After an unusually long 5 year wait, the European Football Championship is back! We here at the Radnorite figured we should treat you to some predictions of this summer’s tournament. Starting on June 11th, the tournament will take place in 11 host nations from all across Europe. This tournament is looking to be a great spectacle, as it will be the largest sports tournament since March 2020 to feature large numbers of fans in stadiums. The 24 teams competing will be aiming to make the final in London, where the game is set to have as many as 90,000 fans filling the seats at Wembley.

Group A: 

Group A will kick off the competition on June 11 with Italy facing Turkey in Rome. Italy will look to right their wrongs after failing to qualify for World Cup 2018 by topping the group. That shouldn’t be too hard for the Azzuri, as they are a very talented and balanced squad who could be a dark horse contender for the title. Switzerland and Turkey will be the teams to fight it out for qualification behind Italy, with all the pressure of achieving qualification to the knockout round most likely boiling over on their June 20 matchup. Although Wales have fielded a very strong squad this year, we do think they will be the one to narrowly miss out on the knockout stage and finish fourth in the group.

Group A Standings Prediction:

• Italy

• Switzerland 

• Turkey
• Wales

Group B: 

A strong Belgian team headlines Group B as Denmark, Finland and Russia will look to fight it out for qualification into the Round of 16. After a 3rd place finish at the 2018 World Cup, Belgium will look to take home some hardware this summer as they remain one of the favorites of the tournament. Euro 2020 will be especially important for Belgium as it could be their last chance at glory with their “golden generation” of players such as Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku. Denmark shouldn’t have much trouble making it into the knockout round as their gifted first 11 puts them above Russia and Finland. Sadly for Finland, they don’t stand much of a chance in a very tough group and I doubt Russia gets enough points in this group to qualify from 3rd place.  

Group B Standings Prediction: 

• Belgium

• Denmark

• Russia
• Finland

Group C

Although Group C isn’t very talented, it could play out as one of the more interesting groups of the tournament, as there isn’t much between each side. The Netherlands are the clear frontrunners of the group, but with the absence of star center-back Virgil Van Dijk, they have lacked leadership and looked very shaky in their recent qualifying matches. If they cannot adapt to life without Virgil in the Euros they could have a disastrous few weeks. Austria and Ukraine could definitely make it hard on the Dutch, as their strength as units have made them very formidable sides on any given day. Even though North Macedonia did a great job even qualifying for the Euros, they just don’t have enough in them to make any waves in these tough matchups

Group C Standings Prediction: 

• Netherlands

• Austria 

• Ukraine 
• North Macedonia

Group D:

Group D showcases a wide array of accomplished and famed footballers. England, managed by Gareth Southgate, boasts gifted players from the English Premier League, and are one of the overall favorites at the Euros. Croatia has seen their side decline since their historic run at the 2018 World Cup Finals in Russia, but still boasts the likes of Luka Modríc and Marcello Brozovic. Scotland and the Czech Republic are the weaker sides in this group, but still possess star players such as Andy Robertson and Tomáš Souček respectively. We predict the Three Lions to come out on top of this group, with Croatia behind them.

Group D Standings Prediction

• England

• Croatia

• Czech Republic
• Scotland

Group E

Group E is very hard to predict, as all of the teams have yet to convince us of their quality in their recent matches. Spain, who under normal circumstances we would predict to top the group, have been placed into isolation in recent days after defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets caught COVID-19. Sweden have plenty of players that could definitely shake things up in this group, including Alexander Isak and Emil Forsberg. Poland have arguably the best striker in the world, Robert Lewandowski, along with seasoned international Arkadiusz Milik forming a fearsome partnership in attack. At the last European Championship, Poland made a run to the quarterfinals, beaten on penalties by the eventual champions Portugal. The result of this group depends on when Spain’s players come back to full health. We think Poland will take advantage of Spain’s recent troubles and top the group. 

Group E Standings Prediction: 

1. Poland 
2. Spain
3. Sweden
4. Slovakia

Group F

Group F, the “group of death” this year, has 3 sides that could make a real run at the title. We are expecting this group to be the most exciting and entertaining to watch during the group stages. The three last major tournaments were won by these teams, with France winning the World Cup in 2018, Portugal the Euros in 2016, and Germany in the 2014 World Cup. Germany is probably the weaker of the three sides, but still have game-changing players like Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Müller at their disposal Portugal have Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and a wide array of other players that make up a very strong squad, while France, the reigning world cup champions, have the likes of Mbappé, Kanté, and more that can make huge impacts for them. Hungary had a very unlucky draw in this group, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the difference between the sides is decided by points dropped to Hungary.

