Although the Summer Olympics kick off in Paris in late July, sports fans don’t need to wait long for the next major sporting event. Starting on June 14th, the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship kicks off in Germany. We break down the UEFA Euros 2024, why you need to tune in, and players and teams to watch in this year’s tournament.
2024 UEFA Euros: The Sports Event of the Summer
What are the UEFA Euros?
The UEFA European Championship, also referred to as the Euros is a soccer tournament that has been held every four years since 1960. The only exception was in 2020 when the tournament was postponed until 2021 due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The Euros are the second-most watched soccer tournament in the world, only behind the FIFA World Cup.
Before the 2024 Euros tournament kicked off, all teams that are a part of the UEFA federation outside of the host nation(s) (who automatically qualify) competed in a rigorous qualification process. The tournament started out with just four teams but has since expanded to 24 teams as of 2016. Just like the World Cup, the teams are broken up into groups of four.
The winners and runners-up of each group qualify for the knockout round along with the four best third-placed teams. From there, it’s a standard knockout tournament with the remaining 16 teams.
Why Should I Watch 2024 UEFA Euros?
Simply put, the UEFA Euros are arguably the best soccer tournament in the world, including the FIFA World Cup. While the World Cup does include teams from across the world, the 2024 Euros will still contain most of the best teams in the world. In addition, the closeness of the different countries not only leads to plenty of heated rivalries, but it also allows rabid fans from the countries to pack the stadiums to the brim.
Another reason to tune in is due to the fact that nobody ever knows who is going to win. Across the 22 World Cups to date, only eight countries have won. In just 16 Euro tournaments, 10 different countries have already been champions. With the smaller tournament structure, smaller countries like Greece and Denmark have been declared champions. Essentially, the 2024 Euros are going to be like the World Cup with the additional upsets like those seen yearly in March Madness for college basketball. The quality of play is high, the fans are rowdy, and the craziness never seems to end.
Players/Teams to Watch in the UEFA European Championship
Even if you aren’t a big soccer fan, the UEFA European Championship is still fun to watch due to the elite teams and players participating in the tournament. While every team in this tournament is deserving of their spot, the elite teams are Germany, Spain, Italy, England, France, and Portugal.
One of the biggest reasons soccer hasn’t caught on even more in places like the United States is due to the lack of recognized star power. That won’t be a problem in this tournament, with plenty of star power participating with players like Jamal Musiala (Germany), Pedri (Spain), Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham (England), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), and Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and Rafael Leao (Portugal).
Just like with any other professional sport, one player can take over a game and create moments you’ve never seen before. With multiple teams and plenty of players that are incredibly fun to watch every single game, the UEFA Euros look to be set for another fantastic tournament in 2024.
