Earlier there were 24 teams and now, after a two-week group stage, there are only 16 teams left as the knockout rounds of Euro 2020 begin on Saturday. Will France add Euro glory to their World Cup from 2018 or will Portugal become the second team to defend the Euro title after Spain in 2008 and 2012?
England and Germany have looked far from their best performances of all time: who will stand by after they meet at Wembley on Tuesday? And how about Spain or Italy, both of which flew under the radar, with low expectations but with more than enough talent to build a deep race?
Let ESPN FC prepare you for the Round of 16 over the next four days with a comprehensive look at every fixture with live streaming, and our experts pick the eight teams they think will make it to the quarterfinals Will move on
Saturday: Noon ET/6 p.m.
Form guide: Wales got through to Group A after a 1-1 draw with Switzerland and then beat Turkey 2-0 thanks to goals from Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts. They finished in a 1–0 loss to Italy in Rome and finished second in Group A.
The Danish campaign began with traumatic events in Copenhagen as Christian Eriksson fell against Finland. Despite the midfielder suffering a cardiac arrest, Denmark resumed the match later that night and lost 1–0. They rallied against Belgium in the next match but lost 2–1. They knew then that they had to beat Russia in the final match, and they beat them 4–1 to finish third in Group B.
Key Player: It is impossible for Wales to overtake Gareth Bale. He has been the heartthrob of this side during his Euro 2020 journey, but he is more than a one-man side. Ramsey is showing signs of getting back to his best, while Kiefer Moore is a real handful up front. Despite having played more matches for Wales at Euros this season than Leicester City, Danny Ward has been brilliant in goals as well. Daniel James will also cause all sorts of hardship to the Danish right side.
Yussuf Poulsen and Martin Braithwaite are the alarm bells ahead for Denmark, while they have a clean backbone for the team with Andreas Christensen, Simon Kajar, Pierre-emile Hjberg and Thomas Delaney. But keep an eye on 20-year-old Mikkel Damsgaard. He had an incredible job of filling Ericsson's spot in the team, and he played well against Belgium and then scored a brilliant goal against Russia.
How they stack up: Wells will try to counterattack to absorb the pressure and then hit them on the flank through James and Bale, and then Moore will try to wreak havoc in the penalty area. They are happy to operate a low block, but they are most effective when they are pushing up the field looking for a bounce at any opportunity. Most of his attacking game goes through the vine, and he is happy to play on the wings or from the middle. Denmark would be mindful of Wales' first goal against Turkey: Bell fell deep like quarterback and swam a graceful pass on the way to Ramsey, who slammed it home. Also expect plenty of energy from the bench.
Denmark are a clean passing team and will play 3-4-3 to get the balls to Braithwaite and Poulsen. Damsgaard and the tricky Joakim Mahle are their other main threats, but they are more than happy to go anywhere: they had the most shots in the group stage of any team (61). Watch out for defender Christensen's hammer-shot when he hit one from distance against Russia, while Damsgaard's ability to come from the left and play from the middle of the park is also a threat.
Hojbjerg and Delaney are canny operators in midfield and will try to lock in that middle third; Ramsey and Joe Morrell will have to unpick it.
The match will be played at Ericsson's old Ajax home in Amsterdam, so expect most of the support to be in favor of Denmark. We think they will continue their journey to Euro 2020 with a win against Wales in the spirit of Rob Page.
Saturday: 3 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CET
Form guide: Italy sailed through their group with three wins and were able to rest eight players for the third and final match against Wales. Austria finished second in the first two games as expected - beating North Macedonia and losing to the Dutch - before winning the actual playoff for second against Ukraine.
Key Player: Jorginho is not the only Italian midfielder who can pass, but he is the "point guard" for this team, setting the pace and controlling the game. Fellow midfielders Manuel Locatelli and Niccol Barella are equally important, setting the pressure trigger, supporting the attack and sharing the creative load.
David Alaba is Austria's biggest name and most talented player. He could be lining up as centre-back for Real Madrid next season, but has played three different positions (none of them in central defence) at Euro 2020 so far. Martin Hintegger is a defensive legend, and Marcel Sabitzer and Christoph Baumgartner are dynamic midfielders who can come and shoot in the box.
