Who are the Euro 2024 dark horses? GOAL writers have their say

Joe Strange: You can get odds of 40-1 on Croatia to win the tournament, which feels way too high for a country who finished third at the World Cup just 18 months ago. Sure, they’re coming to the end of a cycle, with arguably their greatest ever player - Luka Modric - set for his swansong in Germany, but there’s still plenty of talent in Zlatko Dalic’s squad and, perhaps more crucially, an incredible ability to consistently punch above their weight. Getting out of Group B will be tough, but if they manage that then they’ll fancy their chances.

James Westwood: Turkey qualified for the Euros after finishing ahead of Croatia in qualifying, which is no mean feat, and have been playing some lovely football since drafting in former Roma and Italy striker Vincenzo Montella as their head coach last September. Montella has a strong midfield at his disposal led by Inter playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu, while Arda Guler could be poised for a breakout tournament after an impressive end to his debut campaign at Real Madrid. They will also be rewarded with a favourable knockout-stage draw if they can top their group ahead of Portugal.

Matt O'Connor-Simpson: Romania look like they might be a really solid tournament team. Not only did they finish top of their qualifying group, they did so without losing a single game. The football won’t be particularly exciting, but they’re a fearsome defensive unit. And as the past few iterations of this tournament have shown, three dull draws can be enough to get you through the group stages. After that, anything can happen. 

Stephen Darwin: Rewind back to June 2022 and England were given a footballing lesson by Hungary, hammered 4-0 at Molineux in Gareth Southgate's heaviest defeat since he took over, and the nation's worst in 94 years. That squad hasn't changed too much since then, and although they lost to Ireland in a pre-tournament friendly - a game they dominated - Hungary, spearheaded by dangerman Dominik Szoboszlai, possess the weapons to cause more upsets at Euro 2024. They'll more than fancy their chances of making it out of Group A, alongside Germany, and living up to their dark horses tag.

Richard Martin: Croatia just don't know when to give in. Or how. They might have finished second and third at the last two World Cups, respectively, yet there is still nothing logical about their success. This is a country of less than four million people, with a weak national league and whose core players are mostly on the wrong side of 30, if not pushing 40. Croatia are never anybody's favourites going into a major tournament, but they love to cause a surprise and are always up for a fight. Josko Gvardiol summed up his nation's spirit when he told GOAL: "We are so small but we stick together, we support each other. When we get to the penalties, I know we will go through for sure." Croatia are in the 'Group of Death' alongside Spain, Italy and Albania, but they have always preferred to do things the hard way. They will also have a point to prove as they have never won a knockout game at a European Championship.

Mark Doyle: Italy and Belgium probably don’t qualify as ‘dark horses’, given the Azzurri are the defending champions, while the Red Devils are always touted as potential victors. Austria, though, could easily prove the tournament’s surprise package. The draw has not been kind, but they’re playing some fantastic football under Ralf Rangnick, as underlined by their 6-1 demolition of Turkey in March. Austria won’t win the Euros, but they’re definitely a team to watch, along with Ukraine, who only qualified via the play-offs but have every chance of getting out of a weak Group E thanks to their unrivalled fighting spirit.

Amee Ruszkai: Hungary got a killer of a draw in 2021, but hardly disgraced themselves by taking points off both France and Germany, and that was without talisman Dominik Szoboszlai. Three years on, this draw is much kinder, the Liverpool star is even better, and Marco Rossi's side certainly have it in them to finish second in Group A. From there, they'll be full of confidence and facing teams with much more pressure on them. They could spring a surprise.

Krishan Davis: Ukraine will have backing of the neutrals as they head to Germany against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in their homeland. There is the talent in the squad to cause a serious problem, too. Georgiy Sudakov, Mykhailo Mudryk and Artem Dobvyk - La Liga's top scorer this season - are all exceptional on their day, while the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mikola Shaparenko and Viktor Tsygankov offer a mix of ability and experience. Ukraine have held England, Germany (twice) and Italy to draws in the past year and could feasibly top a favourable Group B over Belgium, Slovakia and Romania. If they can impress, no-one will want to face them in the knockouts.

Tom Maston: Ralf Rangnick may have become something of a punchline by the time he left Manchester United, but there is a reason why Bayern Munich offered him the job of becoming their manager earlier this year, as he has proven with Austria that he can still produce as a coach. Despite the loss of star man David Alaba to injury, Rangnick's side are still stringing together excellent performances. I'm backing them to finish ahead of the Netherlands in Group D as runners-up, which would give them a potentially soft draw heading into the knockouts. From there, anything could happen.