Should the European Championship become a 32-team tournament? (2024)

There are currently no continental major tournaments at international level that are made up of more than 24 teams. Copa America has just 16 while the European Championship and the Africa Cup of Nations both have 24.

But there is an argument that the Euros is ready to expand to bring it in line with the World Cup by also being a 32-team tournament.

This year, Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard will miss out as Norway failed to qualify, similarly Alexander Isak with Sweden. There is no place for 2016 semi-finalists Wales or 2004 winners Greece.

While they would probably not be contending for the trophy, none of those four teams would look out of place at this year’s tournament and the same can be said for several other European nations. So, maybe it is time for another expansion and one that would simplify qualification to the knockout stage as, like at the World Cup, the top two teams from every group progress while the bottom two are eliminated.

European football certainly has the breadth of quality to justify it and despite UEFA’s claims, it does feel only a matter of time before that decision is made.

The European Championship has been played every four years since 1960, but the tournament looks much different now to how it did 64 years ago.

In 1960, 17 teams entered the competition but the finals were whittled down to just four teams: France, Yugoslavia, Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia.

And for 20 years, that is how it stayed until a decision was made to double the amount of competing teams to eight.

Following triumphs for West Germany (1980), France (1984), Netherlands (1988) and Denmark (1992), the field doubled again to 16.

And with the quality of European football continuing to improve at an exponential rate, the demand for a 24-team tournament grew and was finally passed a few months after the 2008 Championship.

This will be the third Euros played with 24 teams and, despite calls to increase to 32 teams, that is how it will stay for the foreseeable future after UEFA confirmed last year that ‘no change has been proposed for the UEFA EURO final tournament”.

Dragan Stojkovic’s side must win to have any realistic chance of going through. They will come second if they pick up three points and Slovenia fail to beat England.

If they don’t come in the top two, however, four points will likely be enough to take them through as one of the best third-placed sides.

Victory over England will ensure Slovenia’s passage to the knockout stage and this will be as group winners if Denmark don’t beat Serbia or don’t do so by enough to finish with a superior goal difference to Matjaz Kek’s side.

A draw with England will leave Slovenia relying on the result in the Denmark-Serbia game going their way if they are to finish in the top two and if it doesn’t, they will come third and be left sweating on results elsewhere.

Losing to England will almost certainly condemn Slovenia to a group-stage exit.

If the Danes win they will qualify for the knockout stage and this will be in first place if the result in the game between England and Slovenia goes their way.

If the 1992 champions draw with Serbia, they will go through in second place if Slovenia don’t win (or draw and don’t finish up having scored more goals).

If Denmark draw and Slovenia win, the Danes will be relying on results in other groups to go their way in the hope of qualifying as a third-placed team.

Defeat by Serbia will almost certainly mean Denmark are eliminated.

England will go through if they avoid defeat against Slovenia and will top the group if they win.

Gareth Southgate’s side could still finish first with a draw, if Denmark fail to beat Serbia by more than one goal. If they beat Serbia by exactly one goal, then first place will be decided on goals scored over the whole group stage.

If England lose, they will come third if Denmark win, but second if the Danes don’t triumph over Serbia. Even if England do come third, though, their four points is enough to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.

• 2020 (Various): Runners-up
• 2016 (France): Round of 16
• 2012 (Poland/Ukraine): Quarter-finals
• 2008 (Austria/Switzerland): Did not qualify
• 2004 (Portugal): Quarter-finals
• 2000 (Belgium/Netherlands): Group stage
• 1996 (England): Semi-finals
• 1992 (Sweden): Group stage
• 1988 (Germany): Group stage
• 1984 (France): Did not qualify
• 1980 (Italy): Group stage
• 1976 (Yugoslavia): Did not qualify
• 1972 (Belgium): Did not qualify
• 1968 (Italy) Third place
• 1964 (Spain): Did not qualify
• 1960 (France): Did not enter

England have shown remarkable consistency in wearing teams down with possession and scoring goals in the final 15 minutes before half-time.

They scored five without conceding between 30 and 45 minutes at the World Cup, the joint-most with Argentina.

It was also England’s best 15-minute period of the game in qualification for that World Cup (nine/39 goals) and this Euros (eight/22 goals).

While plenty of today’s pre-match discussion will no doubt fixate on England’s attacking options, their defensive record has been excellent up to now.

At the past two tournaments, as well as their first two Euro 2024 matches, England kept more clean sheets (nine) than goals conceded (seven) in 14 games, and only allowed four goals against in eight Euros qualifying matches. Only Argentina (39) bettered England’s final-third regains at the World Cup (34).

Even so, the absence of Harry Maguire through injury, and the lack of clarity about when Luke Shaw will be fit, means England head into Euro 2024 with more defensive questions than many expected.

Three major tournaments for England under Gareth Southgate: one quarter-final finish (World Cup 2022), one semi-final (World Cup 2018) and one final (Euro 2020). They have gone incredibly close and vanquished certain national demons but do not yet have silverware to show for it.

Southgate has evolved England into a style more like 2008-2012 Spain than the England teams of the same era. “We’ve been more dominant in the games we’ve played. We have had complete control in pretty much every match,” said Southgate at the end of 2023.

