England At Euro 2024: One Step Better?

The hopes of a nation are once again ready to rest on the shoulders of the England national football team as they prepare for Euro 2024. After the heartache of the 2020 final (which took place in 2021 due to the pandemic), where England lost in a penalty shootout to Italy at Wembley, fans are eager to see if their beloved team can go one step further this time around and clinch the coveted trophy for the first time ever for the Men’s squad.

Euro 2020 was a rollercoaster of emotions for England supporters. The team topped the group stage (two wins and a draw), and made it all the way to the final against Italy having only conceded once throughout the whole tournament up to that point (in the Semi-Final against Denmark).

The final, held at Wembley Stadium, was a nail-biting affair that ended in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw after extra time (despite England taking the lead after just 3 minutes). Despite a valiant effort, England fell short, leaving fans with a sense of unfinished business. The memories of that night still linger, but they also fuel the desire to see England triumph in Euro 2024.

England has been drawn into Group C at Euro 2024, facing Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia:

Serbia

Serbia is England’s opening game on Sunday, June 16th. While it should be a good start for the Three Lions, you can never discount any opponent in the group stages.

Denmark

Denmark will be England’s toughest test at this stage of the competition. They met in the last Euros in the Semi-Final, in which Denmark were the first to finally break England’s defense and score against them. The Three Lions only made it through to the final following a penalty given to them in extra time.

Slovenia

Slovenia are the lowest ranked side in England’s group, so this should be the easiest game for England to pick up three points from. As we’ve said though, never underestimate any opponent – no one could’ve predicted Saudi Arabia beating Argentina in the World Cup 2 years ago, a result that nearly put the eventual champions out much earlier than anyone would’ve expected.

The Path to Glory

Assuming England navigates the group stage successfully, the knockout rounds present a different kind of challenge. Since the change in format for the Euros just under a decade ago, it makes predicting who England could face in the next round slightly more difficult:

Round of 16

As four of the teams who finish third in their groups will also qualify, it’s not easy to predict who England could face should they make it through themselves as group winners. One thing we do know for sure is that it will be one of the third place teams, either from Group D, E or F.

From Group D this is likely to be either Poland or Austria – however, the group does also contain big names such as the Netherlands and France, so if one of those has a tough group stage, it could set up a challenging match for England at this early stage.

Group E could really be a toss-up between either Slovakia, Romania or Ukraine – Belgium, who are also in the group, will most likely go through as winners (or 2nd).

Group F contains Turkey, Georgia, Portugal & the Czech Republic. Assuming Portugal would automatically go through with the Czech Republic, it might be likely one of the two former teams.

Alternatively; should England only finish 2nd in Group C, then they’ll face the winners of Group A – most likely to be Germany, setting up the second consecutive Euro tournament the two would meet in the Round of 16. It went well for England last time with a 2-0 win – could they do it again if required?

Quarter-Finals

The Quarter-Finals seem to be a regular occurrence for England – and unfortunately where most of their tournaments come to an end in recent times. Since the turn of the millennium, England have seen their campaigns in the World Cups in 2022, 2006 & 2002, as well as Euro 2012 and 2004 all end at this stage, more than at any other point. Recent times have seen better performances to push past here – can the Three Lions do it again?

Semi-Finals and Final

Reaching the 2018 World Cup Semi-Final, as well as the Euro 2020 Final, will ensure this team knows they can reach those lofty heights once again. At this point the competition will be tough – likely to include current World Champions France and possibly reigning Euro Champions Italy – and the Three Lions will have to put recent tournament defeats to both behind them to try and secure that elusive first Men’s title since 1966.

Euro 2024 represents a golden opportunity for England to build on their achievements from Euro 2020 and claim the title that narrowly eluded them. With a blend of young talent and experienced campaigners, the team has the potential to make history. Despite that, we know the chants of “Football’s Coming Home” are now sure to wait until the job is done…

Show your support for England as they aim for glory at Euro 2024! Check out our exclusive collection of t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatshirts here and cheer the Three Lions to victory!

Ashley