2024 European Championships team guide: Every nation hunting for international glory

With the competition set to begin on June 14th and stretch for an entire month to July 14th, only one nation can be crowned European champions.

Among the favourites are hosts Germany, the ever-reliable France and Gareth Southgate's England - while current holders Italy, as well as the likes of Spain, Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands will all be quietly confident of their chances.

Then comes the dark horses; Croatia, possibly Denmark and even Scotland, while others will be hoping to put on a show at what promises to be another memorable international tournament.

Here, Flashscore take a look at every nation competing in Germany, who their star players are, their managers and their form heading towards the tournament.

Germany (Group A)

Germany will host Euro 2024, meaning they didn't have to go through the qualifying stages and instead played friendlies against other nations.

Their form had largely been poor until the March break, where they beat fellow contenders France and the Netherlands - showing signs of progress under young manager Julian Nagelsmann.

Nagelsmann has had struggles of his own over the last year or so, first being sacked by Bayern Munich and then struggling to implement a clear style on the national team. However, things seem to have turned a corner now and the hosts are in a solid spot heading towards the tournament.

A new generation of players have been bedded into the side, including the likes of Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz who make up a very exciting midfield.

Scotland (Group A)

Unlike fellow Group A members Germany, Scotland have somewhat regressed in the last six months and haven't won in their last seven games despite going on a run of five straight wins during the qualifying stages.

That run of form took them comfortably into the main tournament, although they now face a battle to get back to form before June.

Manager Steve Clarke has been with the nation for almost five years now and their progress has been remarkable despite a recent bump in the road.

They will open the tournament with a match against Germany, where the likes of Andrew Robertson, Scott McTominay and John McGinn will be key to their chances of success.

Hungary (Group A)

Hungary are surprisingly one of the most in-form nations heading into Euro 2024, having not lost a match in nearly two years and going unbeaten through their qualifying campaign.

Marco Rossi has steadily guided the national team since 2018, turning them into a very good side that has beaten the likes of England and Germany during his tenure.

Their most recognisable player is Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai - who captains the team - and will be at the heart of any sort of success this summer.

Switzerland (Group A)

Switzerland make up what could prove to be a very tight Group A, with only Germany the real standouts and the remaining three nations all competing to a relatively good level.

The Swiss have been mainstays at international tournaments for over a decade now and are still going strong under Murat Yakin having only lost once since the start of 2023.

Captain Granit Xhaka has had an excellent campaign with Bayer Leverkusen and will help bring together a solid national side, helped by fellow experienced heads like Yann Sommer and Manuel Akanji. 

Spain (Group B)

Three-time European champions Spain are part of this year's 'group of death' - featuring reigning champions Italy and World Cup bronze medalists Croatia.

The Spaniards have quietly gone about their business becoming a genuine contender approaching Euro 2024, building a solid side with the experienced heads of Dani Carvajal, Aymeric Laporte and Rodri combined with youthful talents like Pedri and Lamine Yamal.

Luis de la Fuente is in charge of the national team having coached his way through their youth sides before taking the senior role in 2022. His team only lost once during qualifying - a 2-0 defeat to Scotland - and showed signs of a very good offensive unit, thrashing Georgia 7-1, Cyprus 6-0 and Norway 3-0.

Croatia (Group B)

Croatia have enjoyed plenty of success in recent years under Zlatko Dalic, who is approaching his seventh year in charge of the national team.

Under his guidance they reached a World Cup final in 2018 and the third-placed play-off in 2022.

Dalic will be hoping to push further once more and have a successful European campaign, although once again Croatia will be considered dark horses rather than favourites - particularly because of the tough group they find themselves in.

Luka Modric is still a mainstay in the side and Josko Gvardiol will help bring together a usually solid defence that only conceded four goals throughout the qualifying campaign.

Italy (Group B)

Reigning champions Italy have faced a turbulent time since lifting the trophy back in 2021, failing to qualify for the World Cup and then struggling through the qualifying rounds for this year's tournament.

Regardless, Luciano Spalletti's squad have made it to Germany and now face a tricky Group B.

There will be renewed confidence with Spalletti in charge, though, following his Serie A success with Napoli last season and the Italians will be hopeful of going far once more.

Italy are another side that take advantage of a strong defence including the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alessandro Bastoni, Destiny Udogie and Giovanni Di Lorenzo. 

Albania (Group B)

A surprise inclusion at Euro 2024 is Albania, who have qualified for just the second time in their history - having also never qualified for a World Cup before.

