With UEFA Euro 2020 finally getting underway, the footballing world is about to go into a fever pitch. Whether we’re in the stadiums, filling rapidly erected fan zones, or getting comfortable in front of our own TVs, many of us will be right there for as much of the action as we can.
The Euros also offers a great opportunity for football betting as the high stakes on the field transfer to a range of stakes at the bookmakers. Naturally, football fans throughout the world and more specifically within Europe will be either checking their odds in England, or their oddset in Sweden. What are our options for betting on the European Championships this summer?
Outright Winner
The simplest and most popular bet to be made is to name the team who will ultimately lift the trophy at Wembley Stadium on 11 July. 2016 runners-up France and final hosts England start out as favourites at 5-1, but Belgium, Spain, Germany and Italy are also being tipped in some corners.
Group Winners
Not willing to take a chance on the knockout rounds but feeling confident about your team winning their group? There’s an option to make that bet too, though the odds will be understandably narrower.
Group A is thought to be a fairly safe bet for Italy. Belgium are predicted to top Group B with an outside thought for Denmark. The Netherlands are expected to take Group C, England are the starting favourites from Group D, and Spain for Group E. Group F looks the most interesting from the starting gates with Germany and France almost inseparable and Portugal listed just behind.
Golden Boot
For those who prefer to take a chance on individual achievements rather than team results there are a number of markets to consider. The tournament’s top goal scorer, or Golden Boot, is one of the most attractive and straightforward options.
England’s Harry Kane, Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, and Kylian Mbappé for France are being mentioned from the outset as most serious contenders. However, with world-class strikers across all 24 teams, there is plenty of choice for longer odds if you prefer.
Player of the Tournament
Not necessarily the person who puts the ball in the net most often, but one player will be judged the best of the competition once it’s all over. There are some familiar names amongst those tipped for this. Cristiano Ronaldo. Harry Kane, and N’Golo Kante are all being floated, as are Kevin De Bruyne and Antoine Griezmann, but odds are much closer here and anybody could become a new hero this summer.
Best Young Player
Looking to take a chance on new blood and future heroes, you can narrow Player of the Tournament betting to those players still under 23. Here tipsters are whispering names such as Phil Foden and Mason Mount from the England team, or Italy’s Nicolo Zaniolo and Germany’s Kai Havertz.
Eliminated on Penalties
For those of a slightly more pessimistic persuasion, a market is open to take advantage of the thrill of the inevitable penalty shootouts in the knockout stages. Perhaps it’s a market purely designed to take the sting out for England fans when their traditional exit comes along.
Unsurprisingly, England find themselves at the top of these odds, but they’re in good company with Spain and France. The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Italy are all considered worthy contenders for this dubious honour too.
Lowest Scorers
If you really feel like kicking a team when they’re down, you could browse the odds for which country is expected to score the least number of goals over the competition’s four weeks. Two teams seem to stand out in this regard, tournament debutants North Macedonia, and Hungary, who find themselves facing Portugal, France, and Germany after the awful luck of being drawn in Group F.
Match Results and In-Play
Waiting until the end of the tournament, or even the end of the group stages, isn’t for everyone. For more immediate results you’ll want to consider looking at match-by-match and live in-play markets.
A simple bet on the winner of each game is the easy option, but betting on the correct score or number of goals is going to net you higher winnings for the higher risk. You can also consider first and last goal scorers, predicting who might get a hat-trick, or a card, or even the number of corners in the game.
While the game is in-play there are a seemingly endless list of predictions to make. Next team to score, next player to score, results for each half, will there be a free-kick, corner, or goal kick? This is an exciting option which allows you to react in real time to what you see happening on the pitch, though it’s important not to get too carried away in the moment.
Endless Choice
Whatever your football betting preference there will be something for you in this year’s Euros. Some of the most popular options are listed above, but that is by no means an exhaustive list.
So long as you remember to gamble responsibly there are some great opportunities to enhance your experience if the biggest footballing tournament of this summer. Perhaps you’ll even strike gold and win enough to pay for tickets to watch live next time around!
