European Championship: Group A Preview

Group A at Euro 2024 promises to be one of the most competitive of this summer's group stage, with three teams all in contention to join hosts Germany in the last-16.

BetMGM's Euro 2024 odds reflect the wide assumption that Germany are favourites to top Group A. What makes this pool so fascinating is there's no guarantee of who will finish second.

Scotland, Switzerland and Hungary will probably be competing for the runners-up spot, while third place may be enough to slip through to the knockout stage.

The latest Euro odds suggest there is just a 1% difference in probability between Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland in finishing in the top two places. Second place is anyone's for the taking.

Here, we look at each Group A squad in detail, the fixtures to come, and offer up some predictions for Euro 2024 betting fans…

Euro 2024 Group A

Germany are the clear favourites in Group A and kick off the tournament against Scotland on 14 June. How far they progress this summer, however, is a lot less certain. Here’s an overview of the Euro 2024 Group A teams.

Germany

There is a surprising amount of pressure on Germany heading into Euro 2024. The national team has endured a relatively disappointing decade since winning the World Cup back in 2014. A Euros semi-final two years later is the best they've managed since. They have exited at the group stage in each of the last two European Championships.

Now, however, the squad has a purpose again. There's a mix of experience in Thomas Muller, Antonio Rudiger and Toni Kroos, and some exciting young talent in Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. Wirtz is tipped to be one of the best youngsters at Euro 2024.

The one problem for Germany is they haven't played any competitive fixtures since the 2022 World Cup. Yes, they beat Netherlands and France in the spring, but these were friendlies. It's really hard to know how well Germany will fare. They could stroll to European glory or bomb again in the groups.

Scotland

The odds for Scotland to win Euro 2024 are pretty realistic at 80/1. However, reaching the quarter-finals at 11/4 is not totally out of the question. Scotland enjoyed a stellar qualification campaign to deservedly reach the finals in Germany this summer. Stinging Spain 2-0 at Hampden was the big highlight.

However, Scotland have hit dire form on the eve of the tournament. No wins since beating Cyprus 3-0 in September means confidence is low. They lost 1-0 at home to Northern Ireland in March. Granted, it was a friendly, but if they have any aspirations of escaping this group then it’s the sort of match they need to be winning.

Scotland flopped at Euro 2020 but at least the pressure of playing at home is gone this time. With Scott McTominay driving a midfield that gets most of their goals, anything is possible. However, the lack of a genuine up-front goal threat could haunt them in crunch ties with Switzerland and Hungary.

Hungary

Hungary are in the opposite position to Scotland in terms of form heading into the summer. They sauntered through qualifying, winning their group ahead of Serbia without losing a match. In fact, Hungary are unbeaten since a Nations League loss to Italy in September 2022.

There's a rich seam of experience running through this team, from Freiburg defender Attila Szalai and Leipzig's Willi Orbán, to Split's László Kleinheisler and captain Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool. Hungary could be one of the big stories of the summer.

Their crunch game is against Switzerland in the opening round of matches on 15 June. Win this and they will be on their way to the last-16, bar a slip-up against Scotland. Marco Rossi's side are exciting to watch and defensively sound against nations of similar FIFA ranking. They are, though, third favourites to qualify in the top two at 11/8.

Switzerland

Switzerland once again head into a major tournament as the second favourites of their group. The Swiss are used to having to face one top-ranked side and two lesser-ranked opponents in the groups. They’ve successfully progressed to the knockout stage of each of their last five major tournaments.

And so it’s no surprise the BetMGM odds setters have placed Switzerland at 5/4 to finish in the top two.

However, Euro 2024 may not fall kindly for the Swiss. They have struggled for goals all season and limped to second place in their Euros qualifying group, enduring draws to Israel and Kosovo, and a defeat to Romania. Xherdan Shaqiri's strike was enough to beat Republic of Ireland in a March friendly but it was a tepid performance.

Euro 2024 Group A Fixtures

The crunch game in Group A this summer likely comes in the first round of matches when Hungary face Switzerland. The victor here will likely take second spot and an automatic route to the last-16. Of the three Scotland Euro 2024 fixtures, the most important is on 19 June against Switzerland in Cologne. Get even a point here and they'll go into the final match of the group with a chance to progress.

Match 1

14 June – Germany vs Scotland | Fußball Arena München, Munich
15 June – Hungary vs Switzerland | Cologne Stadium, Cologne

Match 2

19 June – Germany vs Hungary | Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart
19 June – Scotland vs Switzerland | Cologne Stadium, Cologne

Match 3

23 June – Switzerland vs Germany | Frankfurt Arena, Frankfurt
23 June – Scotland vs Hungary | Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart

Best Players in Group A to Watch

All eyes will be on Germany in this group and Florian Wirtz is the man to watch. The continent knows about Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller and Antonio Rudiger. What we're all waiting for is a fresh young face to thrive in this tournament. Forward Wirtz can do just that. He is already a Bundesliga champion with Bayer Leverkusen and is now a regular in the Germany XI.

