Outlook for European Cup: ranking in 2020 encourages teams to prepare for the next tournament

According to CCTV5 program list (January 19, 2024), the 2020 European Cup has become a history, but for the 24 teams participating in the tournament, the grand event that was postponed for one year still left a deep impression. In this European Cup, we saw the revival of Italy, the breakthrough of England, Denmark

According to CCTV5 program list (January 19, 2024), the 2020 European Cup has become a history, but for the 24 teams participating in the tournament, the grand event that was postponed for one year still left a deep impression. In this European Cup, we saw the revival of Italy, the breakthrough of England, the miracle of Denmark, and the failure of France, Germany, Portugal and other strong teams. The performance of these teams also laid the groundwork for the next Euro 2024 qualifier.

The Euro 2024 qualifier will start in March 2023, with 55 UEFA member states participating in the competition. According to the regulations of UEFA, the preliminary contest will be divided into 10 groups, the first two of each group will directly advance to the final circle, and the third of the remaining 10 groups will enter the play off to compete for the last four places in the final circle. In addition, the four group champions of the 2022-23 European National League will also be qualified for the play offs if they are not directly promoted through the qualifying match.

The 2024 European Cup finals will be held in Germany, with 10 cities and 10 stadiums hosting the matches. Germany, as the host country, will be automatically assigned to Group J of the qualifiers, the same group as Romania, Iceland, Northern Macedonia, Armenia and Liechtenstein. The German team was disappointing in the Euro 2020. At the end of the group game, it was tied by Hungary, and the last 16 teams were eliminated by England, becoming the bottom of the "group of death". Germany coach Joachim Loew also announced his resignation after the game, and Bayern Munich coach Frick took over. The German team hopes to revive its momentum in the European Cup at home. Therefore, they must perform well in the qualifiers to ensure the first place in the group.

Italy, the winner of the 2020 European Cup, will be in Group C of the qualifier with Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Andorra. The Italian team has been unbeaten for 34 consecutive games in the European Cup, breaking the world record of the Brazilian team, and demonstrating strong strength and the spirit of unity. Mancini, the coach of the Italian team, said that his goal is to lead the team to win the 2022 World Cup and 2024 European Cup again. For this reason, he will continue to cultivate young players and maintain the competitiveness and vitality of the team. The Italian team is superior in Group C of the preliminary round, so there should be no big problem to advance to the finals.

England, the runner up of the 2020 European Cup, will face the challenges of Poland, Hungary, Albania, Andorra and San Marino, and will be divided into Group I of the qualifying match. England reached the first final in history in the European Cup. Although they were defeated by Italy on penalties, they still showed strong strength and potential. England coach Robert Southgate said that he was confident of the team's future, and he believed that the team would be able to win the 2022 World Cup and 2024 European Cup again. The biggest opponents of England in Group I of the qualifying match are Poland and Hungary, who performed well in the European Cup, drew with France and Germany, and almost qualified. England need to remain focused and stable and strive for the first place in the group.

Other strong teams in the 2020 European Cup, such as France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands and Denmark, will also seek revenge and proof in the qualifiers. Their opponents are different, some are easier, some are more difficult, but they should not be taken lightly, otherwise they may encounter unexpected setbacks. The specific matches of the 10 groups in the qualifiers are shown in the following table:

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