Predicting All 24 Teams That Will Be at Euro 2016
With the qualification campaign for the 2016 UEFA European Championship to be held in France having begun in earnest earlier this week, we predict which 23 teams will be joining the host nation in the tournament proper in two years’ time.
Now just to remind you, those 23 countries will be made up of the nine group winners and runners-up, as well as the best third-placed side overall, while the remaining eight third-placed teams will then contest two-legged playoffs to determine the identity of the final four nations.
And these will be the 24 competitors at Euro 2016…
Host Nation: France
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Didier Deschamps and Co. have two years of non-competitive internationals ahead of them with which to prepare for the challenge of trying to repeat what Les Bleus managed in 1998 by winning a major international tournament on home soil.
However, France have been partnered alongside Denmark, Serbia, Albania, Armenia and Portugal in Group I, meaning that the 2000 European champions will play friendlies against those nations on their spare dates in order to experiment ahead of the competition.
Netherlands (Group A Winners)
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The Dutch have lost the services of the man who guided them to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup following Louis van Gaal’s appointment as manager of Manchester United earlier this summer.
But with experienced ex-national team boss Guus Hiddink replacing the new Old Trafford coach—“Golden Guus” previously trained the Oranje between 1994 and 1998—expect Netherlands to win this section despite a shock early loss to the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Turkey (Group A Runners-Up)
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Turkey may not have qualified for a major international tournament since they made it all the way to the semi-finals at Euro 2008, but that could now change under the leadership of inspirational head coach Fatih Terim.
The Turks did not start the road to Euro 2016 in convincing fashion after losing 3-0 in Iceland on Tuesday night, but over the course of an entire campaign expect Terim’s extra tactical nous to see his country just edge the runners-up berth in Group A from the Czechs.
Belgium (Group B Winners)
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Following an encouraging showing at the recent World Cup in Brazil, where the Red Devils reached the last eight before losing to eventual finalists Argentina, Marc Wilmots’ men should now begin their next qualifying campaign brim full of confidence.
As a result, that will be translated into a dominant display as Belgium easily top Group B without losing a single game on the road to France 2016, their first appearance in the European championship since they co-hosted the tournament 14 years ago.
Bosnia-Herzegovina (Group B Runners-Up)
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There looks like being a fascinating battle to see who grabs the runners-up berth in Group B, with the likes of Israel and Wales both likely to fight Bosnia-Herzegovina all the way for the second automatic qualifying spot at Euro 2016 behind Belgium.
But Safet Susic’s men, despite kicking off their campaign with a surprise 2-1 home loss to Cyprus, should have just too much quality in the end over those two nations to seal their passage through to only their second-ever appearance in the finals of a major tournament.
Spain (Group C Winners)
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La Roja may have endured a desperately disappointing recent World Cup, with the holders surprisingly exiting the competition at the group stage, but the European champions are still a force to be reckoned with as they look to make it three straight Euro wins in 2016.
And in a section that would barely scare a toddler, Vicente del Bosque can now start blooding the next generation of tiki-taka experts en route to a straightforward qualifying campaign that will see Spain win the group ahead of Ukraine and Slovakia.
Ukraine (Group C Runners-Up)
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The East Europeans will be desperate to make up for the heartbreak of missing out on a place at Brazil 2014 after throwing away a 2-0 first-leg lead in their play-off tie with France last November.
Luckily, though, Ukraine have been drawn in an easy-looking group alongside Belarus, Macedonia and Luxembourg and despite losing 1-0 at home to Slovakia on Monday night, head coach Mykhaylo Fomenko and his players should still claim second place behind Spain.
Slovakia (Play-off Winner)
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A confidence-boosting opening-night win on the road against Group C rivals Ukraine should be more than enough to hand Jan Kozak and Co. third spot in the section, and with it a place in a two-legged play-off tie for the 2016 European championship come November next year.