Group F Standings Prediction:

1.France

2. Portugal
3. Germany
4. Hungary

Surprise Team of the tournament: Denmark

The Danish national team has put together a strong squad heading into Euro 2020. They have a solid defense with many quality center-back options and a very reliable goalkeeper in Kasper Schmeichel. The Danes also have a very talented midfield with Pierre-Emil Højbjerg protecting the back four and Christian Eriksen creating chances for strikers Poulsen and Braithwaite. This talent has been on full display recently, as they only lost 2 of their past 10 matches. The Danish will like their odds in this tournament as a fairly easy group will give them a very good chance to qualify for the round of 16. Although it is very unlikely that De rød-hvide will have another Cinderella European Championship like 1992, don’t be surprised if they make a very deep run in the knockout stage.

Most disappointing team of the tournament: Belgium

Belgium is top-ranked in the world, has world-class players at multiple positions, and is a tournament favorite. So why would we put them as the disappointment team? Although Belgium boasts top talent like Romelu Lukaku or Kevin De Bruyne, their wide midfield and defense are huge question marks. Eden Hazard shined in the World Cup in 2018, but there is no guarantee he will be match fit for a full 90 minutes in the Euros. After Hazard, Belgium do not have many great options on the wing. Belgium’s defense is the biggest question mark of all. An aging backline is no help to Roberto Martínez, who relies on his back three to put out fires and stop counter-attacks, giving the wing-backs freedom to roam into the attacking third. Belgium simply cannot rely on Vertonghen, Alderweireld, and Denayer to keep the ball out of the back of their own net. Thibaut Courtois had a great season for Real Madrid and is one of the top goalkeepers in the world, but he will be put under too much pressure to guarantee any clean sheets. There are just too many question marks on this Belgium team for them to be a surefire bet to go deep into the tournament. 

Best young player: Phil Foden

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder Phil Foden had an amazing year with Manchester City. Foden will play a big part for an England team that is challenging for the trophy. Surrounded by attacking talents like Harry Kane and Jack Grealish, Foden will be able to flourish under Southgate in this tournament. With his creativity and attacking prowess, Foden should surely bring home the Best Young Player award.

Breakthrough Player: Alexander Isak

At just about every international tournament, one player makes their name with an outstanding performance. We believe 21-year-old Alexander Isak will have that breakthrough performance with Sweden at Euro 2020. He is already a very proficient striker, scoring 17 league goals this season for Real Socieadad. But he isn’t the highly touted prospect he deserves to be. We believe that after a standout performance for Sweden, he will finally get the attention he merits. 

Top Scorer: Kylian Mbappé

It’s safe to say Mbappé is a mercurial talent and has shown the ability to step up for France during tournaments, as evidenced by his brilliant play in World Cup 2018. Since then, Mbappé has only improved, coming off his highest goal tally in a single season with 42 goals. We believe that Mbappé will carry his form into Euro 2020 and win the golden boot as a very talented France team look to follow up their World Cup 2018 victory with a European Championship this summer. 

Best player: N’golo Kanté

N’golo Kanté had an outstanding second half of the season for Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel, most importantly his crucial performances in the last stages of the UEFA Champions League. Kanté never seems to stop running, covering every area of the pitch, and (describe more about his game). As long as Didier Deschamps gives Kanté freedom to express himself on the pitch, we see Kanté leading this France team and winning the best player at the Euros. At the last Euros, France lost in the finals to Portugal, and Antoine Griezmann carried home the best player award. We think France will see two consecutive best player awards from UEFA, although this one will be paired with a victory at the tournament.

Champion: France

The world champions, France, come into the tournament with a wide array of talent, a proven manager, and a great record in their qualifying matches, playing 10 matches and winning 25 points.  Some say they have weaknesses in defense. A back four of Lucas Hernández, Kimpembe, Varane, and Pavard is no weakness. All four have proven themselves on the biggest stages for both club and country. Les Blues dominated the World Cup in 2018 and they will dominate the European Championship. With an incredibly athletic and physical backline, a hard-working midfield, and an electric attack, France is a force to be reckoned with. We see France topping their group, getting to the final, and winning their third European Championship at Wembley.