After UEFA’s 55 countries played dozens of games, the final 24 of Euro 2020 is taking shape, with 20 team securing qualification.Plenty of Europe’s top nations are ready to set sail for Euro 2020. Here are those who will take part in next summer’s tournament. the number of teams has been increased.
AUSTRIA
How did they qualify? Runners-up in Group G
Top scorer in qualifying: Marko Arnautovic (6)
Previous best at Euros: Group stages in 2008 and 2016
Euro 2016: Group stage FIFA Ranking: 25
Manager: Franco Foda – the German rounded off his playing days in Austria with Sturm Graz and later became their manager before taking over the national team job in January last year. Having secured qualification, his next task is to achieve a first victory at a major finals since the 1990 World Cup.
Star player: Marko Arnautovic – the hard-to-contain striker has been in prolific form for his country this year having swapped West Ham for Chinese club Shanghai SIPG back in July.
BELGIUM
How did they qualify? Winners of Group I
Top scorer in qualifying: Romelu Lukaku (7)
Previous best at Euros: Runners-up in 1980, lost 2-1 to West Germany
Euro 2016: Lost 3-1 to Wales in quarter-finals FIFA Ranking: 1
Manager: Roberto Martinez – a manager well known to an English audience following his lower league playing career and stints in charge of Swansea, Wigan Athletic and Everton. Now tasked with guiding Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ to some kind of tournament success.
Star player: Eden Hazard – Hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since his £90million summer move from Chelsea to Real Madrid but still of crucial importance to Belgium’s chances with his world class speed, trickery and creativity.
CROATIA
How did they qualify? Winners of Group E
Top scorer in qualifying: Bruno Petkovic (4)
Previous best at Euros: Quarter-finals in 1996 and 2008
Euro 2016: Round of 16, lost 1-0 after extra time to Portugal FIFA Ranking: 7
Manager: Zlatko Dalic – earned plenty of plaudits in Croatia and beyond for taking them to the final of last year’s World Cup in his first taste of international management. The wins have continued since the high of last summer and Croatia will again be tricky customers at Euro 2020.
Star player: Luka Modric – the man who broke the monopoly of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by winning last year’s Ballon d’Or off the back of Croatia’s World Cup run. Still hugely influential for his country even after 13 years and 127 caps with his vision in midfield.
CZECH REPUBLIC
How did they qualify? Runners up in Group A
Top scorer in qualifying: Patrik Schick (4)
Previous best at Euros: Winners in 1976 (as Czechoslovakia), beat West Germany on penalties after 2-2 draw.
Euro 2016: Group stage FIFA Ranking: 43
Manager: Jaroslav Silhavy – the former defender holds the record for the most appearances in the Czech top-flight with 465 before a successful conversion into coaching. He was the Czechs assistant manager between 2001 and 2009 before getting the top job in 2018. Steered them to second place in qualifying behind England, inflicting the only defeat of the campaign on Gareth Southgate’s side last month.
Star player: Tomas Soucek – the 24-year-old midfielder has become increasingly important to the national side as he has with his club Slavia Prague, winning two league titles and two Czech cups in recent years.
DENMARK
How did they qualify? Runners-up in Group D
Top scorer in qualifying: Christian Eriksen (5)
Previous best at Euros: Winners in 1992
Euro 2016: Did not qualify FIFA Ranking: 14
Manager: Age Hareide – the Norwegian is something of a Scandinavian expert having won league titles in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Took the Danes to the last 16 of the World Cup last year before their elimination on penalties by eventual finalists Croatia.
Star player: Christian Eriksen – the best known Danish player who is fast approaching 100 caps for his country. Eriksen may well be coming to the end of his time with Tottenham Hotspur and Euro 2020 will be a chance for him to place his many talents in the shop window.
ENGLAND
How did they qualify? Winners of Group A
Top scorer in qualifying: Harry Kane (12)
Previous best at Euros: Third place in 1968, lost 1-0 to Yugoslavia in semi-finals
Euro 2016: Last 16, lost 2-1 to Iceland FIFA Ranking: 4
Manager: Gareth Southgate – England remain a work in progress but they have been transformed since Southgate took over as their manager at the end of 2016. Led England to the semi-finals of last year’s World Cup, into the Nations League finals and comfortably through the qualifiers. Now to end those long years of hurt on home soil next summer.
Star player: Raheem Sterling – incredible returns of goals and assists in recent months for Manchester City and England have confirmed Sterling’s world class status. The forward seems to get better every time he takes to the field. Let’s hope his bust-up with Joe Gomez in the latest England camp doesn’t cause long-term friction.
FINLAND
How did they qualify? Runners up in Group J
Top scorer in qualifying: Teemu Pukki (10)
Previous best at Euros: Never qualified
Euro 2016: Did not qualify FIFA Ranking: 55
Manager: Markku Kanerva – the former defender was capped by Finland 59 times as a player before serving first as the country’s under-21 coach and then assistant before stepping up to the top job in 2016. Has worked wonders to deliver Finland to their first-ever major tournament.