And once there, expect the country currently ranked No. 25 in the world by FIFA to progress through to what would be just their second-ever appearance in the finals of a major international tournament following their surprise qualification for the 2010 World Cup.
Germany (Group D Winners)
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The world champions kicked off their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Scotland in Dortmund on Sunday night, and it would be something of a huge surprise were they not to now go on and comfortably win Group D ahead of Poland.
And despite boss Joachim Low losing the services of captain Philipp Lahm, Per Mertesacker and Miroslav Klose since Germany beat Argentina to win the World Cup in July, Die Mannschaft still have players capable of dominating European football for years to come.
Poland (Group D Runners-Up)
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The race to seal second spot in Group D behind likely winners Germany looks intriguing, with a three-way fight seemingly on the cards between evenly-matched nations such as Poland, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.
But it is in such tight contests that quality finishers like Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski ultimately tend to make the difference, with the Poland international having already begun qualifying by netting four times against minnows Gibraltar on Sunday.
England (Group E Winners)
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The Three Lions may have once again flattered to deceive during the recent World Cup in Brazil, with Roy Hodgson’s side exiting the tournament at the group stage without winning a single match, but do not be surprised were they to top Group E on the road to Euro 2016.
And that is because after starting their qualifying campaign with an eye-catching 2-0 win against their main rivals Switzerland in Berne on Monday night, all England now need to do to seal top spot in the section is beat Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania and San Marino.
Switzerland (Group E Runners-Up)
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There is great anticipation in Switzerland following an impressive World Cup campaign last summer that only came to an end after a narrow 1-0 extra-time loss to eventual finalists Argentina in the round of 16.
However, that was under the astute leadership of Ottmar Hitzfeld, with the wily German having since retired from all football to be replaced by Vladimir Petkovic for what is the 51-year-old’s first taste of international management.
And despite losing his first competitive match in charge at home to Group E rivals England on Monday evening, the former Lazio boss should still have no problems sealing second spot in the section ahead of third-placed Slovenia.
Romania (Group F Winners)
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Victor Piturca’s side made a great start to their bid to qualify for their first European championship since 2008—and just their fifth overall in the country’s history—by beating Group F favourites Greece 1-0 in Piraeus in their opening fixture on Sunday night.
And that surprise result—secured despite match-winner Ciprian Marica’s sending-off—has now thrown an evenly contested section, also containing the likes of Finland, Northern Ireland, Hungary and the Faroe Islands, wide open.
Greece (Group F Runners-Up)
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Ex-Monaco boss Claudio Ranieri made the worst possible start to his reign as Greece coach after replacing previous manager Fernando Santos following the World Cup, with the experienced Italian losing his first Euro 2016 qualifier at home to Romania on Sunday.
However, Greece—who were eliminated on penalties by Costa Rica in the round of 16 at Brazil 2014—often tend to start qualifying campaigns slowly, before then picking up the pace thereafter.
And so expect the same to happen this time around as the Greeks beat off competition from third-placed Hungary to eventually seal the runners-up berth in Group F behind their East European conquerors from last weekend.
Hungary (Play-off Winner)
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Having finished in third position in each of their previous two qualifying campaigns for Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup, on this occasion a similar outcome would actually see Hungary through to a two-legged play-off tie for a place at Euro 2016.
And with a whole nation willing them on to appear in their first major international tournament since Mexico 86, Attila Pinter and Co. recover from a shock opening-night loss at home to Northern Ireland to claim an emotional play-off victory in November 2015.
Russia (Group G Winners)
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Russia may have produced a series of sterile performances before making an underwhelming exit from the World Cup at the group stage, but boss Fabio Capello is a dab hand when it comes to the business of having to qualify for the finals of major tournaments.
And expect nothing different this time around either, with the tactically astute Italian sure to be able to guide his troops to the head of a section in which only Sweden, Austria and Montenegro are likely to provide any sort of challenge to the East European powerhouses.
