Do England have enough cover at centre-back to be contenders? Will Kylian Mbappe’s reduced minutes at Paris Saint-Germain as his summer exit looms have an impact on France? What about the Euro 2024 hosts — can Julian Nagelsmann settle on a system and starting XI with only 100 days to go until Germany kick things off against Scotland in Munich on June 14?
And, most importantly, will Italy’s players be allowed to play Call of Duty between their games?
Our experts look at how the eight favourites are shaping up ahead of this summer’s tournament…
England
What’s going well?
Gareth Southgate will fly to Germany with more attacking talent at his disposal than he has ever had for a major tournament. Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden have been three of the best players in Europe this season and if they can maintain that form, England will take some stopping.
What’s not going well?
Questions about depth at centre-back. John Stones is playing well for Manchester City but Harry Maguire is injured at Manchester United, while Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi has just had knee surgery that will rule him out of the March internationals against Brazil and Belgium. England do not have many other tested options at the position.
Who is the young player who could make it?
Eberechi Eze has already made his debut, with two substitute appearances in 2023 — and while England have lots of talent in creative positions already, he could still earn himself a prominent role in Germany, having reminded Southgate of what he can do with a brilliant free-kick goal for Palace against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Eze’s free kick against Spurs (Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Who is the star who might not?
Mason Mount was an integral player at the previous European Championship and the World Cup a year later but he has not played for England since their quarter-final loss to France in the latter. His move from Chelsea to Manchester United last summer has been badly hit by injuries — he has only played 400 Premier League minutes this season and none since early November. This tournament may well come at the wrong time for him.
How is the nation feeling about England’s chances?
The public have generally been squarely behind the team during his era but there has also been a degree of ‘Southgate fatigue’ from a section of the fanbase, frustrated by his style of play and the sense that he is not making the most of the talent available. It will be interesting to see in Germany, with huge English crowds expected to attend, how that dynamic plays out.
Other storyline to watch out for…
Southgate’s contract expires at the end of the year, and the expectation is that this will be his last tournament. He has talked about the possibility of staying on for the 2026 World Cup if things go well in Germany, but if England disappoint, this will surely be the end of his eight-year reign.
Jack Pitt-Brooke
France
What’s going well?
France breezed qualification. They were near flawless, winning every game except their final one — a 2-2 away draw against Greece when they had already booked their place in Germany. They scored 29 times in the eight matches, conceded only one other goal besides those two in Athens, and dispatched Gibraltar by a record scoreline of 14-0. Their strength in depth, combining tournament experience with a new batch of young, talented upstarts, means coach Didier Deschamps has an ominous side at this disposal.
What’s not going well?
Deschamps has a few fitness and form concerns. Kingsley Coman is close to a return from a knee ligament problem picked up in January and Christopher Nkunku has endured an injury-hit debut season at Chelsea while others, such as Dayot Upamecano and Randal Kolo Muani, have struggled for form or consistent game time for their clubs.
There is uncertainty at right-back too, after difficult winters for Jules Kounde of Barcelona and Marseille’s Jonathan Clauss, who were both called up for the previous round of internationals in November. Kounde has struggled for form while Clauss was put on the transfer list after a curious fall-out at his French club. Both are showing some encouraging signs now, but the alternatives are limited.
Who is the young player who could make it?
Warren Zaire-Emery, a midfielder who turns 18 on Friday, made his international debut against Gibraltar in November, becoming the youngest player to represent France since 1914. He continues to shine for Paris Saint-Germain and will be a contender for the summer. Others, such as his PSG team-mate Bradley Barcola, a 21-year-old forward, may be looked at by Deschamps when they play Germany and Chile this month. Winger Mathys Tel, 18, is another seeking to make a case before Euro 2024, but a few more starts for Bayern Munich may be needed before a senior international breakthrough.
Zaire-Emery, 18, is pushing to make France’s squad (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Who is the star who might not?
