Can Germany Win Euro 2024?

Are the hosts Germany a legit contender at the 2024 EURO?

For the second time in history, Germany will host the European football championship. The best 24 national teams from the old continent will fight for the trophy in ten stadiums around Germany. The 2024 EURO starts on June 14, and we will get the new champion on July 14 at the Olimpiastadion in Berlin.

Germany will host a major football tournament for the first time since 2006, when they hosted the World Cup. Germany finished third in that competition and is hoping to get one step further and have a chance to play for the trophy.

Germany's History at the European Championship

This will be the 14th time that Germany will be a part of the European Championship, which makes them the nation with the most appearances. In five of those, they participated as West Germany, and in the last eight, as a unified country.

Germany won the trophy three times before, in 1972, 1980, and 1996, and is the most successful nation alongside Spain, who also won three times. Germany is also the leader with nine semifinal appearances.

Germany made their debut at the European Championships in 1972 after missing the first three editions. The competition featured only four teams. Germany defeated the host nation, Belgium, 2-1 in the semifinals, with Gerd Muller scoring both goals. They were dominant in the final, beating the Soviet Union 3-0, with Muller scoring twice and Herbert Wimmer adding the third goal.

In 1976, Germany lost in the final to Czechoslovakia on a penalty shootout, and in 1980, they were back on top. In the final, Germany defeated Belgium 2-1, with Horst Hrubesch scoring twice.

The 1984 European Championship was the first one in which Germany did not advance from the group stage, finishing in fifth place in the end.

In 1988, Germany hosted the tournament for the first time and lost 2-1 in the semifinals to the Netherlands, who later won the title.

In 1992, they had another tough pill to swallow, being stunned 2-0 in the final against Denmark, who showed up at the tournament as a replacement for Yugoslavia and ended up winning the biggest trophy in their history.

Germany was back on top of the continent in 1996, beating the Czech Republic in the final. Oliver Bierhoff scored a golden goal in overtime to give the Germans a 2-1 win.

They were not that lucky in the next two tournaments, finishing in 15th place in 2000 and in 12th place four years later.

Germany was back in the final in 2008 but lost 1-0 to Spain in the final. Four years later, they lost 2-1 to Italy in the semifinals, and in 2016, they lost 2-0 to France in the same stage of the competition.

At the last EURO in 2020, Germany tied their worst record, finishing in 15th place after losing 2-0 to England in the round of 16 game.

In total, they have played 53 games at EURO, winning 27 of them with 13 draws and 13 losses. They scored a total of 78 goals and allowed 55.

Bastian Schweinsteiger is the player with the most games played at EURO with 18, followed by Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer with 15 appearances.

Jurgen Klinsmann and Mario Gomez are the top scorers with five goals each, while Gerd Muller, Rudi Voller, Dieter Muller, and Lukas Podolski have scored four goals each.

Related: What are the best betting sites for the Euros?

Is Julian Nagelsmann the Right Man for the Job?

After Joachim Low spent 15 years as Germany’s head coach and won the 2014 FIFA World Cup, it was time for change. Hansi Flick replaced him on the hot seat in 2021 but was gone after only two years, and the failure at the 2022 FIFA World Cup cost him his job. Rudi Voller was an interim coach for a month before Julian Nagelsmann was named the new head coach.

Nagelsmann took over the job on September 23, 2023, after spending less than two seasons with Bayern Munich. At the time, he was only 35 years old, becoming the second-youngest coach to lead the German national team.

Unlike the previous coaches, Nagelsmann did not have a remarkable playing career, as he had to quit playing at the age of 20 after multiple serious injuries. He wanted to stay in football and began his coaching career as a youth coach at TSG Hoffenheim in 2010, and five years later he took over the senior squad, taking the team to third place in the Bundesliga and its first-ever Champions League appearance.

In 2019, Nagelsmann took over RB Leipzig, and the following year, he led the team to the Champions League semifinal. Being that successful at such a young age, Nagelsmann became the highest-paid coach ever after taking over Bayern Munich in 2021 for a record €25 million fee.

He won the Bundesliga in his first season in Munich, and during the next one, he was surprisingly fired by the team. At that point, Nagelsmann had won 14 consecutive Champions League group matches, which tied Luis Van Gaal’s record, but the team management, led by former Bayern Munich players Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic, made a brave and questionable move to sack Nagelsmann after he won 71.4% of the games as the club’s coach.

Despite his age, Nagelsmann was named the new head coach of the national team and is seen as someone who may be in that position for a long time, but all that will depend mainly on the team's success at the 2024 EURO.

