Home of football statistics and historyEngland head into the 2024 European Championship in Germany as the bookmakers’ favourites to lift their first major silverware in 58 years.
Their only previous international success was the 1966 World Cup on home soil and it would be brave move to wager on them ending their barren streak.
Manager Gareth Southgate’s overly cautious nature has cost England dearly at recent tournaments and it could be a similar story this summer.
Read on as we look at England’s group stage fixtures and Euro 2024 squad, before assessing their chances of lifting the prestigious trophy on July 14.
England Euro 2024 Fixtures
England have been drawn in Group C at Euro 2024. Their fixtures are as follows:
- Sunday, June 16 – Group C: Serbia vs England (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen – kick-off 8.00 pm UK time)
- Thursday, June 20 – Group C: Denmark vs England (Waldstadion, Frankfurt – kick-off 5.00 pm UK time)
- Tuesday, June 25 – Group C: England vs Slovenia (RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne – kick-off 8.00 pm UK time)
England Euro 2024 Squad
Southgate made several surprising selections in his Euro 2024 squad. The 26 players who will represent England this summer are as follows:
- Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).
- Defenders: Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
- Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).
- Forwards: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
England Euro 2024 Preview
While England qualified fairly comfortably for Euro 2024, they produced several underwhelming performances along the way.
Results in the run-up to the tournament have been uninspiring, with Southgate’s side winning just one of their four outings this year.
The Three Lions head into the tournament with question marks hanging over them, which makes their status as the bookies’ favourites hugely questionable.
Southgate’s squad selection sparked plenty of debate – most notably surrounding his decision to leave out Jack Grealish and James Maddison.
However, it can be argued that England still have plenty of attacking flair at their disposal and have the ability to cause teams problems if everything clicks.
The biggest issues facing England are in defence and midfield, with both areas of the squad looking short of the depth needed to win a major tournament.
John Stones is England’s only world-class operator at centre-back, but his penchant for picking up injuries is a massive concern.
The squad is also short of quality at left-back, with injury-prone Luke Shaw the only natural option available to Southgate this summer.
Things are even cloudier in midfield after Southgate opted to dispense with several favoured players from previous tournaments.
Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are nailed on to start in the engine room, but who partners them could be the difference between success and failure in Germany.
Southgate will reportedly choose Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold for the opening game against Serbia despite the fact he is not a natural midfielder.
While he has a decent passing range, Southgate’s persistence in experimenting with the full-back in the centre of the park is baffling.
That point was hammered home in the recent friendly against Bosnia & Herzegovina when Alexander-Arnold was eventually moved out of midfield in favour of Adam Wharton.
The Crystal Palace starlet ran the show in the middle of the park and is streets ahead of his Liverpool counterpart in that department.
If Southgate recognises what Wharton brings to England’s midfield, they could mount a serious challenge for European glory this summer.
However, he will probably reject the opportunity to start a player who is a genuine game-changer and leave England empty-handed once again.
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