N’Golo Kante has struggled with injuries in recent seasons but has been playing consistently for Al Ittihad, the Saudi Arabian club he joined last summer, in the past few months. His move outside of Europe has not removed him from Deschamps’ radar — in November, the coach insisted Kante was still “selectable”— but it will be a challenge for a player who turns 33 this month to earn a recall, with midfield options such as Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Adrien Rabiot, and breakthrough talents including Zaire-Emery.
How is the nation feeling about France’s chances?
This is an important 12 months for French sport, having hosted the rugby union World Cup in the autumn and with the Olympics, based in Paris, to come later this summer a couple of weeks after Euro 2024 ends. The football team, led by captain Kylian Mbappe, are the flagship for French success and following a strong World Cup title defence, expectations remain high for this talented squad to deliver again. That brings pressure, and their last European Championship experience — a round of 16 exit to Switzerland — offers caution. But with this squad and coach, the French public will see themselves as favourites.
Other storyline to watch out for…
Mbappe’s future will reside away from PSG but their long divorce could yet cast a shadow over France’s preparations. PSG head coach Luis Enrique has insisted his team need to get used to playing without their star man and that has seen Mbappe’s minutes drop recently, with some eye-catching substitutions, including being hauled off at half-time away at Monaco. Whether this trend continues remains to be seen, but reduced minutes for the France captain is not ideal preparation for the summer tournament. It is one to watch as Mbappe’s PSG departure draws nearer.
Peter Rutzler
What’s going well?
Spain recovered from a dodgy start to qualifying, including a 2-0 loss away to Scotland in the second match, to easily win their group. Twenty-one points from the eight games, with 25 goals scored and five conceded, was a pretty good record — especially in a group also containing a Norway side that includes Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard. Coach Luis de la Fuente has also recovered, more or less, from the reputational damage he suffered for applauding the former federation president Luis Rubiales’ infamous speech in the wake of the controversy at last August’s Women’s World Cup final.
What’s not going well?
In his first year as the coach, De la Fuente used 47 players, including six left-backs, and handed out 12 new caps. So he has yet to settle on his best squad, never mind a favoured XI. Aymeric Laporte moving from Manchester City to Saudi team Al Nassr last summer was a particular blow, as centre-back is a problem position.
Who is the young player who could make it?
At first, it seemed De la Fuente fast-tracked Barcelona’s latest wonderkid Lamine Yamal into the Spanish senior setup last autumn so he could not represent Morocco or Equatorial Guinea, for whom he was also eligible. But after two goals in his first four senior caps, and impressive Champions League and La Liga showings, the wide attacker looks certain to be in the squad that goes to Germany (when he will still be just 16 years old).
Who is the star who might not?
Pedri was Spain’s key player as they lost to eventual champions Italy on penalties in the semi-finals of the previous European Championship three years ago, but the Barcelona midfielder has only played for his country eight times since due to continuing injury issues. The 21-year-old picked up yet another, to his right quadriceps (thigh), at the weekend. He could still be back in time for the tournament but is unlikely to be at 100 per cent if he does. His Barcelona team-mate Gavi, 19, is definitely out after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during a qualifier against Georgia in November.
Pedri faces a race to be fit for Euro 2024 (Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
How is the nation feeling about Spain’s chances?
Few believe De la Fuente’s side are anywhere as good as the world-beating Xavi-Andres Iniesta-David Villa side of a generation ago. A group containing Italy, Croatia and Albania looks a potentially sticky one, too, but they did win last summer’s Nations League final, so the semis in Germany should be the minimum target.
Other storyline to watch out for…
The Spanish football federation has not yet got around to electing a permanent successor to the now-disgraced former president Rubiales. Its acting president Pedro Rocha last month extended De la Fuente’s contract up to World Cup 2026, even though the federation’s own statutes do not allow that. It adds extra uncertainty the team could do without.
Dermot Corrigan
Germany
What’s going well?
Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane — all key players for manager Julian Nagelsmann in attack — are having good seasons at club level and should be high in confidence going into Euro 2024. There are also no major injury worries for any of the supposed starters.
