A busy summer of international soccer begins on Friday, when the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship kicks off, with 24 sides competing for the continental crown.
One of the pinnacle competitions on the sporting calendar, this edition’s field features eight of the current top ten ranked sides—Argentina and Brazil will have to wait until Copa America kicks off later this month to get in on the fun—and many of the premier players in the world.
France’s Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham of England, Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, and Germany’s Kai Havertz, to name but a few of the contenders for top scorer, will all be there.
As usual, the home side will feature in the opener.
3:00 p.m. ET Headliner: Germany vs. Scotland
| Germany Win | -312 | Scotland Win | +975 | Draw | +470 |
| Over 2.5 Goals | -139 | Under 2.5 Goals | +112 | Broadcast | TSN |
Germany hosts Scotland at Allianz Arena in Munich, ushering in the start of the tournament.
Placed into Group A alongside Hungary & Switzerland, Die Nationalmannschaft has some questions to answer heading into the competition.
Still smarting from being knocked out of Euro 2020 in the Round of 16 by England in London, the three-time winners and three-time runners-up qualified automatically as hosts. That promise comes with peril: a side simply cannot be as battle-tested when the opening whistle blows as their opponents, who have had to take the long road. Friendlies, no matter how high-profile, cannot compare.
That premature exit in 2020 saw a coaching change, with Hansi Flick coming in. However, further disappointment followed when Germany was bounced from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar at the group stage, the second time in a row, no less. When results did not improve in 2023, Flick was replaced by Julian Nagelsmann. That second shake-up brought change, and 2024 began with solid victories over France and the Netherlands leading into the home tournament.
With a good mix of emerging talents—Bundesliga champion Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen; Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich—and plenty of experience—Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos, legendary Bayern duo Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller, and captain Ilkay Gundogan of Barcelona—the Germans enter the field as potential winners. However, inconsistency in big tournaments has plagued the nation in recent years. They have not won the Euros since 1996, though they were finalists in 2008, losing out to Spain.
The sublime Kroos, who announced this will be the final chapter of his career, ended his time with Madrid as UEFA Champions League winner, could the 34-year-old make a similarly graceful exit from the international stage?
Scotland secured their spot with an impressive showing in qualification, finishing as runners-up in Group A, just behind Spain, with whom they traded blows: Scotland won 2-0 at Hampden Park in Glasgow before losing the return fixture by the same scoreline. It will be a fourth appearance at the Finals for the Tartan Army, though the nation has never emerged from the group stage.
Steve Clarke has been at the helm since 2019 and qualified for two of the last three major tournaments, narrowly missing out on a spot at the 2022 World Cup. Scotland picked up steam through the UEFA Nations League to hit the ground running in the hunt for a spot in Germany, winning five on the bounce through 2023.
That momentum stalled. Acceptable defeats against England and France in friendlies on either side of that loss in Spain began a seven-game winless spell, and Scotland limped into this match with underwhelming results against Gibraltar and Finland in their final warm-ups.
Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson captains the side, while midfielders Scott McTominay of Manchester United and Aston Villa’s John McGinn will look to drive the action.
The ardent support of the Scottish crowds will undoubtedly be on display, but will it be enough to supercharge the side?
Game Bets To Consider
- Odds lean heavily in Germany’s direction on the day (-312) – Germany is one of the favourites to win the whole thing (+550), while Scotland is a long shot (+19900). Germany has won all three previous competitive meetings between the sides, most recently when the two met in qualification for Euro 2016, but that potential for upset remains. There is a long history of the early matches at major tournaments throwing up strange results – Saudi Arabia defeating Argentina in Qatar most recently – Argentina would go on to win it all of course, but the brave at heart will be well rewarded. A Scotland result (Tie +470, Win +975) is not impossible.
- McTominay, always industrious for United, is a different beast in Scotland blue. The midfielder topped the scoring chart in a qualification group that featured Erling Haaland (Manchester City and Norway), Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid and Spain), and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli and Georgia). Only Lukaku, Ronaldo, Mbappe, and Kane, all candidates for top scorer in Germany, had more en route to the Finals. McTominay to score anytime, +550.
Bet on Germany vs. Scotland
GER -312
SCO +975
Latest EURO 2024 Futures Odds
Here are the latest EURO 2024 Futures odds, heading into the matches on June XX:
| Team |  | Yesterday | Team | | Yesterday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | +360 | +360 | Spain | +750 | +750 |
| France | +375 | +375 | Italy | +1400 | +1400 |
| Germany | +550 | +550 | Netherlands | +1600 | +1600 |
| Portugal | +700 | +700 | Belgium | +1700 | +1700 |
Buckle up, Germany-Scotland will be the first of 51 matches on offer at the 2024 Euros.
After this appetizer, the action comes thick and fast over the nearly two weeks allotted for the group stage, and when the dust settles, the knockout rounds promise even more drama. Canada Sports Betting will be your guide through it all.
