Tournament hosts Germany face Hungary, Switzerland and Scotland, a talented if unpredictable set of rivals, in Group A as they seek a record fourth European title.
After a decade of poor performance, Germany arrives at the tournament on the rise.
Improving under coach Julian Nagelsmann, the Germans could now be primed for a strong run in the tournament, especially after defeating France and the Netherlands in style in March.
However, getting through the group will not be a foregone conclusion, especially with Hungary firing under coach Marco Rossi.
Despite the 1-0 defeat to Ireland in the pre-tournament warm-up, the Hungarians have been in excellent form, unbeaten until that setback since September 2022, in a series of 12 games.
Switzerland and Scotland are the outsiders, but either of them could have the opportunity to spoil the hosts’ party with a run to the knockout stages.
– Germany resurgent, Hungary on the lookout –
Germany have won three European Championships and four World Cups, most recently in 2014, but their reputation as a tournament team has suffered a severe blow in the last decade.
After losing in the semi-finals to France in 2016, Germany were eliminated in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup – their first elimination in 80 years.
The Germans repeated the feat four years later in Qatar, having been eliminated in the round of 16 of the Euros in 2021 by eventual finalists England.
Then-manager Hansi Flick was sacked at the end of 2023 after a 4-1 defeat to Japan in Wolfsburg, the first manager fired in Germany’s history.
His replacement, Nagelsmann, won just one of his first four matches before changing the squad in March.
The 36-year-old made 11 changes, swapping established stars such as Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, Mats Hummels and Niklas Suele for in-form players from champions Bayer Leverkusen and surprise package Stuttgart.
The move paid dividends, with Nagelsmann’s energetic and hungry team beating France and the Netherlands.
After reaching the semi-finals in 1972, Hungarian football collapsed and failed to qualify for the Euros until 2016, but this is the third tournament in a row and Rossi’s side have high hopes of progressing past the group stage.
Leipzig captain Willi Orban and goalkeeper Peter Gulasci will be reunited with former teammate Dominik Szoboszlai, who moved to Liverpool last year.
Freiburg’s creative striker Roland Sallai completes a squad packed with Bundesliga experience, which could be crucial when Hungary face the hosts in Stuttgart, a repeat of the 1954 World Cup final surprisingly won by West German underdogs .
– Golden Swiss and ‘Tartan Army’ –
Neighboring Switzerland arrives at Euro 2024 as the most successful team in the country’s history, a continuation of the team that won the U17 World Cup in 2009.
Switzerland reached the quarter-finals at the last Euro, their best result in the competition, and are the only team to eliminate France before the final of a major tournament since 2014.
In his first season at Bayer Leverkusen, Swiss captain Granit Xhaka was the heart and soul of a team that won the league and cup double, going 51 games unbeaten en route to the Europa League final – their only defeat in season.
Goalkeeper Yann Sommer had a great season at Serie A champions Inter Milan, while striker Xherdan Shaqiri – who plays for Chicago Fire in MLS – remains the Swiss’ main creative outlet.
Xhaka, Sommer and Shaqiri are all on the wrong side of 30, while Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji is 28, meaning Switzerland will have to cash in at Euro 2024 before their golden generation loses its luster.
Scotland open the tournament against hosts Germany on June 14 and, despite losing striker Lyndon Dykes, have plenty of Premier League talent, including captain Andy Robertson, Scott McTominay and John McGinn.
Regardless of performance on the field, Scotland will be among the most supported of the 24 teams.
The British consulate in Munich estimated that up to 200,000 Scottish fans could travel to Germany – far more than the 10,000 tickets officially allocated to the ‘Tartan Army’.
dwi/bsp
