EM survey: South Tyrol believes in the Azzurri

In just a few hours, on Friday at 21 p.m., the 2024 European Championship will begin in Germany. SportNews asked South Tyrolean fans who will lift the coveted title.

June 14, 2024

From: do

In einer recent survey South Tyrol's football fans were asked which team they thought would win the 2024 European Championship in Germany. The results revealed hopes among local fans that the Azzurri will repeat their sensational title win from 2021 in this year's edition.

South Tyrol relies on Italy
Italy leads the poll with 23% of the votes. According to the South Tyroleans, the Azzurri will defend their European Championship title and once again be the best international team on the continent. However, this opinion is not shared by experts, where Italy is not considered one of the absolute favorites. Luciano Spalletti and Co. will face their first hurdle on Saturday evening against Albania (21 p.m.) in Group B, which is feared as the group of death. Along with the Azzurri, Croatia and Spain are fighting for a place in the next round, as well as Albania.

France just behind
France, the 2018 world champions, received 21% of the total votes. Les Bleus will always be a team that is feared at major tournaments thanks to their many outstanding talents. Names like Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann are likely to make some opponents nervous. In addition, the players from the neighboring country will probably want to make up for their defeat in the 2022 World Cup final against Lionel Messi and his Argentina. Led by Didier Deschamps, a very experienced coach, France is one of the big favorites of the tournament according to South Tyrol and the experts.

Kylian Mbappe is one of the best players at this European Championship. © APA/afp / FRANCK FIFE

“It’s coming home!”
England remains a strong candidate with 15% of the vote. The Three Lions have shown in recent tournaments that they are ready to fight to the end - they only lost to Italy in the 2021 Euro final on penalties. Their recent performances in the Euros and World Cup have raised hopes among fans on the island that a major title could soon return to the island and that the supporters' chorus of "It's coming home!" will finally come true.

The host: Between trust and doubt
With 14% of the votes, Germany is in the middle of the fan favorites. The results show that hopes for a revival of German football remain after some disappointing performances in the last major tournaments - but other teams are still favored. As hosts, Thomas Müller and Co. are also being loudly cheered on by their nation. The question remains whether Germany can withstand the pressure of a home European Championship. The first answer to this will be given on Friday evening at 21 p.m. against Scotland.

Toni Kroos hangs up his boots after the tournament. © APA/afp / TOBIAS SCHWARZ

Is Spain underestimated?
Spain, former world and European champions, received a slightly more cautious rating, with 10% of the vote. It seems that their recent mediocre performances have caused the Spanish team's magic to fade in the eyes of the South Tyroleans. Nevertheless, the Furia Roja is always to be reckoned with, as it is peppered with big names such as Álvaro Morata, Rodri and Dani Carvajal, as well as young talents such as Lamine Yamal, born in July 2007.

It is also interesting that 18% of the votes went to "another team". This underlines that there is always room for surprises in the European Championship, whether through an unexpected victory or spectacular individual performances. Teams such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal and Croatia, which have always performed convincingly in international tournaments in recent years, certainly fall into this category.