And then there were four. The EURO 2024 quarterfinals departed as quickly as they arrived, with a quadrant of dramatic games advancing the best of the best to the penultimate stage. Let’s look back at the action from last week and tee up what should be an incredible final three games in the tournament.
Key Storylines This Week
- Falling Upward – Watching England and France advance through this tournament has been very interesting. You’d think there’d be more excitement about them getting through to the semi-finals, but both teams have struggled to generate anything close to what was initially expected of them. Both teams needed penalties to advance through the quarters, with England requiring another come-from-behind equalizer against Switzerland to get there and France winning a 0-0 game over Portugal. France has yet to score a single goal in open play in this tournament – a truly stunning result.
- Ronaldo Departs Goalless – Speaking of not scoring a single goal, France’s victory led to another shocking result. While most knew that 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t going to be in prime form, it was still jarring to see him bow out of the tournament without a single goal, not converting once on a total of 3.72 expected goals generated. At times, he felt like a legitimate distraction and detriment from Portugal’s offence, to the point where you wonder how the team would’ve performed with him coming on as a super-sub or not participating.
- Spain Excites – If there’s one team that has truly lived up to the hype in this tournament, it’s Spain. So far, they’re the only team to win every match, threatening to have that run snapped after a late equalizer in their quarter-final game against Germany but pulling out the result with a 119th-minute, extra-time buzzer beater by Mikel Merino. Spain conceded the possession battle in favour of quality for the second time in this tournament, and it worked out for them. Look to them as the favourites moving forward, unless someone in their path gains form.
- Copa Canada – Be sure to follow along with our Copa America 2024 coverage as well, as Canada makes a historic run in the Western Hemisphere’s answer to this tournament. After advancing through the group stage, the Canadians played an aggressive, dramatic game against Venezuela, ultimately winning on penalties. They’re set up for a rematch against Lionel Messi and Argentina on Tuesday, in which they’re significant underdogs but going in with a nothing-to-lose attitude.
- Player Markets Re-Open – The firehose of action meant that players futures were hard to come by for much of the tournament, though with just three games left on the schedule, there’s plenty of time to dive back in now. Cody Gakpo of the Netherlands tops the charts for top goal scorer (+150), Spanish midfielder Rodri tops the Player of the Tournament props (+400), and Lamine Yamal, also of Spain, ranks atop the Young Player of the Tournament charts (-167).
EURO 2024 Team Futures Update
Here are where the top four favourites to win EURO 2024 stand as of this morning, compared to last week’s odds.
| Team |  | Last Week | Team | | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | +190 | +400 | Germany | OUT | +450 |
| France | +265 | +650 | Portugal | OUT | +750 |
| England | +285 | +375 | Switzerland | OUT | +1400 |
| Netherlands | +450 | +1200 | Austria | OUT | +1400 |
The odds at the top have shortened by sheer nature, with only four teams left in the field. Some have swung up steeper than others, though, with Spain and England having a little bit less room to grow, despite being the favourites in each of their semi-final matchups. There aren’t any bad answers at this point, though – we’re lucky to have four top teams get to this stage, especially since you can argue that a few of them haven’t given us their best yet!
This Week’s EURO 2024 Schedule
We have another full week of EURO 2024 action ahead of us. Check back with Canada Sports Betting throughout the week to stay up to date with the latest action. Matchday previews are offered a day in advance throughout the tournament!
| Date | Games |
|---|---|
| Monday, July 8 | OFF DAY |
| Tuesday, July 9 | 3:00 PM: Spain (+172) vs. France (+215) |
| Wednesday, July 10 | 3:00 PM: Netherlands (+230) vs. England (+165) |
| Thursday, July 11 | OFF DAY |
| Friday, July 12 | OFF DAY |
| Saturday, July 13 | OFF DAY |
| Sunday, July 14 | 3:00 PM: EURO 2024 Final (Winners of Tuesday & Wednesday) |
