This summer UEFA Euro 2021 will take place – because we absolutely refuse to call a tournament Euro 2020 if it’s happening one year later.

The event, if it goes ahead as planned, is set to be the showpiece moment for international football in a year that is also reportedly going to feature the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. We all know that COVID-19 played the role of spoiler twelve months ago and the majority are hoping that isn’t going to happen again this time around, but given the severity of the situation we’re all still in, nobody really knows.

Today, though, it’s all about focusing on the excitement that comes from a new tournament being on the horizon. We’re going to be running through the big contenders heading into the European Championship, and if you fancy putting some money down yourselves, head on over to the betting page.

England

Even though there’s a constant state of pessimism that tends to surround English football on the world stage, there are some seriously exciting options this England squad has at their disposal. We don’t think it’s fair to call them the favourites because they haven’t proven themselves capable of winning anything outside of 1966, but if they can get on a nice run of form early in the competition, momentum can be a big thing.

France

They’re the reigning world champions and people who have forgotten that need to realise what kind of team they’re talking about here. The French tend to do their own thing these days and that involves a number of stumbling blocks, but when it matters the most, they always look pretty consistent. They’re thriving on the international stage and we’d be stunned if they don’t go deep into the tournament.

Belgium

The golden generation is slowly but surely coming to an end for Belgium and you’d have to think this is their last big chance to really cause a stir before there’s a turnover of talent. They have everything they could possibly need to succeed and as long as they don’t get in their own heads, they should go pretty far.

Germany

With a new manager being tipped to come through the door after the Euros this is going to serve as the end of an era for German football. Whether or not that ends up being a good thing remains to be seen, but if you don’t think they’re going to go down swinging, you’re foolishly mistaken.

Spain

Spain’s reign of terror from 2008 to 2012 certainly feels like a long time ago but they seem to have rediscovered the spark that first put them back on the map. They have a stacked team with the style of football that is always going to be easy on the eye, and we wouldn’t at all be surprised to witness a run deep into the semi-finals and maybe even beyond.

Portugal

You may not realise this but Portugal are still the defending European champions with the last Euros taking place way back in 2016. There was definitely an element of fortune to what they accomplished back then but this time around, they actually do have a really fun looking squad. From veterans to rising stars there’s everything you could ever want from a national team in this crop, and they should be seen as dark horses here.