Part I: The Euros:

For all the COVID-induced misery that football (soccer?) fans endured over the past year, including the postponement of Euro 2020, there is one bright spot to stem from all the frustration: perhaps the most prolific summer of international football in the history of the sport.

For the first time ever, UEFA’s European Championships, CONMEBOL’s Copa America, and CONCACAF’s Gold Cup will all be played in the same year, leaving no shortage of international matchplay for fans who have waited over two years for it.

All three tournaments bring with them some of the most intriguing storylines seen in years at their respective tournaments:

Can the respective Golden Generations of nations like Belgium and England finally make a push for validation at an international tournament, or will established sides like Portugal and France reign supreme?

Can Lionel Messi take advantage of perhaps his final real chance at international glory, and perhaps solidify his GOAT case in the process?

Can the United States make a huge step in their post-2018 rebuild by retaking the Gold Cup title?

All that and more remains to be seen in a titanic summer for the sport. Without further ado, let’s get into some predictions:

UEFA Euro 2020:

Group A:

1. Italy
2. Turkey
3. Switzerland
4. Wales

Italy are the clear frontrunners here, with a retooled roster following the crushing failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup led by young talent such as goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and veteran leadership such as defender Giorgio Chiellini, and they enter the tournament on an 8-match winning streak across all competitions. Turkey field a competitive team of their own, having not lost 12 of their last 13 matches, and look to make their first extended run at a major tournament since reaching the Euro 2008 semifinals. Switzerland, while rarely able to go far, are generally able to make it out of the group stage of such tournaments, and although they’re aging, they retain the core that has led them to ample success at the last few World Cups and Euros. Finally, despite their shocking Cinderella run at Euro 2016, Wales lacks the pieces around Gareth Bale to repeat, and will finish at the bottom of a relatively tough group.

Group B:

1. Belgium
2. Denmark
3. Russia
4. Finland

Similarly to Group A, Belgium are undoubtedly the favorite in Group B as the number one ranked team in the world, as they look to coronate their star-studded Golden Generation with a first-ever major trophy. Denmark represents another top-10 outfit in their own right, fresh off of a World Cup knockout stage appearance and boast talent such as Kasper Schmeichel and Christian Eriksen who have proved themself on the big stage time and time again before. Despite having shown the propensity to make a shock run at an international tournament with their quarterfinal run at the World Cup, Russia lack the talent to compete with Belgium and Denmark, and bow out in the group stages. Finland, competing at their first ever major FIFA tournament, are even worse off in terms of talent, and will likely not be able to follow the footsteps of Iceland and fail to shock the world off at their FIFA debut with little to no experience on roster.

Group C:

1. Netherlands
2. Austria
3. North Macedonia
4. Ukraine

Another group with another clear frontrunner, the Netherlands return to international competition after a 7-year absence looking as formidable as they have in years, despite the glaring absence of Virgil van Dijk at the Euros. Austria field a very underrated squad led by the likes of Real Madrid’s David Alaba, but should surprise nobody to finish second in Group C. Macedonia, on the other hand, have surprised many in World Cup qualifiers including picking up a win over Germany this past March, and I have them continuing that run of form and leaving Ukraine to finish bottom of the group.

Group D:

1. England
2. Croatia
3. Scotland
4. Czech Republic

Probably the easiest group to project, as England and Croatia are so far ahead of the other two sides in terms of both talent and experience to the point where they seem insurmountable why the other two. While Czech Republic do have the edge in tournament experience over the Scots, Scotland’s squad is better from top to bottom, and they should claim the third position in the group.

Group E:

1. Spain
2. Poland
3. Sweden
4. Slovakia

Despite a rather interesting squad selection to say the least (no Real Madrid players??), Spain have a major edge on the rest of the group in terms of squad quality and experience, and should not only win the group but contend for the Euro title. Poland boast arguably the best player in the world in striker Robert Lewandowski, and the ample amount of talent around him should be enough to take the Poles through to the Round of 16. Sweden gets the edge over Slovakia by virtue of a better recent record, but neither should be making too much noise at this tournament.

Group F:

1. Portugal
2. France
3. Germany
4. Hungary

Group F represents maybe the greatest “Group of Death” in the history of any FIFA competition. Euro holders Portugal, world champions France, and 2014 World Cup winners Germany (as well as Hungary) form a group with three of the best teams not only in Europe, but the whole world. All three are immensely talented, and although I placed them in this way, nothing is assured in Group F aside from Hungary’s likely fourth-place finish.

Third-Place Qualifiers:

Switzerland

Russia

Sweden

Germany

Round of 16:

Belgium over Sweden

Italy over Austria

Portugal over Switzerland

Poland over Croatia

Spain over Russia

England over France

Germany over Netherlands

Denmark over Turkey

Quarterfinals:

Belgium over Italy

Portugal over Poland

England over Spain

Germany over Denmark

Semifinals:

Portugal over Belgium

England over Germany

Final:

England over Portugal

The knockout rounds are filled with a host of mouth-watering matchups, starting with a Round of 16 that includes a matchup between maybe the two best teams in the tournament (England vs France) to a redux of a stunning World Cup upset (Spain vs Russia) to the renewal of a decades-old rivalry (Germany-Netherlands). The quarterfinals are equally intriguing, and although Belgium-Italy and England-Spain are the most compelling showdowns, the matchup of Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski in Portugal-Poland has the potential to make some noise in its own right. The final four teams are all among the best in recent history, and the talent of England and Portugal will prove too strong for Belgium and Germany to overcome. Finally, after running a gauntlet of France, Spain, and Germany, each of the last three World Cup winners, England knock out Euro champions Portugal at their own Wembley stadium in front of a booming 90,000-fan crowd to win their maiden Euro title on home soil.