A team-by-team guide to the 24 nations at the Euro 2024 finals in Germany by Nick Said.

Group A

GERMANY
Previous Euros: 13
Best finish: Winners (1972, 1980, 1996)

The hosts and automatically one of the favourites, even if results have been patchy in the past 12 months. Never write off a German side on home soil, especially one with quality across the park like this one. Coach Julian Nagelsmann is only in charge until the end of this tournament.

SCOTLAND
Previous Euros: 3
Best finish: Group stage (1992, 1996, 2020)

Scotland were among the first teams to qualify after an excellent preliminaries campaign and head to a second successive Euros finals. They have gone out in the pool stages in all of their three previous visits, so the target will be the round of 16.

HUNGARY
Previous Euros: 4
Best finish: Third place (1964)

Hungary are not the power of old, but there are signs they have become competitive again in recent years. They have qualified for their third Euros on the trot and will be relieved to have a better group than in 2020, when they drew France, Germany and Portugal! Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is a key man.

SWITZERLAND
Previous Euros: 5
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2020)

A team no-one wants to face. Switzerland may not have global stars, but they are organised and structured and have enough quality to hurt anyone, as they showed when they dumped powerhouse France out in the round of 16 the last time out. They could be a dark horse.

GROUP B

SPAIN
Previous Euros: 11
Best finish: Winners (1964, 2008, 2012)

This is a new-look Spain compared to the Golden Generation of the past and while they may not have the same aura, they will be a dangerous team at the finals and one of the contenders for the title. Watch out for 16-year-old Barcelona star Lamine Yamal.

CROATIA
Previous Euros: 6
Best finish: Quarterfinals (1996, 2008)

Croatia have been top-three finishers in back-to-back World Cups but were eliminated in the round of 16 in their past two Euros finals appearances. Captain and talisman Luka Modrić could feature in his ninth major international tournament and is still a key man for the side.

ITALY
Previous Euros: 10

Best finish: Winners (1968, 2020)

The defending champions have had a few topsy-turvy years, going from Euro 2020 winners to failing to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. Coach Luciano Spalletti’s side needed a 0–0 draw with Ukraine to book their place at the finals. This is a more workmanlike Italy than the outstanding sides of the past.

GROUP C

SLOVENIA
Previous Euros: 1
Best finish: Group stage (2000)

After a long wait for Slovenia to return to the top European stage, they have a useful squad but may battle to go beyond the group matches. RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Šeško and Udinese midfielder Sandi Lovrić are players to watch.

DENMARK
Previous Euros: 9
Best finish: Winners (1992)

The Danes claimed arguably the greatest surprise win in football finals history when they went from being on holiday at the beach to claiming the title in 1992 as last-minute replacements for Yugoslavia. Kasper Hjulmand’s (right) experienced squad reached the semifinals in 2020.

SERBIA
Previous Euros: 5
Best finish: Runners-up (1960, 1968)

Serbia last qualified in 2000 as Yugoslavia, so it has been a long wait. With an impressive squad containing the likes of Dušan Vlahović from Juventus, Fenerbahçe’s Dušan Tadić and AC Milan forward Luka Jović, they could spring a surprise.

ENGLAND
Previous Euros: 10
Best finish: Runners-up (2020)

Every year, they are touted as title contenders, but fall short, though they came close on home soil in 2020 when they lost in the final to Italy on penalties. They have the talent to win it, do they have the mentality? Could this be Jude Bellingham’s tournament?

GROUP D

POLAND
Previous Euros: 4
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2016)

Poland needed the playoffs to qualify after finishing behind Albania and Czech Republic in their pool, beating Estonia and Wales. That was hardly convincing, but any side with Robert Lewandowski in the line-up is dangerous.

NETHERLANDS
Previous Euros: 10
Best finish: Winners (1988)

The Dutch are always contenders (left) and while this is certainly not their best generation, you would not write them off. Ronald Koeman is now in his second spell as coach of his nation, having already won the tournament as a player in 1988. He led them to third in the Nations League last year.

AUSTRIA
Previous Euros: 3
Best finish: Round of 16 (2020)

Coach Ralf Rangnick is German, and the bulk of his squad play in the German Bundesliga, so the Austrian players will feel right at home. Midfielders Marcel Sabitzer, Christoph Baumgartner and Konrad Laimer are all players to watch, along with veteran forward Marko Arnautović.

FRANCE
Previous Euros: 10
Best finish: Winners (1984, 2000)

Always a power on the continent, they have been to the past two World Cup finals (winning in 2018) and reached the Euros f inal in 2016 as hosts, but lost to Portugal. With quality across the park, Kylian Mbappé remains the man to watch, and he loves tournament football.

GROUP E

BELGIUM
Previous Euros: 6
Best finish: Runners-up (1980)

The Red Devils were quarterfinalists at the two most recent Euros but failed to progress from the group stage at the 2022 World Cup. However, they are unbeaten since then under coach Domenico Tedesco. Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne are key to their chances.

SLOVAKIA
Previous Euros: 5
Best finish: Winners (1976)

Slovakia have qualified for their third successive Euros, and were the winners in 1976 as part of Czechoslovakia. Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka and Boavista striker Róbert Boženík are two to keep your eye on.

ROMANIA
Previous Euros: 5
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2000)

Romania have developed a very useful team and will hope to repeat their heroics of Euro 2000, when they progressed from a group containing Portugal, England and Germany before being knocked out by Italy in the quarterfinals.

UKRAINE
Previous Euros: 3
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2020)

War-torn Ukraine mounted comebacks against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Iceland to secure playoff qualification for their fourth Euros in a row. They will get lots of sympathy in Germany, but also have top players in forward Roman Yaremchuk, winger Mykhailo Mudryk and defender Vitaliy Mykolenko.

GROUP F

TURKEY
Previous Euros: 5
Best finish: Semifinals (2008)

Türkiye are back again for the third time in a row with their best previous showing a last-four tie with Germany in 2008, when they lost a thriller 3–2. They lack a bit of firepower up front but have plenty of experience, not least Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu.

GEORGIA
Previous Euros: None
Best finish: None

Willy Sagnol’s side finished fourth in their pool and then beat Luxembourg and 2004 champions Greece in the playoffs to reach a first ever major finals of any sort. Napoli forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the key man and one of the form players in Europe.

PORTUGAL
Previous Euros: 8
Best finish: Winners (2016)

New head coach Roberto Martínez has qualified the side for the finals after leaving Belgium. Cristiano Ronaldo will make his sixth Euro finals appearance and holds records for the most goals (14) and appearances (25) at the tournament. Check out the goals voted the best of the Euro 2024 qualifiers!

CZECH REPUBLIC
Previous Euros: 10
Best finish: Winners (1976)

Their victory 48 years ago came as Czechoslovakia, but despite the breakup of that country, Czechia will make an eighth successive appearance at the finals. Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick is their main source of goals along with captain Tomáš Souček.

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