Is football coming home this summer? Well…
Euro 2024 is fast approaching which means time is running out to enter our free-to-play game BRACKET CHALLENGE.
It couldn’t be easier to play, simply predict the standings for the group stage and the resulting outcomes of the knockout fixtures before the action gets underway at 8pm on June 14th.
You’ll earn points for accurate predictions and if you rack up more than any other user, you’ll win an iPhone 15 Pro Max* (worth £1,199).
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In the spirit of transparency, we’re prepared to reveal our own Bracket Challenge predictions (not that we’re experts).
GROUP A
- Germany
- Hungary
- Scotland
- Swizterland
Hungary went unbeaten in qualifying and have produced impressive performances against England, Germany and Italy in recent times so we’re backing them to finish as runners-up to the hosts – sorry, Scotland!
There’s a bit of dissension in the Swiss ranks and a sense that they lack inspiration up top – Xherdan Shaqiri is still a key player for them in attack which doesn’t seem ideal in 2024.
GROUP B
- Spain
- Croatia
- Italy
- Albania
An ultra competitive group and one that could get rough for Albania in a hurry.
Spain looked better in qualifying than Italy and Croatia with La Roja also buoyed by success in the most recent Nations League.
Luka Modric and company tend to prefer World Cups to Euros but a 2-1 win over Portugal in a pre-tournament friendly served as a reminder of their potential.
GROUP C
- England
- Denmark
- Serbia
- Slovenia
Defeat to Iceland at Wembley served as a reality check for England but the quality of their attacking options (Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, etc) should serve them well in Germany.
We found it difficult to rank the other three teams in this group but Denmark have several good centre-backs and a solid spine.
Serbia are dangerous but unpredictable while Slovenia will probably rely on Benjamin Sesko to score their goals.
GROUP D
- France
- Netherlands
- Austria
- Poland
Ralf Rangnick has stirred optimism among Austria fans who believe their side could upset the odds but we’ve decided to play it safe and back France and Netherlands in the automatic places.
Poland have had a couple of good friendly results and in Robert Lewandowski they have what many other nations lack, a world-class goalscorer, but they’re a tad uninspiring if truth be told.
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GROUP E
- Belgium
- Ukraine
- Romania
- Slovakia
Belgium have seemingly been dealt a favourable group and for all their struggles against top teams, they tend to get the job done against lower-ranked sides without too much stress.
Ukraine finished level on points with Italy in qualifying in a group that also included England – they’ve gone toe-to-toe with several fancied countries in recent times so they get the nod over Romania and Slovakia.
GROUP F
- Portugal
- Turkey
- Czechia
- Georgia
Portugal dominated qualifying (most goals scored, fewest goals conceded, ten wins from ten) albeit in a friendly group and Roberto Martinez has selected balanced squad bursting with talent.
The last time Turkey were labelled ‘dark horses’ they capitulated entirely so we won’t go that far but they did finish above Croatia in qualifying.
That being said, they’re without a win in their last five games which is a concern.
To complete the round of 16 line-up we need to select the four best third-place finishers:
- Scotland
- Italy
- Austria
- Romania
Onto the knockouts now and we’ve highlighted our predicted winners in bold…
ROUND OF 16
- SPAIN v Austria
- GERMANY v Denmark
- PORTUGAL v Italy
- NETHERLANDS v Ukraine
- BELGIUM v Scotland
- FRANCE v Turkey
- ENGLAND v Romania
- Hungary v CROATIA
A safe set of predictions across the board with Portugal v Italy being the standout match-up.
QUARTER-FINALS
- SPAIN v Germany
- PORTUGAL v Netherlands
- Belgium v FRANCE
- ENGLAND v Croatia
We tossed a coin for Spain v Germany.
Pessimistic England fans certainly wouldn’t look forward to a meeting with Croatia in the last eight – the ghosts of 2018 still haunt these lands.
SEMI-FINALS
- Spain v PORTUGAL
- FRANCE v England
France have made the final in three of the last four major tournaments so we allowed our head to rule our heart on this occasion.
Nobody likes a jinx anyway…
And let’s have Portugal to face Les Bleus in a repeat of the Euro 2016 final.
FINAL
- Portugal v FRANCE
Is it boring to predict glory for Kylian Mbappe and company? Probably.
But here’s the thing, Bracket Challenge is all about earning points for accuracy so it’s best to keep your zany predictions holstered unless you truly believe in them.
No doubt we’ve overlooked the potential for some exciting upsets so show us how it’s done by playing Bracket Challenge before Friday’s curtain-raiser between Germany and Scotland kicks off!