Ranking the Euro underdogs: Can Ukraine, Austria, Turkiye and others overcome a 2004 Greece?

The UEFA European Championship 2024 is about to kick off and will feature the main European national teams such as France, England, Germany, Spain and Portugal, among others, who will look to repeat Italy’s success in 2021. In recent decades, the European Championship has been a tournament full of surprises, such as in 2016 when Portugal managed to beat host country France. The pick of the surprise editions was 2004, when Otto Rehhagel led Greece to victory, beating hosts Portugal in the final. Who could be next?

We rank the top five underdogs:

5. Hungary

Hungary already caused a surprise in the last edition of the competition, when the team led by Italian manager Marco Rossi played against Germany, France and Portugal in the group stage of the tournament in 2021. Despite the tough teams they faced, Hungary drew twice against Germany and France, but then lost to Portugal in the final match of the first group stage. The talented players, led by star Dominik Szoboszlai, can improve this summer when they take on Switzerland, Germany and Scotland and could potentially aim for qualification for the round of 16.

4. Ukraine

Definitely a team to keep an eye on this summer as Ukraine plays in Group E against Belgium, Slovakia and Romania in one of the most balanced groups of the tournament. Ukraine can count on players like Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Artem Dovbyk, a talented squad, and above all a country that will support their team during the tournament despite the ongoing situation. Certainly, the players will do everything they can to achieve the maximum and they have the talent to make that happen. Considering the teams they will be facing, they also have a great chance of at least qualifying for the elimination round.

3. Serbia

Serbia was one of the biggest disappointments of the 2022 World Cup as the team failed to win a single match and finished last in the group stage after losing to Switzerland and Brazil, only drawing against Cameroon. Manager Dragan Stojkovic will count on players such as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Dusan Vlahovic and Lazar Samardzic and will compete in the group against England, Slovenia and Denmark. Although the Three Lions will likely ultimately win the group stage, Serbia will likely fight for second spot in the table.

2. Austria

Ralf Rangnick’s team is one of the teams to keep an eye on this summer because of its potential and also because of the quality of football shown during the qualifying phase. The former Manchester United manager was called to rebuild the team and create a new cycle that could be successful in the coming years, and this is also why he decided to turn down the job at Bayern Munich after the European Championship. Austria will face a challenging group stage against France, Poland and the Netherlands. However, neither of these major teams should underestimate the potential of Rangnick’s squad.

1. Turkey

Finally, Turkey. The Turkish national team will face Portugal, Georgia and the Czech Republic in the group stage and will have the chance to impress. Vincenzo Montella’s team is packed with talent: Real Madrid’s Arda Guler, Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu and Juventus’ Kenan Yıldız are just some of the names set to appear. Turkey has the chance to become a serious underdog in the tournament, and in the group stage Turkey is most likely to finish second behind Portugal. After that, anything is possible.