What’s not going well?
Results and performances. Two sorry defeats in November’s international break, 3-2 at home to Turkey and 2-0 away against Austria, have put huge pressure on Nagelsmann to come up with new ideas for this month’s friendlies against France and the Netherlands. Two more poor games will cause panic in Euro 2024’s host nation — and lead to calls for 1990 World Cup-winning player Rudi Voller to take over as caretaker manager, having stepped in following a poor Euro 2000 and leading Germany to the World Cup final two years later.
Who’s the young player who could make it?
Maximilian Beier, 21, is having a breakthrough season for Hoffenheim and should get a chance to solve the nation’s long-standing striker problem, after scoring 12 goals in 23 Bundesliga matches for Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side.
Who’s the star who might not?
There are rumours that Nagelsmann is contemplating dropping quite a few underperforming grandees, including Leon Goretzka (Bayern), Niklas Sule and Mats Hummels (both Borussia Dortmund) altogether. Not even Joshua Kimmich’s place in midfield is safe anymore, but the 29-year-old Bayern player will at least be in the mix to play at right-back.
How is the nation feeling about Germany’s chances?
Not particularly optimistic. After nearly six years of failure in two World Cups and the intervening European Championship, confidence in the side is brittle at best. The mood could yet improve if the two next friendlies suggest Nagelsmann’s big idea — bringing back a 34-year-old Toni Kroos, who retired from international football in 2021 — will make a difference. But the chances are that German angst about humiliation on home soil this summer will only deepen instead.
Kroos will return to the Germany team (Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
Other storyline to watch out for…
Manuel Neuer, 38 this month, has been restored in goal following his long absence with a broken leg suffered shortly after the 2022 World Cup. But how strong is Nagelsmann’s conviction in him if the Bayern ’keeper fails to bring stability to a chronically fragile back line this month? During his time in charge in Munich from 2021 to 2023, Nagelsmann wasn’t Neuer’s biggest fan. Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s back injury for Barcelona has dialled down the rivalry in goal in recent months but any mistake from Neuer could usher in a repeat of the Oliver Kahn-Jens Lehmann “war” for the No 1 spot that dominated the run-up to the 2006 World Cup.
Raphael Honigstein
What’s going well?
Pretty much everything. Since Roberto Martinez replaced hangdog millionaire Fernando Santos 14 months ago, Portugal have won 10 games on the spin, keeping nine clean sheets and scoring 36 goals. Cristiano Ronaldo is still finding the net despite now playing in Saudi Arabia, the defence has a fresh look to it and the brilliant Diogo Costa has finally shoved Rui Patricio into the scrapyard for defunct goalkeepers.
What’s not going well?
It seems churlish to nitpick too much but there are some lingering questions. How will that form hold up when Portugal actually face someone decent? Is the Saudi Pro League competitive enough to get Ronaldo up to full speed come June? Can Martinez, the king of qualifiers from his Belgium days, actually do it in a tournament?
Who is the young player who could make it?
The 19-year-old Joao Neves looks a good bet to make Martinez’s finals squad after nailing down a starting place in the Benfica side this season. A busy, technical central midfielder, Neves has only made three brief substitute appearances for the senior Portugal team but is seen as a regular-in-waiting — and possibly even captaincy material.
Joao Neves, future Benfica and Portugal captain? (Henrique Casinhas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Who is the star who might not?
Portugal are not exactly short on attacking options, but there will still be some nail-biting over the fitness of Diogo Jota in the run-up to the tournament. The forward was taken off on a stretcher in Liverpool’s victory against Brentford last month, with manager Jurgen Klopp suggesting he faces “months” on the sidelines.
How is the nation feeling about Portugal’s chances?
Pessimism is just as much of a national sport as football, but there is no doubt that Martinez has breathed a little excitement into Portuguese hearts. The stodginess of the late Santos era has given way to flowing football, and there are plenty of proven winners in the squad. If they can build momentum during group games against the Czech Republic, Turkey and one of the teams to qualify through this month’s play-offs, hopes will be high.