Hungary's team is stronger than the sum of its parts but there are still some star names among the squad. No bigger is Dominik Szoboszlai, who has begun to start more games for Liverpool and deliver goals. He cost the Reds £60m and this could be a break-out tournament for the national team captain.

Switzerland's squad is studded with stars from Europe's top five divisions, including Manchester City's Manuel Akanji, Newcastle defender Fabian Schär, Leverkusen's Bundesliga winner Granit Xhaka, and playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri. However, 23-year-old Noah Okafor could be the star man here. The Milan forward is a regular in the Swiss XI but not his club side. He has a point to prove this summer.

Finally, the Scotland Euro 2024 squad could rely heavily on the likes of John McGinn, Scott McTominay and Andrew Robertson. Experience is crucial and Scotland’s core group endured a difficult Euros campaign last time out. Lewis Ferguson, the Bologna captain tearing it up in Serie A, misses the tournament through injury. Instead, Billy Gilmour could make an impact in this group following a good season at Brighton.

Euro 2024 Group A Tips

Euro 2024 betting is hotting up as we edge towards the tournament’s kick off, and Group A promises to be fascinating. Germany are hot favourites to win the group but aren’t guaranteed to do so. Scotland are tipped to finish rock bottom but could easily spring a surprise.

Below are three Group A tips for Euro 2024 and the latest odds from BetMGM.

Germany to Beat Scotland Without Conceding

Germany host the first match of the tournament against Scotland on 14 June in Munich. It's going to be a celebration of football for the locals but not so much for the travelling Scots. Germany will want to set a marker here regardless of how far they actually progress in the tournament. Scotland have the opportunity to spring an upset but almost certainly won't.

Their form is woeful and goals are of short supply right now. Boss Steve Clarke could use the match as a test event for Hungary and Switzerland, and see how the defensive and midfield lines cope under constant strain.

It will be a learning experience for the Scots but they won't get anything from this match. Germany, with Muller, Kai Havertz, Ilkay Gundogan and youngster Wirtz, should be too strong over 90 minutes.

Tip: Germany beat Scotland and keep a clean sheet at 5/6

Hungary To Escape Group A

Hungary’s form and their wealth of talent across the team makes them the ideal pick to stroll into the last-16. If we assume they beat Switzerland and Scotland, then Hungary will probably finish second behind the hosts.

This would lead to a showdown with the runner-up in Group B – one of Italy, Croatia, Spain and Albania. That doesn't bode well for Hungary. They're in good form but they haven't beaten any of the top-tier countries since rumbling England and Germany in the autumn of 2022.

The smart money, then, is on Hungary progressing in second place at 5/4 but not reaching the quarter-finals. Making it that far is priced at 5/2, which is too short when you consider the enormity of the task at hand to overcome Italy, Croatia or Spain in the last-16.

Tip: Hungary finish in the top two at 5/4 but don’t get into the quarters

Switzerland Advance Too

It’s perhaps a little hard to totally write off Scotland here but there is a genuine possibility that Clarke’s men head home with zero points this summer. That would open a window for the third-placed team to advance to the knockouts too.

Switzerland, Hungary and Germany could all pick up six points. Or, if the Germans win all their games, then Hungary and Switzerland could both earn four points by drawing against each other and both progress.

This looks the most likely route for the Swiss advance to the last-16. It’s hard to predict who they would then face in the knockouts, but it would be a group winner if they finish third. Whether they advance any further remains to be seen but at 5/2 Switzerland are a good price to make the quarters.

Tip: Switzerland produce a last-16 shock to make the quarters at 5/2

Euro 2024 Group A Top Scorer

Germany are expected to win all three matches in Group A and in doing so will likely deliver the top scorer in the group. That makes sense but actually identifying the man who will grab the goals is the tricky part. It's rare for players to score more than twice in a group stage but Muller, Havertz and Wirtz all have it in them to achieve this.

Germany don't have the all-out goal-getter that England do in Harry Kane. But the sheer number of chances they may create over these three group games should see them thrive. Don't be surprised if Muller and Wirtz challenge for the top scorer position in this group.

Elsewhere, Scotland have a real lack of firepower up front and their goals – if they score any – may come from midfield. The same goes for Switzerland, although Okafor could have a breakout tournament.

Hungary, though, have the outside bet in this race. Freiburg's Roland Sallai is the only true forward in the squad with double figures (12) for his country. Yet both Szoboszlai (12) and Adam Nagy are dangerous. The pair have provided most of Hungary's goals recently and could produce multiple stand-out moments in this group.

Euro 2024 Outside Bet: Group A

The odds suggest Germany will top Group A, followed by Hungary or Switzerland, with Scotland fishing rock bottom. However, punters risk overlooking Clarke’s side, who carry high odds heading into the summer.