Their last major international tournament was Euro 2016 where they were eliminated in the group stages.

They are managed by none other than former Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester City defender Sylvinho, who took over at the start of 2023 and has overseen 11 games, winning five, drawing three and losing three.

Unfortunately for Albania, they find themselves in a very tough group and will need the experienced heads of Brentford goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha and Lazio defender Elseid Hysaj to step up in the summer. Also, keep an eye out for Armando Broja up front, who blossomed at Chelsea's famous youth academy and is currently on loan at Fulham.

Slovenia (Group C)

Slovenia have lost just twice since the start of the 2022/23 season and have built up a fair bit of momentum heading into the summer.

They only finished second in qualifying to Denmark and have since picked up big wins against the likes of the USA and Portugal.

Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak will be captain at the Euros, while exciting young striker Benjamin Sesko will lead the line - with long-term manager Matjaz Kek overseeing the campaign.

Denmark (Group C)

The surprise packages of Euro 2020, Denmark have continued to improve and managed to only lose twice throughout qualifying this time around, a 2-0 defeat to Northern Ireland and a shock 3-2 loss to Kazakhstan.

There will be a host of new faces for the Danes in Germany, including Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund - who took the Premier League by storm following the turn of the new year before picking up an injury.

Kasper Hjulmand remains in charge of the national team with an impressive win rate of 63.27% and it looks like Denmark could be a dark horse on the international stage once again - certainly a team to look out for in the summer.

Serbia (Group C)

Despite fairly regular appearances at the World Cup, Serbia have never actually qualified for the Euros as a standalone nation.

That has finally changed for 2024, with Serbia finishing second in qualifying behind Hungary and booking their spot at the tournament in Group C alongside Denmark, Slovenia and England.

Captain and record appearance holder Dusan Tadic will be part of an attack also featuring record goalscorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, with head coach Dragan Stojkovic overseeing what will hopefully be a productive first European championship for Serbia.

England (Group C)

It looks like regardless of success, this could be Gareth Southgate's final major tournament as England manager and despite some grievances in recent years, fans will likely look back fondly on his tenure.

The Three Lions reached the final of the previous Euros only to lose on penalties and will be looking to go one better in Germany.

They had an unbeaten qualifying campaign and have been handed a favourable group heading into the tournament, with supporters hoping to finally capitalise on what is an excellent generation of footballers.

Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Phil Foden are all having fantastic campaigns while John Stones offers a solid defensive base to build upon. The real issue England face is sorting out the final few spots in the team, namely left-back, central defence and a third midfielder.

Poland (Group D)

Poland scraped into the Euros after beating Wales on penalties in the qualifying play-off final and they now find themselves in a tricky Group D consisting of the Netherlands, Austria and France.

While they struggled to qualify for the tournament, their squad still contains many recognisable stars like Wojciech Szczesny, Piotr Zielinski and legendary goalscorer Robert Lewandoski who will all need big contributions if they are to get out of a tough group.

Michal Probierz will be in charge for the summer, being promoted from Poland's under-21 side last year. The 51-year-old has been in management since 2005 but has not managed outside of Poland since 2012.

Netherlands (Group D)

The Netherlands have struggled to have any real impact on the European Championships in recent editions of the competition, failing to qualify in 2016 and only reaching the first knockout round at Euro 2020.

Head coach Ronald Koeman has guided them to some success in recent years, leading the Dutch through qualifying for the Euros with just two losses - both against France. They also reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2022 under Louis van Gaal.

Captain Virgil van Dijk is undoubtedly their key man on the pitch, marshalling their back line with his usual commanding presence as one of the world's best defenders.

Keep an eye on young talent Xavi Simons in attack, who has excelled over the last two seasons at both PSV and Leipzig.

Austria (Group D)

Austria have lost just once in their last 14 games - a 3-2 qualifying defeat against Belgium - and come into Euro 2024 in good form as a result, which will be needed in a tough Group D consisting of Poland, the Netherlands and France.

Former Stoke and West Ham forward Marko Arnautovic is their record appearance holder and second top goalscorer ever but missed out on the recent international break due to injury - although he should be fit again with plenty of time to spare ahead of the summer.

It's a different story for captain David Alaba, who suffered an ACL injury at the end of 2023. It remains to be seen whether he will be fit in time for the summer, but it looks unlikely.

Austria's head coach will be familiar to plenty of supporters - former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick.

France (Group D)

Perhaps overall favourites for the tournament, France again seem likely to go all the way and add another major honour under Didier Deschamps.

