UEFA Euro 2024: Mod Note Added 2/7/24

I would say it's actually sucking up to the little teams has been the problem for the Euros. Upping the tournament to 24 teams was a money decision and not a sporting one.

16 teams was probably the best for quality of games but I don't mind the 24 team tournaments either. It's a huge deal for the supporters of the smaller nations to get there. 4% of the Scottish population have travelled over, 50k Albanians in the stadium last night, Georgia getting to their first ever tournament, for neutral fans it might not make for the most exciting group stages. But for the countries qualifying it's absolutely huge and I think justifies the 24 teams.

I had absolutely no interest in seeing us qualify the year we came close in the Nations League playoff. It was the least inspiring Irish team I've seen and I knew we had no right to be in a tournament.

Google has them all.

Hey all.

Does anyone know of any good Twitter account or YouTube channel, or similar, that just shows the GOALS from the euros the previous day, not full highlights or phone footage from the stadium? Struggling to find one online. Thanks.

Hard to find the balance. But the smaller teams always have a "chance" when they get the knockouts, if they are structured and organised. It no doubt creates a buzz in the smaller countries and that can't be a bad thing. Especially if the country are first time qualifiers. Everyone in the country gets interested.

Some lad shot dead wielding an Axe in Hamburg leading up to the Netherlands-Poland game.

I don't see "dead" in the reports.

The version I am reading says he is receiving medical treatment.

You are viewing this from the perspective of a neutral, which is a valid point too. But I'm speaking about the fans of the nations involved. Ireland qualifying for a tournament for example will not get boring. The buzz and impact it has on a nation when they qualify is not something that gets boring with the competition being only every 4 years unlike the champions league you use as an example.

If they expanded it further to 32 teams for example I could maybe see your point as then so many teams would virtually be guaranteed qualification, but I think 24 is a good balance of good entertainment at the tournament and smaller nations having a chance to qualify.

Honestly, I'd love an expanded 32 team version. Fückit like, actually make it a European Championships, the same way the Copa America is a proper all South American tournament - 32 teams would get about 95+% of Europeans involved (with most of those missing out being nations with tiny populations). The fact most fans would have a team there makes it interesting for almost everyone on the continent - and the groups automatically become much more interesting because of that clean simple "2 go through" mechanic, so everyone knows exactly what they need in that 3rd game. The drama of those 3rd games in the WC groups was the best part of the group stage because of that immediate peril, and those dramatic swings.

Also - tournaments are important for getting kids into the sport - something the sport desperately needs with the club game becoming more and more paywalled. It's a core memory for any of us that had a tournament take place while we were growing up. Sure, as a neutral, a handful of the games might not be as enticing, but we don't need to watch every single game. I also don't think the standard would drop all that much… this year you'd have the likes of Norway, Sweden, Greece, Wales etc added into the mix, who are all capable of making things uncomfortable for bigger teams.

imo 24 teams is the worst of both worlds.

Against the run of play

Can the Dutch respond or bottle another tournament.

Interesting now

Gakpo looking sharp

Deserved a bit of luck there

1-1

You'd wonder what the Polish were at there. Gakpo has clearly been the most dangerous Dutch attacker and they keep giving him space.

Was terrible stuff from the Polish left back. The manager is going to kill him.

He had an easy out ball down the left which he refused than he put a high floater across his box instead, straight into the Dutch forwards, bang 1:1. Schoolboy stuff.

Polish defending is pretty awful tbh. Dutch find it easy to escape their markers should have more than 1 goal. Poles will have to tighten it up or they gonna lose. Making it way too easy for the Dutch. Thankfully their last ball and finishing hasn't been great so far.

Poland are gonna get caught if they don't start keeping the ball more. It's too long to hang on by parking the bus.

Orange men enjoying themselves in the Volksparkstadion. Nothing new there..

I haven't been impressed by the Dutch, their midfield looks very weak.

Italy yesterday looked great at the back and in midfield but looked very poor in the final third, they found it hard to create good chances and if you can't do it against Andorra you will struggle in the other games.

Spain looked great in the first half but didn't do much in the second. I'm willing to given them a pass on that because they had their work done early and didn't need to do anything after the break.

Germany though have looked impressive and I'd have them down as the best team we've seen so far.

Switzerland might be better than people think. That Hungary team isn't bad and they did a great job against them.

The Paddy Power Meme experts have decided he is the new Ali Dia, no matter how foolish he repeatedly makes them look.

I don't expect the Dutch to get far, think France will make short work of them and Austria may put it up to them too

Denmark and Slovenia might be on a cracking game. They were in the same group in qualifying. The Danes won at home 2-1 avd drew away 1-1.

Two cracking striking talents in Hojlund and the young giant Sesko who I think is going to be a superstar.

I'm looking forward to it, it'll be close but there might be a lot of goals.

wow, Eriksen! What a story!

How is that not a peno for Slovenia

some effort by sesko, off the post from outside the box