Euro 2024 Dark Horse Teams

Euro 2024 is down to the last 16 teams, as eight of them go home after an exhilarating group stage. Fans watched Albania, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Croatia, Ukraine, and Scotland exit the tournament, while other nations qualified for the Round of 16. Amongst these qualifying countries, some teams referred to as “Dark Horses”, unwanted outsiders have shockingly qualified as well. This post discusses those Euro 2024 Dark Horse Teams.

So far, the Euros have been full of twists, but what stood out the most is that where preferred favourites such as England and France have struggled, the dark horse teams like Austria, Turkey, Georgia, and Switzerland scaled through easily to appear in the next round. 

As the 16 lucky teams gear up to compete for the Round of 16 and eventually the finals on July 14th, MatchPlug believes that those dark horses deserve to be recognized for the outstanding performance they put on during the group stages. 

Table of contents:

• What is a dark horse?
• 10 Euro 2024 dark horse teams
• Euro 2024 dark horse teams that qualified for the round of 16

What Is A Dark Horse?

A dark horse is an unpopular candidate or competitor, who unexpectedly wins or succeeds in a competition. UEFA expanding the European Championship means unwanted teams have more chances to make their presence felt at the competition. 

What Are Some Rules For Euro 2024 Dark Horse Teams

There are some rules surrounding Euro 2024 dark horse teams that help you identify them at major tournaments like the Euros. 

1. Dark horses are not ranked among the pre-tournament favourites. Countries like Georgia and Austria were not when the contest began. These teams were put down behind the usual favourites Germany, Spain, France, England, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. 

2. Dark horses cannot have much historical pedigree. Austria haven’t had this in modern ages since the 1954 World Cup, when they finished third, and have reached just one knockout stage at any international tournament. At Euro 2020, Italy defeated them in the last 16. 

3. Dark horses may have an impressive recent record which is usually overlooked. Austria entered the euros undefeated in seven games and teased their ferocious attacking abilities by beating Turkey 6-1 in March. 

4. Dark horses always have an air of mystery around them, either secretly talented players or a mythical coach. In the case of Austria (again) Marcel Sabitzer, Patrick Wimmer, Christoph Baumgartner, and Marko Arnautovic held the fort down. Their coach Ralf Ragnick was also excellent.

7 Euro 2024 Dark Horse Teams

1. Austria

2. Georgia

3. Slovenia

4. Turkey

5. Netherlands

6. Denmark

7. Italy

Euro 2024 Dark Horse Teams That Qualified For The Round Of 16

In this section, we examine some of the Euro 2024 dark horses that certainly produced shocking results in the tournament, defied all odds to make it to the round of 16, and topped their group ahead of the preferred favourites. 

Below are some of the Euro 2024 dark horse teams that are still going strong in the tournament:

1. Austria

Austria officially became a dark horse in the tournament when the pressure began to increase and favourites like England and France cracked in the heat of battle. The Austrians brought to the contest thrilling football, a transformed tactical approach, and a sense of national pride.

They first announced their presence by excellent friendly victories over Germany and Italy. After they lost 1-0 to France in their first Euro 2024 match, they went on to beat Poland 3-1. Austria finally sealed their place in the round of 16 by a 3-2 beating of Netherlands. 

They finished the group stages of the contest by topping Group D with 6 points ahead of France and are set to face Turkey as their first opponents in the round of 16.

2. Georgia

As a team playing in its first ever European championship, Georgia delivered what is considered perhaps the most remarkable performance in this year’s euros. This debutante defeated the almighty Portugal by a 2-0 scoreline to steal a spot in the round of 16. 

The Georgian national team has had a quiet confidence rising within it since they eliminated Greece in a penalty shoot out to secure a place at Germany. Their Euro run has been filled with ups and downs since then. First they lost 1-0 to Turkey, drew with Czechia, and then beat Portugal at the dying minutes of the group stage to stay in the competition. 

Georgia is set to face Spain on the 29th of June 2024 for the round 16 and we hope this team survives La Roja’s brutality.

3. Slovenia

Just like Georgia, there was little information this summer about Slovenia which ranked 57th in the world; only two nations competing in Germany this year are lower in FIFA standings.

Unlike Georgia, Slovenia did not put its hopes in the array of talent around the pitch but on just one star they have in their squad, Benjamin Šeško. It doesn’t come as a surprise that the Leipzig forward has been associated with bigger clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, and Milan this summer and his price may only increase further with his recent performance at the Euro.

Meanwhile, Slovenia sealed the deal with a timely 0-0 stalemate with favourites England to enter the round of 16. 

4. Turkey

Turkey began its start to the Euro 2024 with a spectacular 3-1 beating of Georgia thanks to two long range strikes and a destabilising counter attack. This performance wiped out the disappointment of their campaign last time out at the Euro 2020, which was ridden with injury and uncertain management. 

In the match with Georgia, Mert Muldur and wonderkid Arda Guler helped the Turks take the lead before Muhammed Kerem Aktürkoğlu sealed the victory. Since then, Turkey has survived a 3-0 lashing from Portugal and defeated Czechia 3-1 to enter the next stage of the contest. 

There is a lot of talent locked away in this team and they are certainly getting the best out of their squad under manager Vincenzo Montella, who has praised them for scoring 3 points to finish second in Group F. Turkey will face Austria on the 2nd of July in a monumental clash.

5. Netherlands

The Netherlands appeared to be a powerful pre-tournament side on paper, hosting some world-class tournaments. But, this generation of talent lacks real tournament experience, with the group failing to qualify for the Euro 2020 before losing to Argentina on penalties in the quarter-final of the 2022 World Cup. 

This time, the Netherlands had a more experienced line up and secured their first victory of the group stage, sneaking up to defeat Poland by a 2-1 scoreline. They subsequently played out a 0-0 stalemate with France, before losing 3-2 to Austria.

With players like Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk, the Dutch have a shot at winning their first international cup since 1988. The Netherlands will  play Romania on the 2nd of July 2024.

6. Denmark

Every year at the European championship, Denmark seems to make the list of dark horse teams. But, after they reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020, losing late to England in a narrow match, the Danes finally have a squad with the right mix of experience and academy talent.

With veteran players like Christian Eriksen and Kasper Schmeichel who may be reaching the twilight of their international careers, there are many youngsters that can pass the baton to. They include Jesper Lindstrøm and Rasmus Højlund. 

Despite their 1-1 opening game draw with Slovenia, a 0-0 stalemate against Serbia, was enough to see them enter the round of 16. Denmark will play out the last stage of their Euro 2024 tournament with Germany on the 29th of June.

7. Italy

It’s a bit odd classifying the defending champions as one of the Euro 2024 dark horse teams, but Italy fits the description. The hype surrounding Italy this year was low when compared to other top nations competing in Germany and they were ranked as sixth favourites to defend their their title. This hardly a confident endorsement from analysts. 

The Azzurri faced a lot of adversity in the three years since their win in London Luciano Spalletti replacing Roberto Mancini, seasoned veterans Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini leaving, and notable absences from key players like Sandro Tonali (banned), Domenico Berardi, and Giorgio Scalvini (injured).

Truth be told, Italy’s performance at this year’s Euros has been so underwhelming, one would forget that they are the defending champions. They defeated Albania 1-0 in their opening match and lost 1-0 to Spain a week after. Perharps their match with Switzerland in the round of 16 will be a chance at redemption and at defending their crown.

Conclusion

Overall, these Euro 2024 dark horse teams have had an incredible run in the tournament, with nations like Georgia getting promoted to favourites. It will be interesting to see which of them will move past the round of 16 to enter the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the finals.