European Championship ranking (7-9 places)

2024-06-11 12:15

In the 2024 European Football Championship in Germany, the 24 strongest national teams of the old continent will compete for the trophy.

Some national teams had to sweat for a place in the tournament's final stage, while others found it impressively easy: France looked unbeatable, England showed that they have enough talent to end their trophy drought since 1966, and Portugal, coached by Roberto Martinez, demonstrated a game based on hurricane-like attacks.

Of course, we cannot overlook European football giants such as Spain and Belgium, and the host Germany, led by Julian Nagelsmann, is also determined to defend their home fortress.

The most visited Lithuanian football news portal „Eurofootball.lt“ presents the ranking of the upcoming 2024 European Football Championship starting on June 14.

22-24 ranking positions

19-21 ranking positions

16-18 ranking positions

13-15 ranking positions

10-12 ranking positions

9th place - Austria

After a difficult start under Ralph Rangnick in the head coach position and a drop to a lower division of the Nations League, Austria showed a completely different face.

After a 1-0 victory against Azerbaijan in the qualifiers in October, the team led by the former Manchester United strategist qualified for the European Championship for the third time in a row.

The team captain David Alaba missed several important qualifying matches due to injury, and the Austrians only managed to get one point from both matches against Belgium, indicating that labeling them as candidates to compete for the title would be bold.

Nevertheless, R.Rangnick has been highly regarded by Austrian national team fans recently due to the attractive football displayed, which they were craving for after the previous coach Franco Foda's promotion of a dull game.

The 6-1 victory against Turkey in a friendly was undoubtedly impressive. The resurgent Austrians face tough opponents in Group D of the European Championship: France, the Netherlands, and Poland, but recent impressive form suggests they should advance to the next stage.

8th place - Hungary

At the climax of the qualifying tournament, Hungary began to struggle, but due to a strong start, they managed to maintain first place in Group G.

However, one cannot fail to admire the progress they have made since missing the 2022 World Cup. Hungary secured a place in the European Championship for the third time in a row after a 2-2 draw with Bulgaria in the final round.

In the final matches, Hungary's football star Dominik Szoboszlai shone again, scoring two goals against Montenegro and ensuring that Hungary remained undefeated in eight matches.

The team's lineup on paper does not look impressive, but beating Serbia twice with confidence showed that Hungary is capable of advancing from the group stage in the main tournament.

Especially since the opponents in Group A are not the most impressive - Scotland, Slovakia, and the host Germany, which is the only potentially stronger team.

7th place - Italy

The European champions Italy secured their right to defend their title in the qualifiers, but a near failure was on the brink.

To secure second place in the group against Ukraine in the final match, the Italian team needed at least a draw, which they achieved through a VAR review room that did not record a possible penalty foul by Bryan Cristante on Mykailo Mudryk in the penalty area.

After qualifying for the European Championship, team coach Luciano Spalletti rejoiced that they partially redeemed themselves after missing the World Cup. It is worth mentioning that the strategist took over the national team leadership only last summer after Roberto Mancini, who led Italians to the top in the 2020 championship, left the post to work in Saudi Arabia.

L. Spalletti understands that Italy is not among the favorites, especially knowing that they will have to compete with Croatia and Spain in the main tournament group stage.

Nevertheless, they have quality players such as Nicolo Barella, Federico Chiesa, Federico Dimarco, and Alessandro Bastoni. Much hope is placed on Mateo Retegui, a forward from "Genoa" representing Italy, who scored four times in the last six matches for the national team.

His role in the team will undoubtedly be crucial, as a goal scorer is much needed for them this year.

However, one cannot forget what L. Spalletti achieved with the also underrated "Napoli" club, so Italy remains a dangerous opponent for all teams in the tournament.