Euro 2024 Knockout Rounds: Who’s through to the last 16, and who are the favorites?
Euro 2024 has been a thrill ride for fans thus far, with the group stages now complete, and they made for some captivating stories. Austria created an underdog story their fans will long memory; Georgia and Slovakia pulled off giant killings, and only Spain won every group game. Fans were kept on the edge of their seats for most of the group stages unless you’re an England fan. The unpredictability that ensued has made the last 16 hard to call, and we look at the 24 teams that have advanced.
Teams that advanced to Euro 2024 last 16
The Big Guns
Hosts Germany, Spain, and France all advanced to the last 16 of Euro 2024 and are perhaps the strongest three nations in the race for the European Championship. The Germans excelled in Group A except for a questionable 1-1 draw against Switzerland. They thrashed Scotland 5-1 in their opener and beat Hungary 2-0 to win their group. The Swiss finished second while the Hungarians third after a last-gasp 1-0 win against the Tartan Army.
La Roja have perhaps been the most exciting team to watch, with Luis de la Fuente’s men winning all three of their Group B games. They beat Croatia 3-0, Italy 1-0, and Albania 1-0 to win their group. The Italians finished runners-up with a dramatic equalizer that eliminated Luka Modric’s Vatreni.
Les Bleus were arguably the favorites to win Euro 2024, but they have been lackluster, to say the least. Didier Deschamps’ men beat Austria 2-1 in their opener and then settled on a snore 0-0 draw against the Netherlands. They were then held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Poland and headed into the last 16 with a second-placed finish. The Dutch were third after the Austrians stunningly won the group of death.
Surprise Packages
Euro 2024 has been a campaign of surprises, and none come bigger than Georgia, Romania, Slovenia, and Slovakia advancing to the last 16. This is particularly true of the Georgians, who finished third in Group F, ahead of the Czech Republic. They shocked the world and beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal 2-0 in their final group game to advance. Selecao won that group, and Turkiye finished second.
Romania remarkably finished top of Group E, which consisted of Belgium, Slovakia, and Ukraine. They weren’t expected to get the better of Ukraine but flexed their muscles with a huge 3-0 win in their opener. The Slovakians also booked their place in the last 16 by finishing third, with Belgium second.
Slovenia finished third in Group C, behind England and Denmark, in one of the dullest groups in European Championship history.
Euro 2024 last 16 ties
| Sat, 29 June: Switzerland vs. Italy | Sat, 29 Jun: Germany vs. Denmark |
| Sun, 30 June: England vs. Slovakia | Sun, 30 Jun: Spain vs. Georgia |
| Mon, 1 Jul: France vs. Belgium | Mon, 1 Jul: Portugal vs. Slovenia |
| Tue, 2 Jul: Romania vs. Netherlands | Tue, 2 Jul: Austria vs. Turkiye |
Who are favorites to win Euro 2024?
The bookmakers currently have England and Spain leading the way as favorites to win the tournament in Germany. The Three Lions have a kinder draw than the other big nations such as France, Germany, and Portugal. Spain are being backed off of their impressive run of performances thus far.
The odds for the favorites are below:
As the knockout stages begin, the odds for the favorites and potential dark horses to win the tournament have been updated. Here’s a look at the current odds for the top contenders (per Bleacher Nation):
- England +350
- Spain: +450
- Germany: +550
- France: +600
- Portugal: +700
- Netherlands: +1200
- Italy: +1600
- Austria: +1600
- Belgium: +3000
- Switzerland: +3500
- Turkey: +5000
- Denmark: +8000
- Romania: +10000
- Georgia: +15000
- Slovakia: +15000
- Slovenia: +25000