After receiving a favourable draw for the finals on Saturday, England manager Gareth Southgate expressed confidence that his team could handle the expectations that come with being one of the favourites to win Euro 2024.
They were drawn in Group C, alongside Denmark, Slovenia, and Serbia, for the tournament next June, where they will attempt to win their first major title since the 1966 World Cup.
England, ranked third in the latest FIFA world rankings, is widely seen as the favourite to win the Euro, along with France, the side that knocked them out of last year’s World Cup in the quarterfinals.
“This week, we are ranked third in the world.” “We’ve been in the top five for five years, so they’ve consistently produced performances, so I think they’re used to that,” Southgate said of his team, who finished first in their Euro 2024 qualifying group, ahead of Italy.
“That is their expectation. They are used to playing in huge contests both collectively and individually, therefore we are all thrilled for the event.”
England reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and lost the Euro 2020 final on penalties to Italy under Southgate, before losing 2-1 to France in the last eight in Qatar a year ago.
That game was on the verge of ending differently had Harry Kane not missed a late penalties.
However, considering the current form of Kane at Bayern Munich and Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid, England may suddenly be better poised to go all the way in Germany next June and July.
“We’re thrilled to have those players. “We believe that the squad has been developing for a long time and that England will be competitive for the foreseeable future,” Southgate added.
“If you are continually in those latter stages, then most teams that win, that is what they do, they go close and they get there.”
Kane has 22 goals in 18 games for Bayern Munich since joining the club from Tottenham Hotspur.
“He’s a fantastic player,” Southgate remarked.
“The games are a little different at Bayern right now because they dominate their games so much.”
“He is a very special player, so again he has won so many games for us, not just with his goals which is the obvious factor, but with his link play, his passing ability, the way he leads the line, so we are very fortunate to have him.”
On June 16, England will kick off their Euro campaign against Serbia, ranked 34th in the world, in the western city of Gelsenkirchen, home of Schalke 04 FC.
They will next go to Frankfurt on June 20 to face Denmark in a rematch of the Euro 2020 semi-final, which England won 2-1 in extra time.
Their final group game will be against Slovenia on June 25 in Cologne, which England overcame 1-0 in the 2010 World Cup.
“When Denmark came out first, you think ok, interesting,” Southgate said when informed that England had been given a favourable draw.
“Of course, everyone was thinking about Italy in one of the lower pots, as well as Croatia, but I have to say that I believe Serbia is a very dangerous opponent.”
“And Slovenia takes me back to one of my first games as manager really, where but for Joe Hart making one of the best saves I have ever seen, I probably wouldn’t be standing here,” he continued, referring to a 0-0 tie in a World Cup qualifier in Ljubljana in October 2016.
If England wins their group, they will face a third-placed team in the last 16 on June 30 in Gelsenkirchen.
If they finish second, they will meet the winners of Group A, which includes the hosts Germany as well as Scotland, in Dortmund.