy and the Netherlands complete the second tier of contenders before a sharp drop-off to Croatia, Denmark, Turkey and other nations.  

The French might not be the out-and-out favorites like they were in years past, but they’re still right near the top — and with great reason.

The French team blends youth and experience in perfect harmony. Veterans such as N’Golo Kante, Olivier Giroud and Theo Hernandez will all play key parts (likely off the bench), while young players such as Eduardo Camavinga, William Saliba and Randal Kolo Muani will play prominent roles. Not to mention arguably the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe, who netted a hat trick in the World Cup Final not too long ago.

France will get a nice warmup with a group that features Poland, the Netherlands and Austria, but won’t face a “Group of Death.” They also won their two most recent warmups 3-2 and 3-0 and should win the group.

Before you call out the lack of originality in listing the top two favorites as our best bets to win the tournament, hear me out. It’s beyond question that England has one of the top-two most talented and most in-form squads, particularly in attack. And what wins matches? Goals, goals, goals. 

England’s defense has also been incredibly solid in recent international competitions. They’ll be without mainstay Harry Maguire but will be anchored by a likely central pairing of John Stones and Marc Guehi. They also have depth at fullback.

England has not won an international competition since 1966 but has been getting closer and closer, finishing as the runner-up in the last Euros and only falling to France in the 2022 World Cup. This team, combined with the level of their competitors, gives them their best chance at international hardware in decades.

Past their prime? Yes. But don’t count out the sleeping powerhouse that is Belgium, a team that has been on the cusp for a decade and is desperate to break through. 

The Belgian midfield of Kevin De Bruyne, Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans offers great balance and skill. Romelu Lukaku is in form, and the wing play of Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard will create plenty of opportunities for runners into the box.

Belgium has one of the easiest groups in the competition and will only need to get past Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine to reach the knockout. Winning the group stage is a great way for a team to set itself up for a deep run in the tournament, and as long as they can avoid an early elimination against a powerhouse, they should have a serious chance to reach the final.

As long as France reaches the semifinal — even the quarterfinal potentially — Mbappe should be in with a great shot at the Golden Boot.

Mbappe is simply the most prolific individual scoring threat in soccer. Unlike other top scorers such as Erling Haaland, he does not need service from his teammates to create his own chances, and he’s as lethal of a finisher as they come.

Mbappe won the Golden Boot at the World Cup and should be able to outperform the last Golden Boot winner at the Euros, Cristiano Ronaldo, who may not even start for his team. England’s Harry Kane is the biggest threat according to betting odds both because of his quality and because England is favored to win the Euros.

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