How they stack up: It's not like the Italy sides of old. Roberto Mancini's teams play an up-tempo, press-and-pass game that sees them dominating possession and leading a lot of men. Austria also likes to make the game from the back - certainly more than any Italian team in the group stage - and it will be interesting to see how they cope with the Italian press. Forward, Marko Arnautovic is a physical, fast striker (Sasa Kalajadzik is even bigger off the bench), who in some ways should be in line with Italy's experienced central defenders.
Italy will need to deal with the threat of Sabitzer and Baumgartner getting into the box, while Austria's main concern will come out on the defensive. Both wide forwards Domenico Berardi and Lorenzo Insigne (not to mention Federico Chiesa, if he starts) love to take fullbacks, and they should find plenty of support from Leonardo Spinzola, especially on the left. Ciro Immobile is a very busy forward who is useful even when he is not scoring (which he has done independently at club level, less so with the national team) and he can build specialist (but not overly mobile) defensive partnerships. wants to increase. Hinteregger and Alexander Dragovic.
Italy are coming off a 30-game streak and have not lost 10 games, so despite their front-foot approach, they have fought well defensively. It's hard to see that run coming to an end against Austria.
Netherlands vs. Czech Republic
Sunday: Noon ET/6 p.m. CET
Form Guide: Playing in their first major tournament since the 2014 World Cup, the Netherlands advanced through Group C with a 100% record and eight goals in three matches. The Dutch played all those games in Amsterdam, however, they would play away from home for the first time in the tournament when they faced the Czechs in Budapest. Despite finishing third in Group D, the Czech Republic qualified before losing 1–0 to England in their final group game, with a win against Scotland and a draw against Croatia to result in a draw. highlighted their potential.
Key Player: Georginio Wijnaldum is the man who makes the Dutch tick. While most of the focus has been on Memphis Depay, who recently completed a move from Lyon to Barcelona, former Liverpool midfielder Wijnaldum has been the star man, excelling in a more advanced role than he played under Jurgen Klopp at Anfield. He has scored three goals in three matches so far and it will be crucial if Netherlands are to progress to the later stages.
Patrik Schick has excelled for the Czechs so far, with Bayer Leverkusen also scoring three goals in three matches. His long-range strike in a 2–0 win against Scotland is a major contender for tournament goals and, while defenders Tomas Kallas and Vladimir Kaufal have been impressive from behind, Schick is the man who can carry the Czech's hopes on his shoulders. Going because he is most likely to score goals to take them ahead of the Dutch.
How they stack up: The Czechs are a well-drilled and disciplined outfit, but they also have players capable of hurting the Dutch, including Schick, Tomas Sousek and 18-year-old Adam Holozek. They will be happy to sit deep and soak up the pressure before trying to counterattack, and they are likely to be the biggest test the Netherlands have ever faced.
Having faced England and Croatia, two of the strongest teams in the tournament, the Czechs may be more up for it than the Dutch, who emerged from a weaker group with Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia. And although they beat Ukraine in a five-goal thriller in their opening game, the Netherlands' defensive shortcomings were exposed in that match and could have been punished by the Czechs.
But while the Czech Republic should not be underestimated, it is clear that the momentum is with the Dutch after winning the tournament. The absence of injured Virgil van Dijk has not been a problem so far, with Daley Blind, Matthijs de Ligt and Stefan de Verge forming a three-man defensive partnership.
The Dutch, however, lacked cutting edge, and could later prove their downfall against a more formidable opponent, if not against the Czechs. Denzel Dumfries has brought up pace and goals wide, but centre-forward Vout Weghorst is a workhorse rather than well into the mold of previous Dutch strikers such as Marco van Basten, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie.
Both the teams have their limits, yet both have been able to put up a great performance to cross this tie. It will be tight and an example that group results in the knockout stages are nothing.
Sunday: 3 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CET
Form guide: 45 minutes apart against Denmark, Belgium were comfortable in Group B, finishing on top with a perfect record and scoring seven goals. Portugal's exit from Group F was more complicated. He looked good in some spells and terrible in others, conceded goals but scored them too, and finally finished third in a stealthy way.