Other storyline to watch out for…
It remains to be seen whether Pepe — who celebrated his 41st birthday last week, but is still performing well at Porto — will sneak into the final squad, but we have already reached the end of his time as a starter for Portugal. Instead, Ruben Dias of Manchester City will play alongside one of two bright young talents. Goncalo Inacio, 22, of Sporting Lisbon looks the most likely to play and offers extra threat at set pieces, but Benfica’s 20-year-old Antonio Silva is arguably an even more exciting long-term prospect.
Jack Lang
Italy
What’s going well?
Qualification for major tournaments is no longer taken for granted in Italy. Euro 2020-winning coach Roberto Mancini’s sudden resignation last August complicated matters and fears of the play-offs were palpable after the loss to England at Wembley in October. New manager Luciano Spalletti avoided one and Italians are, for now, grateful he abandoned his planned post-Napoli sabbatical to take on the national team job.
What’s not going well?
Spalletti wants to ban PlayStations and limit smartphone use while he and his players are in Germany. He says Italy are going there to retain the European title, not win Call of Duty. It remains to be seen how the players react. The team still lack a more convincing alternative to the 34-year-old Ciro Immobile up front, with no Italian close to the top of the Serie A scoring chart. The most prolific are Riccardo Orsolini, Andrea Pinamonti and Domenico Berardi — who snapped an Achilles tendon at the weekend.
Who is the young player who could make it?
Bologna have been a revelation this season and a couple of their young Italians have kicked on under Thiago Motta. One is Riccardo Calafiori, a 21-year-old full-back reinvented as a centre-back and occasional midfielder. The other is Giovanni Fabbian, also 21, the all-action midfielder Bologna cleverly extracted from Inter Milan last summer around the time they sent Marko Arnautovic the other way. The only issue for them is that Italy are stacked in defence and midfield.
Who is the star who might not?
It would come as a surprise if Spalletti did not take Federico Chiesa to Germany, but he is not an automatic starter for Juventus at the moment. Their coach, Massimiliano Allegri, seems to prefer Kenan Yildiz playing off striker Dusan Vlahovic, and there’s a sense Chiesa still needs careful management after his ACL knee injury two years ago. Whistled against Frosinone last month, he has less than 18 months left on his deal. It’s a conundrum.
Chiesa is struggling for game time at Juventus (Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images)
How is the nation feeling about Italy’s chances?
Italy are the holders. But failing to qualify for back-to-back World Cups on either side of that 2021 triumph has brought the national team crashing back down to earth. They are a side in transition. Veterans including Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Jorginho, Marco Verratti and Lorenzo Insigne have either retired, play outside of Europe’s top five leagues or are no longer the priority. Mancini and successor Spalletti have instead built around the Inter team who got to last season’s Champions League final.
Other storyline to watch out for…
Inter continue to be underestimated in Europe. Perhaps their core of Alessandro Bastoni, Francesco Acerbi, Federico Dimarco, Matteo Darmian and Nicolo Barella means Italy will too. Don’t be surprised if Spalletti leans on it though and Italy cause a surprise. Spalletti has also made a career out of getting the best out of the strikerless and making strikers into top scorers.
James Horncastle
Netherlands
What’s going well?
Virgil van Dijk is back to his very best. Having been appointed Liverpool’s captain following the summer departure of Jordan Henderson, he has been the Premier League leaders’ outstanding player this season. If he carries the form into the international setup, the Netherlands, who have kept three clean sheets in a row before this month’s friendlies against Scotland and Germany, will be difficult to beat.
What’s not going well?
When Ronald Koeman named his 30-man squad for these two March friendlies, it included just one Ajax player in forward Brian Brobbey. To some extent, the health of Dutch football is measured by Ajax, who have long been one of the primary producers of talent for the national team. If the Netherlands are successful this summer, it will be despite the recent stream of crises that have engulfed one of the European game’s most famous institutions.
