Some argue that the new 24 team structure has paved the way for teams of less quality than those of previous European Championships to participate, creating one side matches, particularly against stronger teams. While this is purely debatable, there’s almost always a team who finishes at the bottom without earning a point. We feel for these teams, but it’s a part of the beautiful game.

Lack of European Championship Experience

Albania, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia and Wales are all teams with no experience in European Championships. They qualified for their first time in history and will surely be the place to prove their fighting power. Hungary are also revisiting the tournament after a 44 year absence.  However, will this be enough against the more experienced veterans and teams?

Who are these teams facing?

Albania don’t have it easy. They face a tough group and encounter Switzerland in their first game, a team who’s improved significantly in the past couple of years. Also in Group A are hosts France, who are expected to win all three games and top the group with ease. Albania finished second in the group with 14 points and conceded 5 goals. Albania are favourites to finish last in Group A.

Iceland are a team who proved they are a force to be reckoned with. They finished in second place, 2 points away from first place finishers Czech Republic and will surely take their stunning form to the final stages of the tournament. It’s highly unlikely that a team in this form will go home without a single point.

Northern Ireland finished in first place, in what some would say was a relatively easy group. Regardless, bagging 21 points is not easy feat, however, they face the World Champions in group stages and in form Lewandowski will surely create problems for the Irish defence. N. Ireland scored 16 goals during qualifying stages, which is a clear indication of their offensive determination.

Slovakia won 7 of their 10 encounters in the qualifying stages, making them second place finishers, just two points behind Spain, the defending champions. They face England, Russia and Wales in Group B. Highly unlikely for Slovakia not to score during Euro Football 2016, given their 9+ goal difference in the qualifying stages.

Wales also had an impressive run in the qualifying stages, managing to secure a second place spot and automatic qualification. Wales conceded the least in their qualifying group, a goal less than first place finishers Belgium.

Sweden, who qualified through the play-off stages have one of the toughest groups as they face Italy, Belgium and Republic of Ireland. With an assassin like the PSG frontman up front, it’s hard to think that Sweden won’t net at least one goal.

Hungary conceded 11 goals, finished in third in the qualification rounds and qualified through two narrow wins over Norway in the play-offs. They face Ronaldo and co. as well as in form Austria and Iceland. Hungry conceded 9 goals out of 10 matches played, but how will the squad hold up against stiffer opponents with higher stakes?

Determining who will finish without a goal in Euro Football 2016 is not as straightforward as one might think. Many variables come into play, including injuries, form, mentality & fatigue. Euro 2012 saw the Republic of Ireland bag just a single goal throughout the whole tournament, but with more teams in Euro Football 2016, anything can happen!

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