Star player: Teemu Pukki – It was an astonishing qualification campaign for the Norwich City man, who scored 10 times to propel Finland to their first finals. He will be their main goalscoring threat next summer but first has to save his club from dropping out of the Premier League.
FRANCE
How did they qualify? Winners of Group H
Top scorer in qualifying: Olivier Giroud (6)
Previous best at Euros: Winners in 1984 and 2000
Euro 2016: Runners-up, lost 1-0 to Portugal FIFA Ranking: 2
Manager: Didier Deschamps – national hero status is well and truly confirmed for Deschamps, who captained Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000. And having been appointed manager in 2012, he led a ridiculously talented squad to a memorable World Cup win in Russia last year. They will start Euro 2020 as one of the strong favourites having experienced bitter disappointment in 2016.
Star player: Antoine Greizmann – absolutely outstanding at Euro 2016 and also the World Cup in 2018, Griezmann is certainly a player for the big tournament occasion. Has 30 goals in 78 outings for the national side and will be instrumental again no doubt.
GERMANY
How did they qualify? Winners of Group C
Top scorer in qualifying: Serge Gnabry (8)
Previous best at Euros: Winners in 1972, 1980 and 1996
Euro 2016: Semi-finals, lost 2-0 to France FIFA Ranking: 16
Manager: Joachim Low – preparing for his seventh major tournament, long-serving Low will be desperate to atone for the humiliation of their group stage exit at the World Cup, having been the reigning champions from 2014. Low has subsequently shaken things up in the squad and Germany will, as ever, be rated among the favourites.
Key player: Toni Kroos – One of the few veterans of that 2014 triumph to have survived Low’s recent culls to make room for fresh blood. The 29-year-old Real Madrid midfielder’s passing and vision remain an essential component.
HOLLAND
How did they qualify? Runners-up in Group C
Top scorer in qualifying: Georginio Wijnaldum (8)
Previous best at Euros: Winners in 1988
Euro 2016: Did not qualify FIFA Ranking: 12
Manager: Ronald Koeman – after the embarrassment of failing to make Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, Koeman has revitalised the Dutch side by bringing through talented youngsters. Reaching the final of the Nations League back in the summer was a good yardstick of the progress made and they will expect to do well at Euro 2020.
Star player: Virgil van Dijk – Likely the best defender in the world at the moment, Van Dijk was pivotal in Liverpool’s Champions League win last season and is key to their Premier League title challenge now. He will be the rock at the back upon which Dutch hopes are based for many years ahead.
ITALY
How did they qualify? Winners of Group J
Top scorer in qualifying: Andrea Belotti (5)
Previous best at Euros: Winners in 1968, beat Yugoslavia 2-0 in replay.
Euro 2016: Quarter-finals, lost to Germany on penalties FIFA Ranking: 15
Manager: Roberto Mancini – appointed after Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Mancini has helped turn their fortunes around and Italy reached the Euros with a perfect 10 wins out of 10 in their qualifying group. Having not been a major force for a while, he has offered hope the Azzurri are on their way back.
Star player: Marco Verratti – a smooth operator in central midfield, Verratti has enjoyed a hugely successful few years with Paris Saint-Germain. If he can transfer that to the national team, they may well challenge.
POLAND
How did they qualify? Winners of Group G
Top scorer in qualifying: Robert Lewandowski (6)
Previous best at Euros: Quarter-finals in 2016, lost on penalties to Portugal after 1-1 draw
Euro 2016: Quarter-finals FIFA Ranking: 21
Manager: Jerzy Brzeczek – a Poland international midfielder during the 1990s, Brzeczek took over as manager in 2018 but struggled in the Nations League as the team suffered relegation from the top tier. Qualifying hasn’t been a walk in the park either, with calls for him to quit after a loss to Slovenia. However, they got there in the end and he will lead them forward.
Star player: Robert Lewandowski – it looks as though lethal Lewandowski could enter the Euros in the best scoring form of his career. In insanely good form for Bayern Munich, with 23 goals in their opening 18 games of the season, he is already Poland’s all-time leading scorer with 60 goals to his name.
PORTUGAL
How did they qualify? Runners-up in Group B
Top scorer in qualifying: Cristiano Ronaldo (11)
Previous best at Euros: Winners in 2016
Euro 2016: Winners, beat France 1-0 in the final FIFA Ranking: 6
Manager: Fernando Santos – Santos, who was appointed national team coach in 2014, has delivered long-anticipated success to Portugal by winning the last European Championship in 2016 and last summer’s UEFA Nations League. It will be a tall order to defend their crowd, however.
Star player: Cristiano Ronaldo – still one of the finest players on the planet even at the age of 34, Ronaldo has truly excelled for Portugal since scratching the itch of winning a major international tournament at Euro 2016. He took his international tally to 99 goals during the final round of qualifiers and will wish to make his mark on another finals.
RUSSIA
How did they qualify? Runner-up in Group !