England showed at World Cup 2022 that they no longer needed to system switch against bigger nations. They continued with the 4-3-3 in the quarter-finals against France, rather than going to the 3-4-3. Jude Bellingham’s exceptional development means a 4-2-3-1, with him the No 10, ought to be plan A in Germany.

Though a back four on paper, right-back Kyle Walker tucked round in build-up in knockout games in Qatar. This provided cover against the pacy Ismaila Sarr and, more importantly, Kylian Mbappe, when England played Senegal and France.

England turning their 4-3-3 into a 3-2-5 attacking shape is synonymous with how most top Premier League sides attack. Southgate has said they are “looking at creative solutions”, having trialled Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield and Rico Lewis in a hybrid full-back/midfield role. Expect to see short buildup with central midfield rotations to push a full-back upfield.

• Manager: Gareth Southgate
• Captain: Harry Kane
• Qualifying record: P8 W6 D2 L0 GF22 GA4
• Euros debut: 1968 (Third-place)
• Euro 2020: Runners-up
• Average age of squad in qualifying: 27.9
• Most caps in squad: Harry Kane (93)
• Top scorer in squad: Harry Kane (64)

• 2020 (Various): Did not qualify
• 2016 (France): Did not qualify
• 2012 (Poland/Ukraine): Did not qualify
• 2008 (Austria/Switzerland): Did not qualify
• 2004 (Portugal): Did not qualify
• 2000 (Belgium/Netherlands): Group stage
• 1996 (England): Did not qualify

Goalkeeper and national team captain Jan Oblak gets his “fulfilment of a childhood dream”. He made his international debut back in late 2012 but will finally represent Slovenia in a major tournament. The Atletico Madrid goalkeeper’s shot-stopping has dipped in recent years, admittedly from one of the world’s best to closer to average, but his international record is solid: Oblak has 30 clean sheets and only 53 goals conceded in 64 caps.

At the other end, Slovenia have another match-winner in Benjamin Sesko. He has just turned 21, but at 6ft 4in (193cm) provides a phenomenal profile and has had an excellent debut season at RB Leipzig. “He is physically strong, technically gifted and mature,” said Kek on Sesko in 2023. “There aren’t many strikers like this in the world. I think he has steadily improved, becoming more concrete in his decisions.”

Sesko brings a lot in build-up, able to take aerial balls and bring midfielders into play, as well as chase channels. Most importantly, though, he scores goals — every type you can imagine, and at an excellent rate.

Slovenia are back, at their first major tournament since the 2010 World Cup. At a glance, not a lot looks to have changed. Matjaz Kek managed them in South Africa in 2010 and is in his second stint as national team boss, having returned in November 2018. They play a 4-4-2, as they did then, though none of the 2010 squad remain.

It is a team built on structure: “I like to give players freedom, but I demand their full responsibility,” said Kek ahead of the March friendly win (2-0) at home to Portugal. “We must be able to suffer defensively, but we must also think about when we have the ball. We cannot just wait in a block,” he added.

The switch to 4-4-2 came at the end of the 2022 Nations League, when they finished third in a group featuring Sweden, Serbia and Norway, having initially played a back three. And it seemed to work: their improved form meant 2023 was their best calendar year ever for wins (seven, from 10 games) and goals-per-game (two).

• Manager: Matjaz Kek
• Captain: Jan Oblak
• Qualifying record: P10 W7 D1 L2 GF20 GA9
• Euros debut: 2000 (Group stage)
• Euro 2020: Failed to qualify
• Average age of squad in qualifying: 27.1
• Most caps in squad: Jasmin Kurtic (92)
• Top scorer in squad: Josip Ilicic (17)

Goalkeepers: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid), Vid Belec (APOEL), Igor Vekic (Vejle).

Defenders: Petar Stojanovic (Sampdoria), Jaka Bijol (Udinese), Miha Blazic (Lech Poznan), Jure Balkovec (Alanyaspor), Zan Karnicnik (Celje), David Brekalo (Orlando City), Erik Janza (Gornik Zabrze), Vanja Drkusic (Sochi).

Midfielders: Timi Max Elsnik (Olimpija Ljubljana), Jasmin Kurtic (Sudtirol), Benjamin Verbic (Panathinaikos), Sandi Lovric (Udinese), Adam Gnezda Cerin (Panathinaikos), Jon Gorenc Stankovic (Sturm Graz), Tomi Horvat (Sturm Graz), Adrian Zeljkovic (Spartak Trnava), Nino Zugelj (Bodo/Glimt).

Forwards: Josip Ilicic (Maribor), Andraz Sporar (Panathinaikos), Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig), Zan Celar (Lugano), Jan Mlakar (Pisa), Zan Vipotnik (Bordeaux).

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Defenders: Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), 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), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

The European Championship has plenty to evoke memories — nothing more so than the 194 home, away and goalkeeper kits that have lit the tournament in years gone by.

Yes, some of them were real stinkers too.

So let me hand you over to Tim Spiers, who has compiled the best and worst five of Euros past.

I imagine he has included your favourite — even if you don’t know it’s your favourite yet. Give his full rankings a look with the link below.

England’s match against Slovenia will get underway at 9pm local time in Cologne, at precisely the same time as today’s other Group C match, between Denmark and Serbia.

That means it starts at 8pm BST, which is 3pm EDT and midday PDT.