Who Was the Last European Team to Win a Trophy?

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If you said France at the 2018 World Cup, you are incorrect, and you forgot about the Nations League Tournament.

Portugal got a chance to host the first Nations League championship in 2019, and it ended up the victors, defeating Switzerland 3-0 (thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick) in the semifinals and Netherlands 1-0 in the final, to win the last piece of hardware handed out by UEFA.

Of course, Portugal is the reigning UEFA European Champion, after its 1-0 win in extra time over France in the 2016 final.

The Euro 2020 was supposed to be played all around Europe last summer, but COVID-19 ruined those plans. It was not the worst thing ever, though, as we had a whole summer of Bundesliga, Premier League, and both the Champions League and Europa League tournaments to get us through with our soccer betting fix.

Which brings us to this summer. The Euro 2020 is going to be contested in 2021, starting June 11 with Italy hosting Turkey and ending on July 11 with the final at Wembley Stadium in England.

Will it be Portugal lifting another trophy?

The Portuguese side will have to do some work just to get out of the group stage, as they are in the “Group of Death” with the 2014 World Cup champion Germany, the 2018 World Cup champion France, and Hungary. Portugal is ranked fifth in the world right now and has the squad to pull off another title.

When you look at the futures odds by UK bookmakers, Portugal is one of a group of seven teams (out of 24 at the tournament) that has odds of 11-1 (+1100) or below: France (+500), England (+525), Belgium (+600), Germany (+750), Portugal (+800), Spain (+800), Netherlands (+1100), and Italy (+1100).

How do you pick between those teams? You could look at the bracket, but that sometimes does not matter. France had a brutal path at the last World Cup, facing Lionel Messi and Argentina in the Round of 16, Uruguay in the quarterfinals, and Belgium in the semifinals, before taking out Croatia to win the title. Yes, you want an easier path, but these teams are all so good, and very even, that any game from the quarters on is going to be tough.

I will say this. If you gave me $300 to bet on this tournament, I would probably split it up like this: $200 on France to win at odds of +500, $50 on England to win at odds of +525, and $50 on Portugal to win at odds of +800. I might throw an extra $25 on Italy, too.

You could wait until the group stages begin when the odds could change slightly depending on what happens. But if you really like a team right now, you might as well jump on the best odds you can find. Remember, though, with so many sportsbooks in New Jersey (and Pennsylvania), you should be able to shop around for better odds. If you are betting more than a couple of bucks, those higher odds could increase your bankroll.

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