by Mohun Desai
For many Americans who follow sports, their focus might be on the upcoming NBA Finals or Stanley Cup Finals. Across the Atlantic Ocean though in Europe, the focus of sports fanatics is on soccer (football).
After witnessing Real Madrid decisively beat Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League Final, European fans will turn their attention to the looming UEFA European Football Championship that starts June 14th.
For those who aren’t familiar with the structure of European football, it comprises various domestic leagues who play under the supervision of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations).
One of UEFA’s many tasks is selecting the top European club teams from each European league to compete in continental tournaments such as the Europa Conference, Europa League and the most prestigious Champions League.
UEFA also is the governing body of Europe’s national football teams and hosts every 4 years the UEFA European Football Championship (Euros) where European national teams compete for the continental trophy.
Each global continent has similar style country tournaments organized by their respective continental organizations like Copa America in North and South America and AFCON for Africa).
A total of 24 countries will be competing in the 2024 Euros which were determined through a qualification tournament that started in March 2023 and ended March 2024.
Countries were placed into groups where the countries that finished in the first and second in their respective groups qualified for Euros.
The 3 remaining spots were fought for via the Nations League which were earned by Georgia, Poland and Ukraine. Russia is banned from the Euros competition due to their invasion of Ukraine and Germany automatically qualified as they’re the host country.
The last Euros took place in 2021 (due to the Covid pandemic) as it was scheduled for 2020. Italy beat England at their home stadium Wembley on penalties.
Currently, England, France and Germany are the top favorites to win the Euros but Spain, Italy Portugal and the Netherlands are also strong contenders to win it all. Dark Horses include the likes of Croatia, Denmark and Scotland.
Football fans at Irvington High School are looking forward to watching this tournament. Junior Fran Vukelj explains how the Euros are a “Great event that brings different cultures together in Europe for a special moment. It gives something to look forward to in the summer.
He points out that this tournament “helps people see similarities between others rather than division.” Because he is Albanian, he said he will be rooting for them.
In terms of who is winning the tournament he believes in Spain because “I know everyone believes France will win.”
With the influx of established, underdog and newcomers teams, Euro 2024 is shaping to be another memorable installation of this European competition.
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