The first week of EURO 2024 is behind us, and excitement is high across the soccer world — including, despite the distance and our own tournament to worry about, here in Canada. Fans of the beautiful game have been glued to their televisions, eager to watch many of the world’s top talents in a best-on-best environment. Let’s take a look back at the week that was, before we get set for what’s ahead.
Key Storylines This Week
- Hosts Start Strong – Germany had all eyes on them on home turf as they took on Scotland in the tournament’s opener, and they quickly made their intention to be contenders and not just charming hosts clear, as the game ended in a 5-1 rout. Florian Wirtz got the Germans on the board 10 minutes in and they took no breaks, taking a 3-0 lead by halftime, which no team at the tournament had done in 40 years. Scott McKenna’s header turned into a clean-sheet spoiler in the 87th minute, though it was ultimately ruled a German own goal.
- Albania Shocks Early, But Italy Holds – The fastest goal in the tournament’s history was scored on Saturday, as a botched throw-in from Italy turned into disaster. Albania made the most of an unexpected moment, as Nedim Bajrami beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a close-range strike that no one expected to be available just 23 seconds in. Italy responded fairly quickly with an equalizer and go-ahead goal and secured the expected three points, but that first play will remain the immortal moment from that match.
- Eriksen Makes Storybook Return – One of the scariest moments in recent soccer history came in EURO 2020 when Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest midway through a game against Finland. An urgent response saved his life and limited the damage, and an implant to correct his rhythm allowed him to return to play. On Sunday, in his first game back in the tournament since that near-death experience, Eriksen put Denmark up 1-0 with a quick strike off a throw-in. Slovenia did equalize and the game ended as a draw, but that didn’t take away from the initial moment.
- Bellingham Lives Up To The Hype – The pressure is on England in every international tournament, as they remain so close yet so far from snapping their decades-long drought of major men’s tournament success, but rarely have we seen the weight of a nation lean so hard on a 20-year-old player. That’s what’s happening this year with phenom Jude Bellingham, and the Real Madrid midfielder did not disappoint in his EURO 2024 debut, scoring the lone goal that the Three Lions needed to defeat Serbia.
EURO 2024 Team Futures Update
Here are where the top eight favourites to win EURO 2024 stand as of Monday morning, compared to last week’s odds.
| Team |  | Last Week | Team | | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | +375 | +375 | Spain | +650 | +750 |
| England | +400 | +360 | Italy | +1400 | +1400 |
| Germany | +500 | +550 | Netherlands | +1400 | +1600 |
| Portugal | +600 | +700 | Belgium | +1700 | +1700 |
With a 1-0 win in their tournament debut, England now has… worse tournament outright odds? Yes, it’s true – despite the result, the closeness of the match has actually done more harm to their odds than good, and are the only team in the group who can say the same. Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands all saw slight jumps from their win, while Portugal’s odds shortened without playing a game. France takes over the favourite’s spot, according to Betano, despite no change in odds and no game played just yet (they kick off today against Austria).
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 betting previews are offered a day in advance throughout the tournament!
| Date | Games |
|---|---|
| Monday, June 17 | 9:00 AM: Romania vs. Ukraine (Romania wins 3-0) 12:00 PM: Belgium (-189) vs. Slovakia (+590) 3:00 PM: Austria (+480) vs. France (-161) |
| Tuesday, June 18 | 12:00 PM: Turkey (-133) vs. Georgia (+440) 3:00 PM: Portugal (-192) vs. Czechia (+570) |
| Wednesday, June 19 | 9:00 AM: Croatia (-213) vs. Albania (+750) 12:00 PM: Germany (-370) vs. Hungary (+1250) 3:00 PM: Scotland (+355) vs. Switzerland (-114) |
| Thursday, June 20 | 9:00 AM: Slovenia (+410) vs. Serbia (-115) 12:00 PM: Denmark (+500) vs. England (-143) 3:00 PM: Spain (+120) vs. Italy (+280) |
| Friday, June 21 | 9:00 AM: Slovakia (+315) vs. Ukraine (+105) 12:00 PM: Poland (+295) vs. Austria (+105) 3:00 PM: Netherlands (+300) vs. France (+100) |
| Saturday, June 22 | 9:00 AM: Georgia (+365) vs. Czechia (-120) 12:00 PM: Turkey (+510) vs. Portugal (-175) 3:00 PM: Belgium (-213) vs. Romania (+660) |
| Sunday, June 23 | 3:00 PM: Scotland (+187) vs. Hungary (+150) 3:00 PM: Switzerland (+410) vs. Germany (-139) |
