The group stage of the UEFA European Championship is nearing completion, and we have a good idea of the contenders and pretenders.
Coming into the tournament, France was thought to be the favorite, but after two lackluster performances, and key injuries, some are rethinking their choice of Les Bleus lifting the Henri Delaunay Trophy.
In the first match of the group stage, France narrowly defeated Austria thanks to Maximilian Wöber’s own goal. Hardly the impressive opener many were expecting. For an encore, France battled the Netherlands in a highly-anticipated matchup, but that one ended in a scoreless draw.
The positive is France hasn’t allowed a goal in the entire tournament, and they have accumulated four points, meaning they’re already through to the next round regardless of what happens against Poland in the final match of the group stage.
France’s opponent in the next round does depend on that match against Poland and the result of Netherlands and Austria. Germany, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, and England have all already qualified and all are arguably playing better than Didier Deschamps’s side.
If France tops Group D, they will play the runners-up in Group F, which is currently Turkey. If France finishes second in the group, they’ll play the runners-up in Group E. In that group, all four nations are level on three points, so it’s hard to predict an opponent, but Belgium could be a very difficult match for France, considering the quality within that team.
While France will likely be favored against whoever they play in the round of 16, the same can’t be said from that point on. If Kylian Mbappé is truly impacted by his broken nose and isn’t able to score goals, France could struggle and see yet another early exit in the tournament.
If you had to pick a favorite right now to win Euro 2024, the popular pick would be Germany and Spain, who could play each other in the quarter-finals and if France finishes second in the group and reaches the semi-final, they could play one of those teams.
It will be a difficult road ahead for France, and it all starts with Mbappé, who is hungry for major silverware. Since France won the FIFA World Cup in 2018, Mbappé has lost a UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain in 2020, and in 2021, France lost to Switzerland in the round of 16.
Mbappé and France want to add another trophy to this golden generation, and despite a slow start, you have to like their chances to win a third European Championship.
