The 2024 UEFA Euros kick off on June 14th and of the six groups, Group F may be one of the more interesting groups with multiple teams looking like they could be the prototypical “dark horse” in this tournament. We break down the 2024 Euros Group F along with giving you our predictions and best bets to make for the group stage.
2024 Euros Group F
Team Overviews
Turkey
Since placing third in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 Euros, Turkey has been looking to break through again. They have yet to qualify for a World Cup since and have failed to make it out of the group stage in the last two Euro tournaments. This year, they’ll have as good of a shot as ever in one of the easier groups. They were extremely impressive in qualifying, taking the top spot in a group that included Croatia and Wales.
This Turkish team has been as good as any in recent history. Turkey has one of the more underrated midfields in the tournament headlined by Orkun Kökçü and Hakan Çalhanoğlu. With forward Cenk Tosun running the show up top, and this team is better than most are giving them credit for. While they can’t keep up with some of the teams in this tournament on paper, they look a lot like the Moroccan team that took fourth place in the 2022 World Cup after topping a group with Croatia and Belgium before beating Spain and Portugal in the knockout rounds.
Major USA Sports Team Comparison: 2020-2021 Atlanta Hawks
Georgia
Out of eight European Championships and seven World Cups held since Georgia became a country, this is the first competition they have qualified for. Not only does their team not have any experience in international competitions, but they also have little experience in club competitions. Few of their players have played on major stages and that will likely play a factor here.
There are a lot of question marks up and down this roster and it’ll be intriguing to see how they’re able to generate an attack. Georgia doesn’t have a stereotypical star player but that didn’t stop them from knocking off Luxembourg and Greece in the qualifying playoffs. With that in mind, they lost 10-2 in two games against Spain during qualifying and will likely struggle just as much with Portugal.
Major USA Sports Team Comparison: Current Chicago Blackhawks
Portugal
Although the World Cup has not been kind to Portugal, the Euros has been Portugal’s tournament. Since 2000, Portugal has been to the finals twice and the semifinals an additional two times in six tournaments. Once again their team is absolutely stacked and anything less than a run to the semifinals would likely be viewed as a failure.
This team is no longer Cristiano Ronaldo’s team. This team is now led by Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota and Rafael Leão. This team has an incredible amount of speed at every position and can score at will. The only thing stopping this team is Cristiano Ronaldo ironically enough. Headlines were made when he was benched in the 2022 World Cup, but the team was much better with him off the bench. If he can selflessly accept his role as a super sub, this team can easily win the tournament. If he can’t, the turmoil could eat them up and lead to an early exit.
Major USA Sports Team Comparison: 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Czech Republic
Although the Czech Republic national team is not one that immediately grabs your attention as a dangerous team, they have some very solid pieces. Forward Patrik Schick has had an incredible run of form for his club at Bayer Leverkusen and has the talent to lead this team to success. Captain Tomáš Souček runs the game from the midfield and is more than capable of helping the Czech Republic steal some points in the group stage.
The Czech Republic has a difficult task ahead of them, but it’s not outside of the realm of possibility. If they can secure a sizable win over Georgia, their qualification will come down to their game against Turkey. Do they have the talent defensively to keep up with the high-powered offenses they’ll face, or will they wilt under the pressure?
Major USA Sports Team Comparison: Nashville Predators
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Group F Predictions
Like a few of the other groups, there is a clear frontrunner in this group. Portugal is one of the most talented teams in the world and they should take first in this group with ease. The question becomes how the rest of the group shakes out.
2022 UEFA Euros Schedule – Group F
Here is the 2024 UEFA Euros schedule for Group F matches.
Tuesday, Jun. 18
12:00 PM ET: Turkey vs Georgia
3:00 PM ET: Portugal vs Czech Republic
Saturday, Jun. 22
9:00 AM ET: Georgia vs Czech Republic
12:00 PM ET: Turkey vs Portugal
Wednesday, Jun. 26
3:00 PM ET: Georgia vs Portugal
3:00 PM ET: Czech Republic vs Turkey
Group F Best Bets
Portugal Group Winner: -275
Portugal and Turkey Top 2 in Exact Order: +200
Georgia to Finish Bottom: -225
