Another International football tournament is here, and the fans are excited. The postponed UEFA Euro 2020 will kickstart from June 12 after the game was delayed in 2020 due to a coronavirus outbreak in the world. The tournament was to be held between June 12, 2020, and 12 July 2020. The UEFA decided to postpone the match to 2021, but the name ‘UEFA Euro 2020’ was retained.
The tournament will be held in 11 different cities across Europe. The decision to host the Championship in various cities across Europe was taken in 2012 and conveyed by then UEFA President Michel Platini, who had said the decision to host in different nations was a ‘romantic’ one-off event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the European Championship.
The competition has been held every four years since 1960, and still, there are many features about the event that make it unique. For instance, the 2020 tournament was supposed to take place in several countries across Europe, and now it will be the same with one year of difference. Furthermore, it will be the first time in the history of the UEFA European Championship that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be used. The competition features 24 teams for the second time in its history.
To praise the occasion, UEFA has chosen to spread the competition across and hold the matches in an assortment of nations instead of having one host country. This choice has offered a chance to numerous nations to have one of the world's most noteworthy games. It should be noted that being selected as a host does not mean the country's national team is automatically qualified.
As planned before, Rome's Stadio Olimpico will host the opening match on June 11, and England's national stadium Wembley will host both semi-finals and the final. The format of UEFA Euro 2021 will see no changes compared to UEFA Euro 2016. Once more, there will be six groups comprised of 4 teams. The winner and runner-up in each group, alongside the best four third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 16.
Whenever a tournament is close, the most discussed topic will be which team will win the match. Especially since football is one of the most followed sports and its significant participation makes this a scorching discussion topic. So, let’s find out which teams have a higher chance to win Euro 2021.
1.FRANCE
Group F
France squad for Euro Cup 2021
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Mike Maignan, Steve Mandanda.
Defenders: Lucas Digne, Leo Dubois, Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Jules Kounde, Clement Lenglet, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Kurt Zouma.
Midfielders: Kingsley Coman, N'Golo Kante, Thomas Lemar, Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot, Moussa Sissoko, Corentin Tolisso.
Forwards: Wissam Ben Yedder, Karim Benzema, Ousmane Dembele, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Marcus Thuram.
Coach: Didier Deschamps
The previous edition’s finalist and host, France, have a star name in almost every position. With Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann, N'Golo Kante, Varane, Tolisso, Pogba, the French team will be tough to beat in the tournament. Having won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the team will be high in confidence. The team must ensure its feet are on the ground to finish above the rest. France has not been champion in Europe for the last twenty years. So, they will be determined to win the trophy this year.
2.BELGIUM
Group B
Belgium squad for Euro Cup 2021
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet, Matz Sels.
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld, Dedryck Boyata, Timothy Castagne, Jason Denayer, Thomas Meunier, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen.
Midfielders: Nacer Chadli, Yannick Carrasco, Kevin De Bruyne, Leander Dendoncker, Eden Hazard, Thorgan Hazard, Dennis Praet, Youri Tielemans, Hans Vanaken, Axel Witsel.
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi, Christian Benteke, Jeremy Doku, Romelu Lukaku, Dries Mertens, Leandro Trossard.
Coach: Roberto Martínez
The golden generation of Belgium is once again descending for a crown achievement. The team that broke the deadlock in the last World Cup has not made much of a difference. Belgium, with Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, is the team most likely to win the title. The new football powerhouse of Europe will be aiming to create some new legacy. In the 2018 World Cup, Belgium finished third.
3.ITALY
Group A
Italy's squad in Euro 2021
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alex Meret, Salvatore Sirigu
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Emerson Palmieri, Alessandro Florenzi, Leonardo Spinazzola, Rafael Toloi
Midfielders: Nicolo Barella, Bryan Cristante, Jorginho, Manuel Locatelli, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Stefano Sensi, Marco Verratti, Federico Bernardeschi, Federico Chiesa
Forwards: Andrea Belotti, Domenico Berardi, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, Giacomo Raspadori
Coach: Roberto Mancini
Italy will kickstart its Euro 2020 campaign against Turkey on June 12 at 12:30 am IST. Italy has been a football powerhouse and will look to make a mark after qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Under new coach Roberto Mancini, the team has not lost since a 1-0 defeat against Portugal in September 2018. The team will hope to continue that unbeaten run in Euros. After a short, faded time, Italy is back with talented young players and strong contenders to win the trophy.
4.ENGLAND
Group D
England squad for Euro 2021
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Sam Johnstone, Jordan Pickford
Defenders: Ben Chilwell, Conor Coady, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice
Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish
Coach: Gareth Southgate
England is one of the top teams in Euro 2021. Their star striker Harry Kane is the most valuable in the team. The team is among the youngest teams in the tournament and has players playing their trade in some of the biggest clubs in the world. The English fans have been vocal again about their team’s prospect as the final of the marquee tournament is scheduled to take place at Wembley Stadium. The arrival of England is in the hope of winning the title in Europe for the first time in history.
5.GERMANY
Germany squad for Euro 2021
Group F
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer, Bernd Leno, Kevin Trapp
Defenders: Emre Can, Matthias Ginter, Robin Gosens, Christian Gunter, Marcel Halstenberg, Mats Hummels, Lukas Klostermann, Robin Koch, Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule
Midfielders: Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Ilkay Gundogan, Jonas Hofmann, Joshua Kimmich, Toni Kroos, Jamal Musiala, Florian Neuhaus, Leroy Sane
Forwards: Kai Havertz, Thomas Muller, Kevin Volland, Timo Werner
Coach: Joachim Low
One of the biggest football powerhouses globally, Germany will be aiming to cover some of the lost ground in the last few years. Germany has won 3 titles, the most in the tournament. Germany won it last in 1996. The German team, however, won the 2014 World Cup. It hasn’t been since then, able to rise to similar levels. It went out on the group stage in the 2018 World Cup for the first time in its football history. Coach Joachim Low has announced that he will retire after the Euros. He will be hoping to retire on a high ending his coaching time after 16 years for the team.
These are the top 5 teams to win the UEFA Euro 2021. If no surprises happen, one in five will win the trophy. But it's football, and all these years we have seen some dark horses running and sometimes the miracle too happened. Also, these are not the only teams having chances to win the tournament.
Some big names are missing. Majorly because of some flaws noticed at the last moments. These teams now have the highest possibility to win. Spain is having some Covid concerns at their camp at the last moment. Portugal, the current Euro cup holders, are expecting Cristiano Ronaldo to have the strength to take them forward. Croatia, the runner-ups of the last World Cup, have to perform like the same to show and state they are the new powerhouse of Europe. Now it’s just a matter of time that we see who the new European champions are. Let’s Watch.
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