Who is the young player who could make it?
Jeremie Frimpong is not the youngest candidate, having recently turned 23, but he is a baby in international terms with just one senior cap from a half-hour as a substitute against France last October. He has emerged as one of Europe’s most exciting attacking full-backs at Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen this season. Alternatively, 22-year-old Joshua Zirkzee is uncapped but has been outstanding for Bologna in Serie A.
Jeremie Frimpong has impressed for Bayer Leverkusen (Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Who is the star who might not?
He will surely make the squad but Matthijs de Ligt of Bayern might not start, depending on the system Koeman uses. If he goes with four at the back, Inter’s Stefan de Vrij is likely to be preferred. De Ligt, who has played just 15 times in the Bundesliga this season including 10 starts, will also face pressure from Feyenoord’s Lutsharel Geertruida, as well as Nathan Ake of Manchester City.
How is the nation feeling about the Netherlands’ chances?
After losing only once in 13 matches in 2022 (on penalties to eventual champions Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals), 2023 was a difficult year for the Dutch, who lost four of their opening seven matches. Two of those defeats were by an aggregate scoreline of 6-1 to France, whom the Netherlands will meet in Leipzig in their second Group D game on June 21. Presently, there is a ‘Make it out of the group stages and see where we go’ sort of feel in the country.
Other storyline to watch out for…
The goalkeeper. This has been a problem position for the Netherlands for some time, and Koeman has named four ‘keepers with 11 caps between them in his 30-man provisional squad for this month’s two friendlies. Feyenoord’s Justin Bijlow is probably ahead of all four in the Euro 2024 reckoning but only has eight caps himself and is currently out with a calf injury.
Simon Hughes
Belgium
What’s going well?
Belgium sailed through qualifying with a now-familiar ease and are unbeaten in their 10 matches under Italian coach Domenico Tedesco. Kevin De Bruyne is back in the groove at Manchester City. Romelu Lukaku looks much fitter and happier on loan at Roma than he did after Inter borrowed him from Chelsea before the World Cup. There are lots more promising youngsters joining Jeremy Doku and Lois Openda in the squad.
Lukaku has rediscovered some form at Roma (Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
What’s not going well?
The flip side of having so many talented younger players in the squad is that so many of them are unproven at elite level. Zeno Debast, for example, is still untested outside Belgium at age 20, while 19-year-old Arthur Vermeeren has only figured briefly since joining Atletico Madrid in January. This tournament might be too soon for some of them.
Who is the young player who could make it?
There are so many. Given the age profile of Belgium’s 2022 World Cup squad, turning towards younger players was essential. Romeo Lavia, 20, who won his only cap last March, will hope to force his way into the squad if he can overcome the injury problems that have dogged him since he moved from relegated Southampton to Chelsea in the summer.
Who is the star who might not?
Even if Thibaut Courtois is now approaching a return to fitness at Real Madrid, having recovered ahead of schedule from a torn ACL suffered in August, there seems little prospect of a recall to the national squad. The goalkeeper furiously accused Tedesco of a “breach of trust” after he was overlooked for the captaincy last June in De Bruyne’s injury absence. There has been no hint of a rapprochement since.
How is the nation feeling about Belgium’s chances?
There is nothing like the optimism at the peak of their ‘golden generation’ around Euro 2016 and the World Cup two years later, where they finished third, but there is nothing like the pressure or expectation that surrounded those tournaments either. A fairly gentle draw (Slovakia, Romania and one of the three play-off winners) should help.
Other storyline to watch out for…
In the near-certain absence of Courtois, the No 1 shirt is up for grabs. Nottingham Forest’s new signing Matz Sels is favourite, but Koen Casteels of Wolfsburg is also in contention. Could Luton Town’s uncapped Thomas Kaminski, who last represented his country at under-21s level a decade ago, make it a three-way fight?
Oliver Kay
(Top photos: Getty Images)
