Euro 2024 power rankings: Spain, Germany up top

We’re already more than a week into the competition, so now is an ideal time to share our Euro 2024 power rankings ahead of the final games.

24: Poland

They’re the first team to suffer elimination from the group stage, and for good reason. The team looked dull in both of their games despite taking the lead early. Robert Lewandowski was sorely missed in their two consecutive losses.

23: Georgia

Georgia’s a fun team, but their results reveal an inexperienced team with untapped potential. They look doomed to an early exit — which isn’t bad for the optimistic Georgians. They’ll have to beat Portugal to have a chance of advancing through their group.

22: Scotland

Scotland’s 5-1 loss to Germany has been the defining moment of the tournament. Toothless attack and not quite good enough on defense to hide their mistakes. Kieran Tierney’s tournament-long injury throws a further wrench in their plans. They did hold their own against Switzerland though. Against Hungary, they wasted several clearcut chances to win the match.

21: Serbia

Serbia has underperformed throughout the tournament and struggled to make their mark in the group stage despite the quality at their disposal. A disconnected Serbian side still out of form from the World Cup must beat Denmark to go through.

20: Albania

Albania has shown glimmers of promise. It’s too bad that their results haven’t shown it. They’re an exciting team that could do much more than they have right now, but they got unlucky and played in the tournament’s Group of Death. Their time in Germany will likely come to a complete stop. They need a win over Spain to progress to the knockout rounds.

19: Hungary

Hungary is one of two teams who lost their first two matches — the other being the eliminated Poland. They’ve played two elite teams in Switzerland (1-3) and Germany (0-2), and they went down fighting. Struggling with their tactical shape, they won against Scotland in injury-time. Whether that goal will be enough to see them through as a third-place team is doubtful, however.

Still some hope

18: Czechia

Czechia’s certainly a mixed bag. Although they can frustrate a superpower like Portugal at their peak, they struggled with Georgia. They’re not lower on this list because they have a somewhat doable task to reach the knockout stage: beat Turkey. Czechia can do it, but they’ve been incredibly inconsistent.

17: Slovakia

They’ve overperformed in a difficult group. They took an impressive three points over Belgium and nearly drew with Ukraine if not for Ukraine’s thrilling second-half comeback. They’re a frustrating team that admittedly has gotten lucky several times but is organized. They’ll likely need a win or draw to go through.

16: Ukraine

Ukraine’s shocking 3-0 loss to Romania has made an irreparable dent to their qualification chances, as they likely need a win or draw against superpowers Belgium. Ukraine’s star-studded spine has largely disappointed, and they’ve struggled against weaker teams.

15: Slovenia

Like Slovakia, Slovenia has held its own in a difficult group. The attack looks poised and unlucky to not score more than two goals throughout the tournament. They’re a sleeper team entering matchday three but they have to beat England to guarantee qualification.

Can do some damage

14: Croatia

Croatia was a pre-tournament dark horse to win Euro 2024, but they’ve fallen short. A 3-0 loss to Spain where they looked shocked by Spain’s speed and directness and were stunned in an exciting 2-2 draw to Albania. They still have the talent to do more in the tournament but a lack of organization and Croatia‘s decline in quality are winning. Croatia desperately needs to beat Italy to go through.

13: Romania

Romania blitzed through Ukraine with a pair of incredible goals to win 3-0. They fell back hard to Earth after a heavy 2-0 loss to Belgium, but there are still a lot of positives from the squad. The team looked well-drilled and organized in both games, although their lack of quality is a huge issue. They’re high up on the list because they only need a win or draw against Slovakia.

12: Austria

Austria kept it close against favorites France and dominated Poland. In an easier group, Austria could contend for a first-place spot. With three points in third place, Marcel Sabitzer’s squad needs at least a win or draw against the Dutch to go through. They could qualify with a loss depending on third-place scenarios.

Just one step away

11: Türkiye

Their thriller against Georgia cemented their status as a sleeper team, but an error-filled 3-0 loss to Portugal wiped it out. Several questions remain for Turkey. Is Arda Güler fit? What will coach Vincenzo Montella’s ever-rotating lineup look like? They’re a talented squad but need to be in top form against Czechia. With a win or draw, they’ll go through in the top two spots.