Sweden (Group G Runners-Up)
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After the agony of missing out on the 2014 World Cup following defeat to Portugal in the playoffs, you get the feeling influential Sweden skipper Zlatan Ibrahimovic will do everything in his powers to ensure his country do not suffer the same fate on the road to France 2016.
And given the eye-catching attacking form of the Scandinavian’s new record goalscorer—the Paris Saint-Germain forward netted his 50th international strike in a friendly win over Estonia last Thursday—then finishing second behind Russia in Group G should be a doddle.
Austria (Play-off Winner)
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Austria may never have qualified for the European championship—their only previous appearance at the Euros came when they co-hosted the tournament in 2008—but expect that all to change this time around.
And that is because the team have shown a steady improvement since coach Marcel Koller took over three years ago, with the Austrians even running Sweden close for the runners-up berth on the road to Brazil 2014.
This time, though, third spot in Group G ahead of Montenegro, Moldova and Liechtenstein will be sufficient to earn Koller’s men a playoff, before victory over two legs next November sees them into their first tournament since the 1998 World Cup that was also held in France.
Italy (Group H Winners)
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Antonio Conte replaced previous Azzurri boss Cesare Prandelli after the World Cup, with the trophy-laden Juventus coach making an impressive start to international management by beating a Netherlands side that made it to the semi-finals at Brazil 2014 on his debut.
And with only the likes of Croatia, Norway and Bulgaria really threatening Italy’s participation at the Euros in two years’ time, the runners-up at the last European championship should make light work of yet another qualifying campaign.
Croatia (Group H Runners-Up)
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While claiming top spot in Group H ahead of favourites Italy will surely prove beyond Niko Kovac’s men, finishing the section as runners-up to the Azzurri and ahead of rivals Bulgaria and Norway should be well within the capabilities of a side that competed at the World Cup.
And even more so when your country has a central-midfield partnership featuring the stellar ball-playing talents of both Real Madrid’s Luka Modric and new FC Barcelona playmaker Ivan Rakitic.
Bulgaria (Play-off Winners)
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It looks like being a straight fight between Bulgaria and Norway for third spot in Group H behind automatic qualifiers Italy and Croatia, and the reappointment of Lyuboslav Penev (pictured) for his second spell in charge of the East Europeans should just see them into the playoffs.
And given the relative standard of opposition waiting for them once there, Bulgaria will then stand an excellent chance of making it through to the finals of a major international tournament for the first time since Euro 2004 in Portugal.
Serbia (Group I Winners)
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Having narrowly missed out on a place in the playoffs for this year’s World Cup, the tiny Balkan nation are now hoping to go one better by making it through to their first-ever appearance at the European championship finals as Serbia.
And with experienced Dutchman Dick Advocaat taking charge of the team in July, expect a country with players like Branislav Ivanovic, Aleksandar Kolarov, Nemanja Matic and Lazar Markovic to surprisingly beat off competition from Portugal and Denmark and win Group I.
Portugal (Group I Runners-Up)
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Despite their shock 1-0 home loss to Group I whipping boys Albania in their opening fixture on the road to France 2016 on Sunday night, Portugal should still have enough quality to be able to recover from that setback and finish as runners-up behind Serbia in this section.
As when FIFA Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo does finally recover from injury, then Paulo Bento’s men will be a totally different proposition to face, meaning it will be Denmark of the three group heavyweights who are forced to settle for a third-place finish.
Denmark (Best Third-Place Finish in Group I)
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As the most experienced international coach currently on the continent, Morten Olsen—who has been in charge of Denmark since 2000—will be confident of ending his fine managerial career with his country in fitting style by guiding them to the Euros in 2016.
And having begun their campaign with a 2-1 home win over Armenia on Sunday, the Scandinavians can achieve the right set of results against Group I winners Serbia, runners-up Portugal, Albania and Armenia to be the best third-place finishers out of all their rivals.
Consequently, that would mean automatic qualification for the tournament in France in two years’ time for Olsen and his players…
