The First European Championship was held in 1960. From that moment, it gradually became one of the most valued football competitions in the world. With the US paying more attention to the NFL and NBA, and Asia being all about cricket, Europe has remained the kingdom of football and this event is, in simple terms, the celebration of it.
The majority of you are probably already familiar with all the details regarding the upcoming Euro 2020, but in case you would like a short revision, make sure to keep reading.
Why Is the Competition Held in Different Countries?
The answer to this question is fairly simple — money, of course. Namely, in 2016, France was hosting the European Championship and did an excellent job. However, when the time came for placing bids regarding the Euro 2020 host, none of the countries wanted to take it upon itself to organise the competition.
Some countries were willing to host the finals but were not exactly keen on hosting the matches prior to that. That’s why UEFA decided to make the competition Pan-European and, therefore, break the cost into several smaller parts, making it easier to handle.
Which Teams Are in?
The total number of teams that will participate in Euro 2020 is 24. For the time being, 20 teams have secured their places in the competition.
The groups are formed in the following way:
Group A — Turkey, Italy, Wales, Switzerland
Group B — Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Russia
Group C — the Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria
Group D — England, Croatia, the Czech Republic
Group E — Spain, Sweden, Poland
Group F — Portugal, France, Germany
As you can see, groups C, D, E, and F are each missing one team. To decide which team will join which group, a new playoff system has been created. The playoffs will take place in March 2020.
Playoff Contenders
The playoffs will start on March 26, and by the end of the month, we will find out which four teams will join the competition. Those teams will be the best-ranked ones from each separate league of the UEFA Nations League.
The teams that still have a chance to participate in Euro 2020 are:
Path A — Iceland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary
Path B — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, the Republic of Ireland
Path C — Scotland, Israel, Norway, Serbia
Path D — Georgia, Belarus, North Macedonia, Kosovo
The schedule for the playoffs has already been made and it looks like we will see some exciting games as an introduction to Euro 2020.
Playoff Favourites
Even though the winner of the Championship should be our primary concern, we are trying to live in the present and think about the competition step by step. This is why we have done some research regarding the playoff favourites according to bookmakers.
Path A looks like an interesting one where you cannot be entirely sure about the outcome. Bulgaria is hosting the semifinals and a potential final match in the playoffs, while Romania is the highest-ranked team. On the other hand, Iceland has managed to reach the quarterfinals of Euro 2016 and also qualify for the World Cup two years ago.
Moving on to path B, one would think the Irish have double chances to enter the Euro 2020 competition. However, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are now two separate countries. Bosnia and Herzegovina has the advantage of playing at home, which is why it is given a slight edge over the rest of the teams.
When it comes to path C, Serbia is believed to be quite strong. Still, the trip to Norway might take its toll on the players. Anyway, whichever team wins, it should have an easy game against the winner of the match between Scotland and Israel.
Finally, path D seems to be the most harmless one, as none of the teams in it has ever qualified for the European Championship before — at least not as independent countries. Be that as it may, one of them will certainly do it this year.