Top scorer in qualifying: Artem Dyzuba (9)
Previous best at Euros: Winners in 1960 as USSR; semi-finals in 2008 as Russia
Euro 2016: Group stage FIFA Ranking: 37
Manager: Stanislav Cherchesov – The former national team goalkeeper took the reins in August 2016 and exceeded expectations by guiding Russia to the quarter-finals of their home World Cup, a run which included a memorable penalty shoot-out win over Spain. He has continued that momentum by getting them to another finals.
Star player: Artem Dzyuba – Excelled in qualifying with nine goals – albeit four came in a 9-0 win over San Marino – and is clearly Russia’s leading goal threat. The Zenit St Petersburg forward has a very good international goal record of 24 in 40 games.
SPAIN
How did they qualify? Winners of Group F
Top scorers in qualifying: Alvaro Morata, Sergio Ramos, Rodrigo (4)
Previous best at Euros: Winners in 1964, 2008 and 2012
Euro 2016: Last 16, lost 2-0 to Italy FIFA Ranking: 8
Manager: Luis Enrique – After seeing his former assistant Robert Moreno wrap up Spain’s qualification, Luis Enrique announced he was returning to the fold 11 months after stepping down because of his daughter’s ill health. Xana tragically passed away from bone cancer aged nine back in August.
Star player: Sergio Ramos – still the chief even at the age of 33, Ramos organises the Spain defence and supplied the leadership. He also chips in with a few goals, usually from the penalty spot after pulling rank to take them during qualifying. Likely has one tournament left in him.
SWEDEN
How did they qualify? Runners up in Group F
Top scorer in qualifying: Robin Quaison (5)
Previous best at Euros: Semi-finals in 1992
Euro 2016: Group stage FIFA Ranking: 18
Manager: Janne Andersson – The man responsible for revitalising the Swedish side following a poor Euro 2016. Led them to the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup, where they were knocked out by England. They have kicked on, winning promotion from League B to League A in the Nations League and now reaching the Euros.
Star player: Emil Forsberg – The forward is part of the exciting RB Leipzig side who are being considered as Bundesliga title challengers in the near future. More renowned for his creativity than his finishing but one of Sweden’s dangermen.
SWITZERLAND
How did they qualify? Winners of Group D
Top scorer in qualifying: Cedric Itten (3)
Previous best at Euros: Last 16 in 2016
Euro 2016: Last 16, lost 5-4 on penalties to Poland after 1-1 draw FIFA Ranking: 13
Manager: Vladimir Petkovic – Preparing now for his third finals in the job after leading the Swiss in 2016 and 2018. In both, they managed to get out of their group but no further than the last-16, so that will be the target for the campaign next summer.
Star player: Granit Xhaka – the Arsenal captain may well be the target of derision at the Emirates Stadium but he remains appreciated by Switzerland. The link man between defence and attack, Xhaka will hopefully find some confidence again before the summer.
TURKEY
How did they qualify? Runners up in Group H
Top scorer in qualifying: Cenk Tosun (5)
Previous best at Euros: Semi-finals in 2008, lost 3-2 to Germany
Euro 2016: Group stage FIFA Ranking: 32
Manager: Senol Gunes – The man who guided Turkey to a third place finish at the 2002 World Cup returned for a second stint with the national side in February and suceeded in taking them to another finals, two points behind leaders France in Group H despite taking four points off the world champions.
Star player: Cenk Tosun – Gunes was Tosun’s manager during his time with Besiktas so should know how to get the best out of the striker. The Everton man will play a more significant role in leading Turkey’s attack than he does for his club.
UKRAINE
How did they qualify? Winners of Group B
Top scorer in qualifying: Roman Yaremchuk (4)
Previous best at Euros: Group stages in 2012 and 2016
Euro 2016: Group stage FIFA Ranking: 22
Manager: Andriy Shevchenko – One of the best known managers at the Finals by virtue of his prolific goalscoring feats for AC Milan and others, Shevchenko has moved into management and been deeply involved with the Ukrainian national side. He was first assistant before becoming manager in 2016, leading them to a comfortable qualification that was sealed with a win over Portugal in October.
Star player: Andriy Yarmolenko – The West Ham man has 38 goals for his country and is just 10 behind his manager Shevchenko. All the more incentive to locate a rich vein of scoring form prior to the Euros. Having recovered from a long injury absence, Yarmolenko appears to be getting back to his best.
WALES
How did they qualify? Runners-up in Group E
Top scorer in qualifying: Gareth Bale, Kieffer Moore, Aaron Ramsey (2 each)
Previous best at Euros: Semi-finals in 2016, lost 2-0 to Portugal
Euro 2016: Semi-finals FIFA Ranking: 24
Manager: Ryan Giggs – the Manchester United legend is making good strides as a manager, as shown by the way Wales kept in contention in qualifying and then dragged themselves over the finish line.
Star player: Gareth Bale – No questions here. Bale may be a bit-part player at Real Madrid but he’s absolutely crucial for Wales and their hopes of making an impact at the Euros as they did in 2016.
