France are among the favourites to go all the way in Germany as they chase a third European Championship crown. Les Bleus cruised through qualifying, winning seven of their eight games as they finished unbeaten in Group B. With 29 goals scored and just three conceded, it is little wonder they were quickly installed as one of the sides tipped to lift the trophy on July 14.
France will battle it out with the Netherlands, who also booked their spot at the finals from the same qualifying group, Poland and Austria to advance from Group D at Euro 2024. And boss Didier Deschamps will be desperate to add the trophy to his glittering CV having seen his side finish runners-up in 2016.
Deschamps, 55, continues to divide opinion in his homeland but there can be no doubting his managerial credentials. Under his leadership, the national team lifted the World Cup in 2018, finished runners-up four years later and won the 2021-22 Nations League in between.
Get the most from your Euro 2024 betting with NetBet and test you predictive skills in our exciting Correct Score Predictor challenge. Elsewhere, enjoy complete flexibility over your bets on all the biggest games this summer.
France’s Euro 2024 Group Stage Fixtures
June 17: France vs Austria, 8pm BST, Dusseldorf
June 21: France vs Netherlands, 8pm BST, Leipzig
June 24: France vs Poland, 5pm BST, Dortmund
Star Man: Kylian Mbappe
Odds are subject to change*
Kylian Mbappe will carry the hopes of the country on his shoulders when France arrive at Euro 2024. With his time at big-spending Paris Saint-Germain now over, Mbappe has completed his free transfer to Real Madrid.
The move should give the striker, 25, the platform he craves to win the Champions League and add to an already bulging trophy cabinet. He won Ligue 1 six times with PSG and seemingly had little else to achieve in the French capital after his side’s repeated failure to land the biggest prize in European football.
On the international stage, Mbappe has been an integral part of Deschamps’ side for years. He scooped the Best Young Player award at the 2018 World Cup after Les Bleus beat Croatia 4-2 to lift the trophy and is widely expected to be one of the stars of the show at Euro 2024. Boasting 27 goals in 29 league outings in 2023-24, Mbappe heads to Germany full of confidence and ready to shine on the big stage once again.
Mbappe is 6.00 to win the Euro 2024 Golden Boot.
Manager: Didier Deschamps
Deschamps was widely criticised for overlooking Crystal Palace star Michael Olise when naming his squad for Euro 2024. Olise, who is eligible to play for France, England, Algeria and Nigeria, had been touted as a dead cert ahead of a potential senior debut in Germany. But despite netting 10 goals in 19 Premier League appearances during an injury-hit campaign, Deschamps opted to ignore the clamour to name the attacking midfielder in his party.
The decision baffled Palace boss Oliver Glasner, who said: “When you see him playing in the last weeks, he has very big arguments [to be in the squad]. He’s really showing some outstanding performances. But I don’t want to give advice to Deschamps. They have players who were responsible for qualifying and it’s not so easy then to drop them.
“Sometimes you have to take very, very difficult decisions. But from my point of view, with everything I saw from Michael, everything I see every day, with his talent, with quality, with his competitiveness, I would say yes, he would have deserved it.”
If France get their hands on the trophy, the pre-tournament fuss will be forgotten. If they fail to do so, leaving Olise out may come back to haunt Deschamps.
Les Bleus are 5.00 to lift the trophy on July 14.
One to Watch: Bradley Barcola
Bradley Barcola has yet to make his full debut for France but Deschamps clearly has faith in the 21-year-old attacker. PSG snapped him up from Lyon in August 2023 on a five-year deal and Barcola repaid them with four goals and seven assists in 28 appearances as they marched to glory in Ligue 1.
France’s Squad For Euro 2024
Despite being able to pick 26 players, Deschamps opted against using his full allocation by only selecting 25.
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens)
Defenders: Jonathan Clauss (Marseille), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), William Saliba (Arsenal), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders: N’Golo Kante (Al-Ittihad), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco)
Forwards: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Bradley Barcola (Paris St-Germain), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan)
When you choose NetBet Sport, you can enjoy a whole range of top-quality sports and markets. Whatever you choose, always remember to bet responsibly. Here at NetBet, player wellbeing is our number one priority – check out our Responsible Gambling tips and tools page for more information.