He took over the team, which is still in the process of changing generations. It feels like the right moment for such a move, as Nagelsmann will be able to grow together with the players. Still, the football federation and the general public expect him to take the team deep at the EURO, but the pressure on him is not that big as he already signed a contract extension that guarantees him the job by 2026 and the next World Cup.

Nagelsmann has led the team in only eight games so far, all of them friendly. He has a record of four wins, two draws, and two losses, including wins over the Netherlands and France.

It is still too early to judge his success as the national team coach, as he is about to lead the team to the first major competition. What goes in his favor is the fact that Germany keeps their identity playing with high discipline and the team works well on the pitch. They are patiently creating scoring opportunities, and the defensive line looks confident. The majority of the squad has limited experience in major competitions, and Nagelsmann knows how to get the best out of his players. With the support of the home crowd, Nagelsmann’s team can beat anybody at the EURO, and he will prove to the nation that he is ready to take the team to new heights.

Who will play for Germany at the 2024 EURO?

Nagelsmann did not make any surprising selections when he announced the 26-man roster for the 2024 Euro. 21 of those players compete in the Bundesliga, with five others playing away from Germany.

Veterans Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, and Thomas Muller have plenty of experience on the international scene, with all three of them being in the squad that won the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

There are plenty of younger guys who are ready to take on a bigger role at the 2024 Euro. Barcelona’s Ilkay Gundogan will play next to Kroos in the midfield and will be a constant threat for the opponents. Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala are the leaders of Bayern Munich, and they work well together on the pitch, and Nagelsmann will know how to take advantage of that.

Germany 2024 EURO squad: The full 26-man roster

Who will be Germany’s leading scorer?

Germany is well known for the formation 4-2-3-1, and Nagelsmann will continue with that trend. Their midfield is very creative, being able to constantly attack and having multiple players ready for the final shot. The ball movement and the connection between the players in the offensive line are something that sets this team apart, and there is no doubt that Germany will score plenty of goals at the 2024 EURO.

Kai Havertz is the one who is expected to be the leading scorer for Germany. He is coming off a successful season with Arsenal scoring 13 goals in 37 games in the Premier League. He also scored a goal in the Champions League and has been one of the most consistent players for the Gunners. Havertz has scored 16 goals in 46 appearances for Germany, and he will most likely be one of the top stars of the 2024 EURO.

Leroy Sane is one of the key pieces in the Bayern Munich lineup. He is everywhere on the pitch and scored eight goals in 27 games for the Bavarians in the Bundesliga season. He played all 12 games for them in the Champions League, scoring twice. Sane has played 60 games for Germany since 2015 and has scored 13 goals.

Niclas Fullkrug is a player who made his debut for the national team at a later stage of his career, one of the dark horses of Euro 2024 and will have a chance to show everyone that he belongs in the squad. Fullkrug scored 12 goals in 31 appearances for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and scored three goals in their epic journey to the Champions League final.

Can Germany win the group?

As usual for the host nation, Germany will be a part of Group A alongside Switzerland, Hungary, and Scotland. There is no doubt that they are the main favorite to win the group and will most likely do that, as the only question is whether they will win all three games.

They are starting the journey on Day 1 of the tournament, facing Scotland at the Football Arena in Munich. Germany won the last three games against the Scots and will make a statement at the beginning of the competition with a comfortable win.

On June 19th, Germany is playing Hungary at the MHPArena in Stuttgart. Hungary has won four of their last five games and defeated Germany two years ago, 1-0 in Leipzig, in the Nations League. They will definitely be a serious contender, but Germany will take care of business.

Germany will close out the group stage against Switzerland on June 23rd at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt. They will probably have full control of the standings by this point and will seal the deal for the top spot in the group in this game. Germany has not won in the last three games against Switzerland, and this seems like the perfect opportunity to do that.

How deep can Germany go at 2024 EURO?

Given the odds, Germany is ranked third among the favorites to win the 2024 EURO, right behind England and France. It’s been a while since Germany has made some significant success on a big stage, and after a couple of years struggling with the change of the generation, this team seems ready for big things.

Nagelsmann has a great mix of experienced players and youngsters in their prime who are ready and willing to show the world that Germany is still one of the best football nations. With the support of the home fans and the discipline that is a synonym for the German team, this squad can definitely go all the way to the finals, and anything would be possible at the Olimpiastadion in Berlin on July 14th.

Germany Outright Odds

Odds Source: Interbet