If you're a fan of the beautiful game, the Euro 2020 group stage certainly delivered.
Loads of goals, plenty of drama, a couple of teams that have emerged as the favourites but many more capable of making a surprise run.
With a third of the 24-team field now eliminated, it's time to take stock of the 16 sides set to take part in the first round of the knockout stages.
Here's how the remaining Euro 2020 squads stack up heading into the last-16.
Note: All Euro 2020 betting odds courtesy of Odds Shark
The #EURO2020 Knockout stage begins today!
Which two teams do you think will be in the Final? pic.twitter.com/zJHmBRl9vI— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 26, 2021
1) Italy
Group stage record: 3-0-0
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 7
Round of 16 opponent: Austria
Odds to win Euro 2020: +550
The most complete team of the group stage, Italy has played an exciting brand of football so far in this tournament while still managing to keep the ball out of the back of the net: the Azzurri haven’t allowed a goal in more than 1,000 minutes of play.
2) Belgium
Group stage record: 3-0-0
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 1
Round of 16 opponent: Portugal
Odds to win: +800
The world No. 1 waltzed through the group stage with relative ease aside from a first-half scare against Denmark in its second match, and Romelu Lukaku continues to play his best football at this tournament. But the Belgium defence is still a big question mark, and the back line faces a stiff test in Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the round of 16.
3) France
Group stage record: 1-2-0
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 2
Round of 16 opponent: Switzerland
Odds to win: +350
The world champion’s group stage wasn’t pretty but we’re willing to give this team the benefit of the doubt. Two draws in France’s last two matches has surely raised some eyebrows but remember that Les Bleus weren’t the most convincing side in the World Cup group stages three years ago, either. With the talent and depth France boasts, Didier Deschamp’s side are odds-on favourites for a reason.
4) Netherlands
Group stage record: 3-0-0
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 16
Round of 16 opponent: Czech Republic
Odds to win: +900
The Dutch returned to tournament football with a thorough handling of their opponents in Group C despite questionable tactics from manager Frank de Boer. The Netherlands enter the Round of 16 as the tournament’s leading scorers and should have little trouble with the Czech Republic, but a deep run from the Dutch will likely require the side to tighten up in the midfield and defence.
5) England
Group stage record: 2-1-0
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 4
Round of 16 opponent: Germany
Odds to win: +650
The success of the Three Lions' group stage depends on your outlook. On one side, the attacking prowess many expected from this talented group of players didn’t come to fruition, and Harry Kane’s lack of involvement is concerning. On the flip side, England hasn’t allowed a goal in this tournament yet and look as defensively sound as any team in the competition.
6) Sweden
Group stage record: 2-1-0
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 18
Round of 16 opponent: Ukraine
Odds to win: +5000
Sweden’s matches aren’t necessarily going to be the most exciting to watch from a neutral standpoint, but the play of breakout star Alexander Isak and the Blue and Yellow's defence-first mentality is the type of strategy that could result in an unexpectedly deep run.
7) Spain
Group stage record: 1-2-0
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 6
Round of 16 opponent: Croatia
Odds to win: +750
Luis Enrique’s side looked destined to miss out on the round of 16 altogether before a five-goal explosion on the final group-stage matchday showed the world that Spain actually does know how to score. That performance gives Spain a boost in these rankings – if Wednesday’s performance is a sign of things to come, this could be a dangerous side in the knockout stages.
8) Germany
Group stage record: 1-1-1
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 12
Round of 16 opponent: England
Odds to win: +700
Germany’s group results were literally all over the map and Joachim Low’s side enters the knockout stages lacking consistency in a system that has both worked brilliantly and seemed to have its players out of sorts.
9) Portugal
Group stage record: 1-1-1
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 5
Round of 16 opponent: Belgium
Odds to win: +1200
With Ronaldo in his current scoring form (he leads Euro 2020 with five goals), it would be foolish to rule out a deep Portugal run this early – even with a last-16 clash versus Belgium looming and multiple defensive lapses in the group stage.
10) Denmark
Group stage record: 1-0-2
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 10
Round of 16 opponent: Wales
Odds to win: +2000
It’s impossible not to root for the Danes after what the squad has dealt with at this tournament following the harrowing collapse of captain Christian Eriksen in the first match. Monday’s dominant win over Russia proved this team is more than just a good story – they’re a real threat.
11) Wales
Group stage record: 1-1-1
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 17
Round of 16 opponent: Denmark
Odds to win: +8000
Robert Page’s Welsh side exceeded expectations in the group stage thanks to the impacts of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey. Wales will only go so far as their star dynamic duo carries them.
12) Croatia
Group stage record: 1-1-1
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 14
Round of 16 opponent: Spain
Odds to win: +5000
The group that propelled Croatia into the World Cup final in 2018 looked old and out of sorts at times during the group stage, but Tuesday’s display against Scotland to earn a spot in the last 16 showed that the Croatian midfield, and Luka Modric in particular, still have the talent to take over football matches.
13) Czech Republic
Group stage record: 1-1-1
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 40
Round of 16 opponent: Netherlands
Odds to win: +10000
The Czechs outperformed expectations in the group thanks in large part to the heroics of striker Patrik Schick, whose two-goal performance in his country’s opener against Scotland was one of the highlights of the group stage.
14) Switzerland
Group stage record: 1-1-1
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 13
Round of 16 opponent: France
Odds to win: +8000
Through their first two matches, it felt as if this Swiss team lacked any real football identity. That changed slightly in Sunday’s 3-1 win over woeful Turkey, where the squad’s talisman Xherdan Shaqiri finally made a real impact.
15) Austria
Group stage record: 2-0-1
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 23
Round of 16 opponent: Italy
Odds to win: +15000
Group stage wins over North Macedonia and Ukraine are what we expected from this Austria team and it was enough to get them into the last 16, but it’s hard to imagine further advancement for this team. Anything is possible with a world-class player like David Alaba in the side, but Italy will likely be too much to handle.
16) Ukraine
Group stage record: 1-0-2
Pre-tournament FIFA ranking: No. 24
Round of 16 opponent: Sweden
Odds to win: +12500
Andriy Shevchenko’s Ukraine has flashed attacking brilliance at times in this tournament – their heartbreaking loss to the Netherlands on Matchday 1 was one of the best games so far – but they limped into the last 16 with a poor showing against Austria and could find it difficult to break down Sweden in the first knockout round.
