By: Jerry Zhang

Last Friday, June 14, 2024, 24 European countries, including France, the U.K., and Serbia, gathered in Germany to compete in the UEFA European Football Championship to determine the continental champion of Europe.

The UEFA European Football Championship, also known as the Euro Cup, held its first competition in 1960 and has been held every four years since then. The tournament is divided into several groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to a knockout tournament, leading to the crowning of a champion.

So far, Germany and Spain have been the standout performers in this tournament, closely followed by Italy and France. With the high level of excitement for this year’s competition, six sports writers have shared their views on the event.

When asked the question, “Who will win the tournament?”, France emerged as the favorite. Senior writer of The Athletic, Oliver Kay, supports this by saying that France has “the strongest squad — not just in terms of talent and depth in all positions but also know-how and a proven ability to perform when the stakes are high.”

When asked to predict who will win the Golden Boot, there was a split opinion between Kylian Mbappé, a dominant player with unmatched speed and power, and Harry Kane, a record-setting goalscorer. However, half of the writers agreed that the best player would be Toni Kroos, a German footballer with great play-making potential.

However, predictions are only educated guesses. No one truly knows which country will be crowned the continental champion. It may be France, the expected answer, but it could also come out of left field. Serbia, the unlikely underdog, could be the one to win. However, until July 14, when the Euro 2024 final is scheduled, everyone will be watching in anticipation of this year’s winner.

Links:
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/page/uefaeuro/euro-2024-bracket-fixtures-schedule-finals
https://www.britannica.com/sports/European-Championship
https://www.uefa.com/euro2024/news/0257-0e13b161b2e8-4a3fd5615e0c-1000–euro-2024-all-you-need-to-know/
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5555685/2024/06/13/euro-2024-writer-predictions/?source=nyt_sports