Euro 2024 England Special: Is Football Coming Home This Summer?

We’re now less than a month away from the start of Euro 2024 and England fans are starting to dream that this is the year that football finally comes home

We’re now less than a month away from the start of Euro 2024 and England fans are starting to dream that this is the year that football finally comes home. The Three Lions are the bookies’ favourites to win the tournament and with many of England’s stars enjoying a stellar season for their respective club sides, it’s not hard to see why. Here at betting.bet we’ll cast our eye over the England side and preview their chances of ending a 58-year wait for success in a major international men's football tournament.

England’s Star-Studded Squad

England’s squad is stacked with many of the continent’s star performers throughout the 2023/24 season. Harry Kane has enjoyed his most prolific season to date, scoring 36 goals in just 32 Bundelsiga matches. As well as winning Germany’s Golden Boot, Kane was also named in the Bundesliga’s official team of the season. Harry Kane is also set to share the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot following a return of 8 goals in 12 European matches.

Another England trailblazer on the continent is Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham. There was plenty of pressure placed on Bellingham’s young shoulders following his £105m summer move to Spain from Borussia Dortmund but few would have tipped Bellingham to have such an instant impact. Bellingham, donning the number 5 jersey once worn by Zinedine Zidane, scored ten goals in his first ten Real Madrid matches and he’s not looked back since. Bellingham helped Real Madrid to the La Liga title, scoring 19 goals in all.

Whilst Kane and Bellingham have lit up the continent this summer, closer to home there has been plenty to get excited about for Gareth Southgate. Phil Foden was named the Premier League’s Player of the Year after helping Manchester City win a fourth straight league title alongside his England teammates John Stones, Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker.

Such has been the form shown by England’s potential European Championship winners, four of the top six goalscorers in the Premier League this season were English with two of the four also ranking first and second for assists. Cole Palmer achieved the highest combined number of goals and assists despite playing in a struggling Chelsea side. Palmer netted 22 times in the Premier League whilst also laying on 11 assists for his Blues teammates. Ollie Watkins topped the assists charts with 13 whilst he also netted 19 times as Aston Villa grabbed fourth place in the Premier League. Foden and AFC Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke also netted 19 times in the Premier League this season.

Whilst the attacking players will grab the headlines, the 2023/24 domestic season has also been a successful one for the likes of Kyle Walker, Declan Rice and Jordan Pickford. Walker is now captain at Manchester City and despite his advancing years and off-field problems, the 33-year-old will be one of the first names on the list when Southgate names his England squad this summer. Declan Rice has gone up a level since switching West Ham United for Arsenal last summer and in an Englandf midfield stacked with attacking talent, his role as a holding midfielder could be key this summer.

Despite his Everton side languishing near the bottom of the Premier League table throughout the season, Jordan Pickford has personally enjoyed an excellent campaign and remains England’s undisputed number one. Everton may have finished 15th in the Premier League but only Arsenal’s David Raya kept more clean sheets than Jordan Pickford (13) in the league this season.

Squad Dark-Horses

Whilst the likes of Kane, Bellingham and Foden are nailed on for a place in England’s squad this summer, there are still several spots up for grabs. Jadon Sancho and Eric Dier have not done their chances of a recall any harm as they continue to impress on loan at Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich respectively. 

However, if Southgate opts for younger, fresher faces for this summer’s tournament then the likes of Anthony Gordon, Kobbie Mainoo and Jared Branthwaite will all be in contention for a place in the squad. Anthony Gordon hit double-figures for both goal and assists in the Premier League this season whilst Kobbie Mainoo has been one of the few positives in a season to forget for Manchester United. Jared Branthwaite has firmly established himself as first-choice centre back for Everton and takes plenty of credit for Pickford’s 11 clean sheets this season.

Another young player that may have forced his way into Southgate’s squad this summer is Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze. Eze has been a revelation under new Crystal Palace boss, Oliver Glasner and ended the season with a run of 5 goals and 2 assists in his last 6 league games. With the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish struggling for form, there may be an opening for Eze and/or Gordon on the left side of England’s forward line.

An Impressive Qualification Campaign

England made light work of a tough-looking qualification group as they finished above reigning European champions Italy, Ukraine and North Macedonia. The Three Lions remained unbeaten throughout qualification, winning 6 and drawing 2 of their 8 group games. England conceded just 4 goals in their 8 qualification matches whilst 8 goals from Harry Kane helped England rack up a total of 22 goals scored in those 8 matches.

England’s Fixtures

The draw for the group stage was kind for England with the tournament favourites drawn in Group C alongside Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia. England have an opportunity to lay the ghosts of 2006 to rest in their opening game as they take on Serbia at the same venue where they were beaten on penalties in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

If, as anticipated England top Group C they’ll be back in Gelsenkirchen for their round of 16 tie against one of the best-ranked third place teams. The Group C winners cannot meet the winners of any of the other six groups any earlier than the semi-final.

Here’s a full rundown of England’s Euro 2024 group stage fixtures.

Euro 2024 Odds

Whilst England are the bookies’ outright favourites, there are plenty of other nations with real aspirations of winning this summer’s tournament; world champions, France will again be there or thereabouts whilst hosts, Germany suddenly look like a real force on the international stage once more. Below are Betfair’s latest outright betting odds in full.

Outright Winners

Golden Boot

Group C Winner