10: Denmark

Denmark dominated Slovenia in their opening match and really should have won if not for their wastefulness. They also put in an impressive performance against England. With two draws, a star-studded Danish squad should easily qualify for the knockout round. Denmark is slowly shaking off the rust of the World Cup and emerging again as one of Europe’s giants, but need to prove it with a win over Serbia.

9: Italy

At this point, Italy are not a genuine contender, and their performance against Spain proved it. They had to lean on Gianluigi Donnarumma and were outplayed throughout the match. Their 2-1 comeback win over Albania which saw them burnt in transition. Even worse, Italy will need a draw against Croatia to finish top two, which is easier said than done.

8: Belgium

Belgium’s 1-0 loss to Slovakia is embarrassing and unlucky. They should be miles away from their group but find themselves in a tricky final match with Ukraine where they need a win or draw. Belgium looks like a solid squad, but their flaws were exposed several times throughout the tournament.

7: Switzerland

They looked dominant in their 3-1 win over Hungary and were unlucky not to pull away from Scotland in a 1-1 draw. They’re a very talented team with a very talented manager at their head. They’ve looked organized and potent throughout the match. Against Germany on Sunday, they again impressed by their ability to control the game in a big match.

The contenders at Euro 2024

6: Netherlands

The Netherlands looked impressive against France, nearly stealing a win from the 2022 World Cup finalists but they looked shaky at best against Poland. Their come-from-behind victory revealed their striker problem — Memphis Depay is woefully wasteful. Their backline is still an issue for the Dutch — they were lucky to get a clean sheet amidst heavy French pressure and wastefulness.

The Dutch have done well despite early tournament-long injuries to Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners. They’re solid in attack, especially with Wout Weghorst at its head. Cody Gakpo and crew lead the Dutch, all but qualified, into a match against Austria.

5: England

England are still one of the favorites of the tournament, but they still have some problems. Questions have risen about manager Gareth Southgate’s lineup decisions, and England is suffering from several injuries in the camp. The team’s only left-footed defender Luke Shaw is struggling with fitness, while Southgate doesn’t have a natural central defensive midfielder to pair alongside Declan Rice…that he likes.

England’s 1-0 win to Serbia and their 1-1 draw to Denmark will be enough to progress. They only need to win or draw against Slovenia to go through or have Denmark draw or lose. But, Southgate’s squad looks shaky ahead of the knockout rounds.

4: France

France would probably be at the top of this list before the tournament started, but they looked far from their best against Austria and even farther against the Netherlands. The injury of Kylian Mbappé hurts France even more — luckily France is deep in their attacking depth.

France is all but qualified for the knockout rounds and they are arguably the best team at Euro 2024 — on paper. Although there’s still time for France to return to their old dominant ways, it needs to be as soon as possible. France needs a sizable win over already-eliminated Poland.

3: Portugal

Portugal is still flawed, but they’re one of only three teams at Euro 2024 who have won their first two games. They’ve had one of the easiest groups in the tournament, but they’ve still shown their quality and talent on the pitch. They’ve won against a low block (Czechia) a high-tempo pressing team (Türkiye), and demonstrated incredible determination and resolve in both matches. They’re arguably the most talented squad at this tournament, but questionable tactical decisions have slowed them down.

A comeback 2-1 win over Czechia and a dominant 3-0 victory against Türkiye have cemented their status as genuine contenders to lift the title, but Portugal has some work to get there.

2: Germany

Other than a poor start against Switzerland, Germany has been dominant throughout the tournament and has rarely put a foot wrong. They were the first to qualify for the knockout rounds after beating Scotland 5-1 and Hungary 2-0. The winger duo of Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala is unstoppable, while Toni Kroos is hitting peak form right before his retirement.

There are a lot of things to be excited about with this Germany team; the quality of the side, the synchrony, the tactics, and more. The only issue I can think about is Germany’s weakness in transition.

1: Spain

The team taking the top spot in the matchday two is Spain. Refreshing direct, unstoppable due to their pace, but still boasting the possession-oriented elements of its predecessors; no team has found the solution to stop Spain. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams have terrorized defenses at this Euros, while Fabián has come off as arguably the best midfielder at the Euro 2024 so far.

A dominant 3-0 win against Croatia and another impressive 1-0 win over Italy have shown they are the team to beat despite missing projected starter Gavi. The only remote question marks for Spain are how Unai Simon can play through his hurt ankle and whether Alvaro Morata can get the service he needs up top. Even then, those are remote worries.

Photo: IMAGO / mix1.