Key players: Portugal have enough attacking talent in Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota and Bruno Fernandes to cause Belgium a problem, but they have missed too many chances in the group stage, and if they are going to stop they will have to replace Ruben Dias. Need in top form Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku in Seville on Sunday. He has had a great first season at Manchester City, but he will have to put his best foot forward against Lukaku, who is looking sharp.
The leading figure in Belgium is De Bruyne. His link-up game with Lukaku was disastrous in his last group game against Finland, and if he could find a similar spot against Portugal, it would create enough opportunities for Roberto MartÃnez's side to win the game.
How They Stack Up: Belgium and Portugal prefer to attack than to defend, so goals should be there. Both teams scored seven runs in the group stage with a minimum of two in each game. Belgium will try to get De Bruyne on the ball as much as possible into small pockets around the penalty area so that he can flick a pass at Lukaku, something that worked well against Finland. To prevent this, Portugal will have to taunt De Bruyne for space, and it could come to the Manchester City midfielder Renato Sanches to try to suppress it.
If fitness is an issue after such a long season, Belgium should take the lead. MartÃnez was able to make eight changes for the last group game, with Yuri Tielemens and Leander Dendonker given knight-offs, while Portugal needed a full squad to secure a 2–2 draw with France. that they did not go home early. At one point trailing France and with Hungary defeating Germany, they were going out. Belgium are the No. 1 ranked team in the world and have done enough in the group stage to be considered favorites against Portugal, which were demolished by Germany, but with Ronaldo already scoring five goals, you never know.
Monday: Noon ET/6 p.m. CET
Form guide: Spain started slowly with two draws but a very poor performance by Slovakia to win 5–0 ensured that they finished second in Group E behind Sweden. After losing to England and being held by the Czech Republic, Croatia needed a major win against Scotland in their last group game to finish second in Group D.
Key players: Spain struggled for goals until they came up against a Slovak side, determined to concede as many as possible. Despite finding the net against Poland, lvaro Morata looks less than confident, and will need to be more clinical if Spain is going to make the latter round. For Croatia, Luka Modric reminded everyone how good he was during the win over Scotland. Even at the age of 35, he can keep the midfield ticking with his speed and ability on the ball. His goal against Scotland - a bend in the top corner from the edge of the penalty area - wasn't bad either.
How they stack up: Spain will go into the game as favorites because they are, well, Spain. But Croatia may not have seen much in their group-stage performances to intimidate them. Croatia has won two of the last three meetings, one last at Euro and again in the Nations League in November 2018.
Spain will need Sergio Busquets' experience to help them win their midfield fight against Modric, and the pair should get to know each other very well after several clashes playing for Barcelona and Real Madrid. It may be that Croatia will face a lot of pressure, but if they keep Spain playing in front of them instead of being behind, they will be hard to break. It could end up being a game of some clear chance and it could come down to which team is the most clinical that day.
Monday: 3 p.m ET/9 p.m
Form guide: France top the death group with an impressive win (1-0) against Germany, a painstaking performance (1-1) against Hungary and a commanding for two penalties against Portugal as a result of two big mistakes Despite the second half (2-2). Switzerland qualified in the group stage as only one of the best third-place finishers. They only managed a draw with Wales (1–1), then were given a lesson by Italy (3–0), only to respond well with a convincing victory against Turkey (3–1).
Key Players: Paul Pogba has been the most consistent Frenchman in the group stage. He was brilliant with the quality of his passing and his work rate against Germany and Portugal. He will be one of the keys again in Monday's game. If the Swiss cannot face him, he will be able to set the pace of the game and find his front three. Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann will also have a big impact on this match. Mbappe is the only player among the three to score in the tournament so far, which he would like to convert in the 16th round.
For Switzerland, the leaders have been disappointed so far. Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice against Turkey, but was poor in his first two matches. Simply put, Switzerland cannot win if the Liverpool forward is not moving forward. Granite Xhaka also needs to make a big impact in midfield. His fight with Pogba will be interesting.
How they stack up: These two teams know each other very well after meeting at Euro 2016 as well as the 2006 and 2014 World Cups. However, this will be the first time Switzerland will play them with a three-man defense and a 3-4-1-2 formation. Can it change the dynamics?