They won the World Cup under the Frenchman in 2018 and reached the final in 2022, while not performing quite as well during Euro 2020 - losing in the round of 16 to Switzerland.

Les Bleus will look to Kylian Mbappe to help reach their goals, with the forward looking to shine on the big stage once again as he closes on France's all-time top scorer accolade at an alarmingly quick rate.

Belgium (Group E)

The time appears to have passed for Belgium's 'golden generation' to make their mark on international football and Euro 2024 could be their final clear shot at glory.

With Kevin De Bruyne often hampered by injury and the inconsistent Romelu Lukaku who seems to shy away from the biggest occasions, it seems like the Belgians are facing one last chance to triumph on the international stage.

Dominic Tedesco is so far unbeaten as Belgium's manager, though, and has put together a solid run of form heading towards the tournament.

They have gone toe-to-toe with England and Germany in the last year and could build momentum further with a fairly straightforward group at the European Championships - perhaps this will finally be the year that Belgium add fresh silverware to their trophy cabinet

Slovakia (Group E)

Slovakia finished second in their qualifying group behind Portugal, winning seven, drawing one and losing two.

Their form took a hit in the latest international break, however, losing to Austria and only managing a draw against Norway.

They were without Milan Skriniar for those games though, who is their captain and standout player by far and will be crucial to their chances at Euro 2024.

Interestingly, their manager is Francesco Calzona, who has recently been appointed as interim head coach of Napoli in Serie A - a role he will perform alongside his duties as national team manager.

Romania (Group E)

It's the first major tournament since 2016 for Romania after topping their group in qualifying with an unbeaten record, only conceding five goals in the process.

Edward Iordanescu has got his side playing some nice stuff, although they are yet to beat any high-ranking opposition barring a 1-0 win over Switzerland at the end of 2023.

One name supporters will recognise is Ianis Hagi - Rangers midfielder on loan at Alaves and the son of legendary Gheorghe Hagi.

Ukraine (Group E)

Completing Group E is Ukraine, who beat Bosnia and Herzegovina and then Iceland in the qualifying play-offs to secure their spot in Germany.

They had a very positive qualifying campaign and finished level on points with Italy, only losing out on automatic qualification due to their head-to-head record with the Italians.

Regardless, they find themselves in a very evenly balanced Group E, perhaps as favourites to advance in second place behind Belgium.

Ukraine are managed by Serhiy Rebrov, who had a respectable playing career with the likes of Dynamo Kyiv, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

Turkey (Group F)

The infamous 'dark horses' of Euro 2020 are back again this time around and will be hoping to do better than last time out, where they lost every game and failed to score a goal.

Turkey cruised through qualifying pretty much unscathed, topping a group featuring Croatia and Wales, although lost both games during the March break - including a 6-1 defeat to Austria.

Arda Guler is the main talent to keep an eye on after some promising showings for Real Madrid this season, although the 19-year-old will need help from his experienced teammates.

Their manager is Vincenzo Montella who has been in charge since 2023 and has experience at big clubs in the past, taking charge of the likes of AC Milan and Sevilla.

Georgia (Group F)

Georgia caused a major upset reaching Euro 2024, qualifying after beating Greece on penalties in the play-off final.

They will likely struggle in the summer and expectations are low, but mercurial Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will give them some hope in Germany.

Kvaratskhelia has excelled over the last two seasons, particularly in 2022/23 where he netted 11 goals and got 10 assists in the Serie A.

Five-time Bundesliga champion and former Bayern Munich defender and interim coach Willy Sagnol is in charge, bringing a winning mentality that will be key to any chances of success in the summer.

Portugal (Group F)

Portugal will be clear favourites to advance from Group F following a perfect qualifying campaign, winning all 10 games and only conceding two goals.

They have one of the strongest squads at the tournament too - on paper, at least - boasting the likes of Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leao and the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo.

Under the tutelage of experienced international manager Roberto Martinez, Portugal could be a real force come the start of the tournament in June.

Czech Republic (Group F)

The Czech Republic have been a mainstay at the Euros ever since 1996 when they finished as runners-up and have enjoyed relative success since then, making the semi-finals in 2004 and the quarters last time out.

Manager Ivan Hasek has only been in charge since the start of 2024 but has a 100% record so far, winning 2-1 against both Norway and Armenia.

Patrik Schick will likely lead the line for the Czech Republic - a name supporters will recognise from his performance at the last European Championships where he netted five goals in five games.

The striker has done well when called upon for Leverkusen this season, scoring 11 goals in all competitions.