There isn’t a bigger continental football competition than the UEFA Euros. Every 4 years, the best of the best meet in an all-out battle for the possibility to call your country champions of Europe. Each country roots for its best 11 that are leaving their hearts and energy on the pitch. However, as with all sporting tournaments, someone walks away with everything, and others are left with nothing more than bitter misery or a sense of what could’ve been. There are also a few surprises along the way. Euro 2024 odds are in the radar of every bettor. Let’s look at the initial odds for this tournament, highlight the favourites of bookies, dark horses and the predicted top scorers.
First up – overview of Euro 2024
The UEFA Euro 2024 promises to be a top-tier celebration of football. The host is Germany and various cities across the country will see 24 teams compete from 14th of June all the way to 14th of July.
Teams are divided into six groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the knockout stages. However, to finalise the draw, you need 4 more teams as only 12 advance automatically. They will be determined by listing 4 best 3rd place teams in all groups. Hence, every goal, every match and every mistake matters so much more.
The draw has placed football powerhouses in intriguing matchups, and provides a lot of room for upsets, exciting battles and high-scoring affairs.
| Group | Teams | Location(s) | Prognosis |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Germany
Scotland Hungary Switzerland |
Munich, Frankfurt | Hosts Germany find themselves in a reasonably favourable group. Everyone expects them to get 1st place, unless Switzerland pulls some magic from their pocket. Otherwise, it’s only battles for 2nd and 3rd. |
| B | Spain
Croatia Italy Albania |
Stuttgart, Hamburg | A clash of styles awaits in Group B. Returning champions will have their work cut out with the ever-dangerous veteran Croatia and a Spain on the rise. One could only feel bad for Albania… |
| C | Slovenia
Denmark Serbia England |
Berlin, Cologne | Group C includes high-flying England that are heralded as favourites, the always-competitive Denmark with Serbia and Slovenia serving as the dark horses with decent chances for a surprise. Even though it seems England is in the clear, the battles amongst the other teams could be exciting. |
| D | France
Netherlands Austria Poland |
Dortmund, Leipzig | France and the Netherlands headline Group D. France probably has the strongest roster on paper but football is played on the pitch, so you could never say no.
Dortmund and Leipzig can also see some goal barrages from Robert Lewandowski. |
| E | Belgium
Slovakia Romania Ukraine |
Gelsenkirchen, Düsseldorf | Belgium could’ve breathed a sigh of relief after the draw. Their group seems to be the weakest of the bunch. The only intrigue is the potential for some upsets, but Ukraine, Romania and Slovakia will probably have to battle |
| F | Portugal
Czech Republic Turkey Georgia |
Hanover, Bremen | Portugal will look to dominate Group F amid the presence of Czechia and Turkey who mustn’t be overlooked. Georgia will look to steal a few points as well. |
The Favourites to Go All the Way
As of right now, the bookmakers’ Euro 2024 odds could vary a bit, depending on which country you reside in. This is because of bettor bias as many locals always have an automatic favouritism towards their national squad. Call it bettor nationalism if you want.
However, by taking the averages from a few countries, we can see that there are 2 top dogs, 1 outsider and 2 genuine dark horses. We’ll also give our prediction for who we think might be a genuine contender.
Top Contenders for Euro 2024
England
- 1.37/1 to reach finals
- 3.33/1 to win it all
As per usual, before entering any championship, the football media (most of which hails from England, coincidentally) praises England as a top-tier squad. It’s sometimes difficult for the English to admit that their squad falls short of those true A-list squads. However, this championship might seem worthy of high expectations, with a few near misses in recent tournaments. Their recent performance history, including a near miss at Euro 2020, positions them as strong contenders. Key players like Harry Kane and world-class Jude Bellingham lead a more mature and poised squad. However, as always, don’t bet it all on England… Especially if it comes to penalties.
France
- 1.5/1 to reach finals
- 3.5/1 to win it all
France is also listed at similar odds as England, albeit marginally higher. As the World Cup runner-ups and having immense depth at most positions, France have what it takes to win big games. Kylian Mbappe is always ready to dominate with the Les Blues uniform on and Antoine Griezmann with Olivier Giroud could be X factors even in dire situations. Their attacking prowess and solid defensive setup make them one of the teams to beat.
Germany
- 2.75/1 to reach finals
- 6/1 to win it all
As the host nation, Germany also gets slightly better odds than you could expect. As a team that is always considered dangerous, their recent performances in Euro 2020 and WC 2022, have left a bitter taste for fans and the football federation. If there was a time to rekindle the fire and get back on top, it couldn’t be better than at home, in front of German fans. However, is optimism and home stadium advantages enough to beat teams with much more depth in key positions? Let’s look and see.
Spain and Portugal
- 3.5/1 to reach finals
- 8/1 to win it all
The Pyrenees teams get the same odds and follow the top three. Spain seems like a riskier bet as they have been rebuilding and grooming a younger generation for a while now. Albeit, Portugal, after their win in Euros 2016 haven’t made any significant noise too. Comparing the squads, Spain’s technical style and youth could serve them well, whereas Portugal still has a goal scoring machine CR7 and true dogs in Milan’s Rafael Leao, Man City’s Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias as well as Bruno Fernandes from cross-town rivals United.
Dark Horses for Euro 2024 – Where the Odds May be Worth Exploring
So often happens that the favourites fall flat on their face and the winning team emerges completely out of the blue or at least is one that wasn’t projected to make real noise. This happened in 1992 with Denmark, with Greece in 2004 and you could also say not many people expected in 2020 when Italy defeated England. So it’s worthy to understand who are the so-called dark horses of Euro 2024 odds.
Our picks are the Netherlands (16/1 to win outright), Italy, (14/1 to win outright) and Belgium (14/1 to win outright). These teams have had varying degrees of success in recent European competitions and could pose a threat with their mix of experienced and young talents.
Italy will look to defend their title albeit it’s always too difficult predicting what kind of Italy we’re going to see in a competition. Is it going to be Totti’s and Cannavaro’s world-cup winning 06’ squad, or the disappointments that didn’t qualify for the World Cup in 2024 and were the punching bag in the group stage back in 2010.
The Netherlands seem to be on the rise. Even though their last major campaign was stopped short by eventual world champions Argentina, Oranjes have their destiny in their hands. High-powered offence could propel them against more teams than you could expect. Finally – Belgium. They are a football powerhouse but rarely convert big names into big victories. Maybe this time they will capitalise?
Top Scorer For Euro 2024 Odds
After bets on who’s the winner, the most popular Euro 2024 odds seem to revolve around the Top Scorer – Golden Boot. For football fans it’s probably no surprise to know that the best scorers from the favourite squads headline the odds race. It’s Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane. However, you can also see some interesting names in the mix too.
- Kylian Mbappe (FRA) – 5/1
- Harry Kane (ENG) – 5.5/1
- Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) – 12/1
- Jude Bellingham (ENG) – 14/1
- Olivier Giroud (FRA) – 20/1
- Romelu Lukaku (BEL) – 20/1
- Antoine Griezmann (FRA) – 25/1
- Jamal Musiala (GER) – 25/1
- Alvaro Morata (ESP) – 33/1
- Gonçalo Ramos (POR) – 33/1
- Aleksandar Mitrovič (SRB) – 40/1