Euro 2024: Where does it rank?
Compared to all the Euros that have come before, where does UEFA Euro 2024 fall in my all-time tournament rankings?
Before the 2024 UEFA European Championship began, I completed the arduous task of ranking the previous 16 editions of the tournament.
With the format of the early tournaments so different to the modern one, it was not always easy to make a judgement, and just two months on I am fairly unhappy with where I ranked a couple of them.
The whole process, other than being completely subjective, is quite unfair on the new edition - our memories and/or knowledge of tournaments past are steeped in a combination of nostalgia and TV-ready highlights packages which show just that, the highlights. Bring up Euro 88 and Marco van Basten in scoring that goal in that kit comes immediately to mind, not the Netherlands’ 1-0 loss to the Soviet Union in their opener.
For Euro 2024, on the other hand, the whole of Group C and Portugal vs France are just a couple of elements still at the forefront of our minds. Therefore, when it comes to categories of Euro 2024 that have their good and bad sides, it is only fair that we put the rose-tinted specs on and give the positive stuff the benefit of the doubt.
Great teams
Any top-rated international tournament must have its fair share of incredible teams who lit things up. Euro 2024 certainly had that in its winner, Spain, who became the first team to win all seven matches at the same Euros, with five being the previous record. Only once, against the hosts, did they require extra time.
We could be speaking about hosts Germany in the same circles had the drawn been kinder and not pitted them against the Spanish in the quarter-finals, but Spain really were in a class of their own - not just due to their greatness, but because the rest of the so-called top teams failed to ignite. Pre-tournament favourites France, England and Portugal chugged along into the latter stages despite never showing their full potential.
This Spain team will be talked about for decades, but they were barely made to sweat.
4/10
Overperforming underdogs
A completely unexpected semi-finalist is, for me, a hallmark of an all-time classic. Unfortunately, we did not get a Turkey 2008 or Wales 2016 this time.
Turkey themselves were the closest we got, but were downed by the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. Switzerland were a penalty shoot-out away from making the last four, but the same was true three years ago, so how can we call that unexpected?
Slovakia were seconds away from a major shock against England having already beaten Belgium, Slovenia took Portugal to a shoot-out and Georgia massively overachieved by making the knockouts, but departing at the Round of 16 is not what we are looking for here.
3/10
Great matches
Now things are starting to look up for Euro 2024. Personally, I don’t like the biggest of games being decided by penalties, I would much rather have that glorious David Trezeguet moment to win the match, and finals with goals are always more satisfying.
So, having both semi-finals and the final being decided in 90 minutes and both teams scoring in all three was a rare treat. They might not be up there with the 2022 World Cup final for drama, but they certainly were exciting.
Elsewhere, Turkey vs Austria stood out in the Round of 16, as did Spain vs Germany in the quarter-finals, but partly because the rest of those rounds were pretty ordinary. In the group stage, Austria and Turkey were providing the fireworks again, as Austria vs the Dutch and Turkey vs Georgia were thrillers, as the second and third rounds of matches saw the quality on offer take a nosedive.
6/10
Goals, goals, goals
After the first round of matches, every podcast was reaching for the record books to tell us we were on course for the best goal average in Euros history.
The average goals per game was never mentioned again until those podcasts were doing their review shows after the final, which should let you know what happened. 2.29 goals per game is the third-lowest since the competition was expanded to 16 teams, with only Euros 96 and 2016 scoring lower.
As for the goals themselves, it was the same story of post-first round of group matches drop-off. Four of the top 10 in UEFA’s official Goal of the Tournament list came from the opening round of matches, where it felt like every match featured a 25-yard screamer into the top corner, with just one apiece for rounds two and three.
But as with almost everything at this Euro, things picked up again late on, with three of the 10 from the semi-finals alone, including the top goal; Lamine Yamal’s curling winner against France, one that will feature in every Euros opening montage for years to come.
8/10
The players who played
Antoine Griezmann starting to look past it, Cristiano Ronaldo failing to accept that he’s past it and Harry Kane trying and failing to play through injury were just a few of the old guard who made sure this tournament would not trouble the “best ever” discourse.
But this Euro wasn’t about them, it was about Yamal, Nico Williams, Xavi Simons, Jude Bellingham, Arda Güler, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and the litany of young talent who stole the show on more than one occasion.
8/10
Records galore
Young Player of the Tournament Yamal became the youngest player, goal scorer and finalist in Euros history as a key member of the Spain team which became European champions for an outright record fourth time.
They beat Germany along the way, coached by youngest coach Julian Nagelsmann, who is five years the junior of Pepe, who at 41 became the Euros’ oldest player, while in a disappointing tournament for Croatia, Luka Modrić became the oldest goal scorer.
The fastest, second fastest an fourth fastest goals in Euros history were all scored in Germany, as was the latest goal in regulation time, coming in the 90+10th minute.
Appearance, disciplinary and penalty-saving records also tumbled, in a tournament that set new standards across the board.
10/10
The Verdict
So, the total score I’ve given is 39/60. In the grand scheme of things, I’m not too sure what that means, as I didn’t give a numbered rating to any of the other championships!
However, we are definitely in the top half of all Euros tournaments. Given the lack of underdog stories and iconic moments, I don’t think it can crack the top three of Euro 84, 2016 and 2000. But the thing is, I think it is better than Euro 96, which in retrospect I ranked far too highly in my original article.
I think Euro 2004 should move up from fifth to fourth, Euro 2008 should then go fifth as they both edge Euro 2024 for drama and fairy tale stories.
But then I think this year’s edition should slot in, which given the 39/60 score I think is about right, putting it 6th out of 17.
Here is my new top 10:
Euro 84
Euro 2016
Euro 2000
Euro 2004
Euro 2008
EURO 2024
Euro 76
Euro 96
Euro 88
Euro 2020
What do you think of my ratings and ranking, and where does Euro 2024 sit for you in the pantheon of European Championship history? Let me know in the comments, and subscribe to The Full International.
Anthony Tomas is a football writer and commentator, who writes for Flashscore and World Soccer Magazine.