As we head into the knockout stages of EURO 2024, we take a look at which teams currently have the best vibes surrounding them.
The EURO 2024 group stages are over after three rounds of fixtures, and everyone’s favorite time during international football has arrived. The knockout stages are when the best of the best are meant to show up. It’s when we see which teams are truly made of championship material, and also when the craziest upsets happen.
With the bracket set, we could easily rank all 16 advancing sides based on their strength and how likely they are to win, but what is the fun in that? International football is about passion and the enjoyment of the beautiful game. With that in mind, we’ll be judging the final 16 based on the vibes they have brought to the tournament, and the vibes we can expect in the knockout stages.
16. Belgium
The award for worst vibes goes to Belgium, as the Red Devils finished second in a favorable group and must now face France in the round of 16. The vibes were off from the first game against Slovakia, where Romelu Lukaku scored two offside goals, and Belgium looked like they had no chemistry on the pitch. A win against Romania lifted spirits, but a scoreless draw against Ukraine in which fans were booing and manager Domenico Tedesco was telling the cameras to go away, is the definition of bad vibes.
15. Netherlands
From poor play to getting destroyed by Dutch legends in the media, it was a rough group stage for the Netherlands, but somehow, they ended up on the favorable side of the draw, so the feeling around the camp has somewhat lifted. But let us not forget players crying on the sidelines after getting hooked after 30 minutes and fans unhappy with the level of play.
14. Denmark
In theory, finishing second in your group without losing a match is a pretty solid performance. But Denmark squeaking out three draws while scoring just two goals leaves a bit more to be desired. The entirety of group C was lackluster at best, and in retrospect Denmark had plenty of chances to finish atop the group. Now, the side will have a much tougher round of 16 matchup against host nation Germany.
13. England
Also a part of the shabby group C cohort, England was a top contender for being lowest ranked in this vibes list. However, after securing their group plus finding out they are on the much easier side of the bracket, the vibes lifted a bit. Other than that, though, the level of football by England has arguably been the most disappointing in the tournament. As always, the expectation level and pressure around the Three Lions is massive. Uninspired play in the group stage had English legends spewing criticism, which some players took offense to. Manager Gareth Southgate continues to look out of his depth, and the fans continue to demand that football comes home. There’s been too many nerves and no sense of joy from England thus far.
12. France
If England were the most boring team, France was not far off, as they did not score a single goal from open play in the group stages. While the return of Ngolo Kante lifted the spirits of the team and the nation, Kylian Mbappe’s broken nose brought things back to Earth. Finishing second in the group and ending up in the daunting side of the bracket has lowered the mood as well, as France will have to run through the gauntlet if they want to be European Champions.
11. Slovakia
The EUROs have already been a success for Slovakia after qualifying for the knockout stages and defeating Belgium in their first game in the process as well. Their fans were amazing, and in terms of level of performance Slovakia looked like one of the better pressing sides in the tournament.
10. Romania
Like Slovakia, Romania has already met their expectation levels for the tournament. Things started off with a bang, defeating a solid Ukraine side 3-0, setting the tone. One reason they are above Slovakia are the fans. They have been out in full force, not just in the stadium, but in the streets as well. That’s extra vibe points.
9. Portugal
The vibes around Portugal are quite mixed. The first game was a little bit incomplete with a mediocre performance against Czechia, where the players on the field looked lost. But against Türkiye, it was the complete opposite and the squad looked united and made the statement that they were here to win. The frustrations of Cristiano Ronaldo not being on the scoresheet yet are evident and it remains to be seen how that can affect the morale and the vibes of the team.
8. Slovenia
For the first time in their history, Slovenia have made it past the group stage at an international tournament, and they did it in great fashion. No losses in the group stage and quality performances against Denmark and Serbia have Slovenia feeling good about themselves. What also makes the side different is their use of 4-4-2 and two strikers up front which brings that vintage feeling back. And although Benjamin Sesko has yet to register on the scoresheet, he’s had a few powerful strikes that have been close. Look for him to get on the board in the knockouts.
7. Italy
Italy gave us arguably the best moment of the group stages with Mattia’s Zaccagni 98th-minute equalizer against Croatia to send the side through to the knockouts. How’s that for vibes? As always, Italian fans showed up in droves to support, and who has not seen the video of the Albanian fan breaking pasta in front of a group of Italians? That is the vibe we need at this tournament.
6. Switzerland
The Swiss had a successful group stage and were a last minute Niclas Fullkrug header away from winning their group, which had hosts Germany in it. What gives this Switzerland team great vibes is that it is a group mixed of young players we have not seen on this stage before like Dan Ndoye and Michel Aebischer, but also guys that we have been accustomed to for nearly a decade now in Granit Xhaka and Ricardo Rodriguez. Of course, there is also Xherdan Shaqiri who once again scored an absolute banger of a goal against Scotland. It is EUROs heritage at this point. Let us see if they repeat their 2020 run and potentially top it.
5. Türkiye
When it comes to fans, no country has been better represented than Türkiye at this tournament. The Turks have come out in full force in Germany and have shown their support at every game, so much so that it sounds like games have been played in Istanbul instead of Munich. On the pitch, Türkiye has a core of young players that have provided quality moments such as Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, in addition to the experienced captain Hakan Calhanoglu whose ball striking is a joy to watch every time. What keeps them out of the top four is the manager, as the one time Türkiye played a team that is superior on paper, he went into fear mode and benched the young exciting stars. That is not what we want to see.
4. Germany
The vibes surrounding the hosts were on cloud nine in the first two games after the demolition of Scotland in the opening game, and the professional win against Hungary. After the first two games it was clear to see Germany are legit favorites. Their toughest matchup against Switzerland dampened things a bit however, but gritting out a draw in a match that was not going their way whatsoever was a good sign.
The Germans are looking like they are one of the world’s elites once again, but in terms of vibes, there’s still three other sides that are superior to the host nation.
3. Georgia
It’s Georgia’s first-ever major international tournament and they already broke past the group stages. A 2-0 victory over Portugal solidified the nation’s global announcement that it has arrived. The star of the show is of course Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, also known as “Kvaradona,” and his opener almost made the stadium collapse. There is nothing like a small nation succeeding and that star player performing like a superstar. It is not just Kvaratskhelia stealing the show however, as the tournament’s top scorer is Georgian striker Georges Mikautadze. He scored in all three games and his partnership with Kvaradona has been one of the most entertaining in the tournament. The underdog story is one of the best in sports and in this tournament, it could be Georgia carrying the underdog flag.
2. Spain
The best performing team in the group stages was Spain, as they were the only team to finish with nine points. The performances were dominant and what made it special was how it was not completely the prototypical Spanish way. The golden era of Spanish football was when they had the six midfielders dominate their opponents with 1,000 passes, but now it is a Spanish team predicated on direct wing play. The young wing duo of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams have been dazzling, and an absolute nightmare for opposing defenders. Spain are reviving wing play after possibly ruining it a decade ago. It’s funny how football works sometimes.
1. Austria
The top spot goes to the team with the most shocking result of the group stages. Before the EUROs started when looking at Group D, it was an assumption amongst most that France and Netherlands would advance. But Ralf Rangnick’s Austria had something to say about that by not only advancing but winning the group. And they did it playing great football, scoring three goals against the Netherlands, including a beautiful Marcel Sabitzer game-winner. Every tournament has a dark horse, and when looking at the bracket, Austria is poised to take that tag this tournament. A dark horse that plays exciting football, no better vibes than that at an international tournament.