That said, Les Blaes are big favorites no matter how the Swiss play. We saw France deal really well with Germany's 3-4-3 formation in the group stages, meaning that the key to the game would be Pogba and N'Golo Kante: they never started together when Have lost and haven't been able to find an opponent yet. Which is causing them problems. Switzerland struggles without the ball and could really struggle to prevent the French from developing their attacks. If Didier Deschamps' team takes control of the ball and can set the pace of the game, there will be no way for the Swiss to even with extra rest since the end of the group stage. And even if Vladimir Petkovic's men have the ball, they have to be really creative and good in the final 30 yards to put the French defense under pressure.
Psychologically, the dominance of France versus Switzerland over the past 20 years could also have an effect. The last time the Swiss beat their neighbors was in 1992 - seven encounters ago!
Tuesday: Noon ET/6 p.m
Form guide: England were one of only two teams to keep three clean sheets during the group stage (along with Italy), beating Croatia and the Czech Republic either side of drawing against Scotland. Germany were six minutes from going out of the tournament but snatched a late equaliser against Hungary to finish second in a tough group during which they lost to France but beat Portugal 4-2.
Key players: Harry Kane hasn't scored yet at these finals, but he remains the England player most feared by other countries. Manager Gareth Southgate has rotated the supporting cast behind Kane to generate the movement in advanced areas that can give him the space to thrive, but it looks as if Raheem Sterling and one other from Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford or Jadon Sancho will form England's forward line. None of them can finish like Kane, however, who won the Golden Boot at the last World Cup, and if England are to continue creating only a limited number of chances, they'll need the Tottenham Hotspur striker in top form to take what comes his way.
There is consternation in Germany over Joachim Low's use of Joshua Kimmich, given he has established himself as an excellent defensive midfielder only to be often used as a right wing-back in this tournament. Wherever he plays, however, the 26-year-old can still use his excellent range of passing to good effect. Kimmich is precisely the kind of midfield metronome England lack, and any rhythm the Germans find at Wembley will likely come through him.
How they stack up: Southgate adopted a cautious, disciplined approach during the group phase, content to take what England had as they entered the final phase of a game and see that result out. That is due to a combination of factors: fatigue in the squad, England's historically suspect game management in tournament football and concerns over the robustness of his defence. England almost always struggle to retain possession in Euros and World Cups. Arguably his biggest decision is how much risk he is willing to inject into England's setup. There is pressure on him to do so from fans excited by the attacking talent contained within the squad, and there are big decisions ahead, not least whether he switches to a back three to match up with Germany as he has often done against top sides.
There is a sense of structure to England that, surprisingly, Germany have lacked so far at these finals. Their chaotic qualification points to an unusually porous back line and a lack of cohesion in attack, relying on individual brilliance to a significant extent even in their win against Portugal. Doubts remain over the 3-4-2-1 shape with Serge Gnabry as a false nine, but the Bayern Munich winger performed well there before Euro 2020 and the individual quality Germany possess make it eminently possible they could begin peaking at the right time, as they have so often done in past tournaments.
Southgate has rotated his full-backs, and whoever is asked to stifle Kimmich, assuming he plays on the right again, will have a key role to play. The presence of two No. 10s could tempt England into playing two defensive-minded midfielders again, but with that comes pressure to use the ball more inventively than Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips have largely done to date. There will also be the majority of 45,000 fans willing them on.
Tuesday: 3 p.m. ET/9 p.m
Form guide: Sweden started their opener with a tight 0-0 draw with Spain, then beat Slovakia 1-0 thanks to a 77th-minute penalty from Emil Forsberg. Dating back to Euro 2016, as his opener, it was his first goal in 365 minutes of action at Euro 2016, so he found the goal difficult to achieve. They finished with a 3–2 win over Poland, thanks to a double from the late winner of Forsberg and Viktor Claesen to top Group E.
Ukraine was successful as one of the best third-placed teams despite losing two of their three Group C matches. In their opener against the Dutch, they came down two goals and leveled the match, only to lose 3–2 thanks to Denzel Dumfries' 85th-minute winner. They then managed to beat North Macedonia 2–1 thanks to strikes from Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk. But they ended the group in a disappointing 1–0 loss against Austria in Bucharest.
Key players: 21-year-old Swedish striker Alexander Isaac is one of the players of the tournament so far. Although he hasn't scored yet, he has been excellent for Sweden and usually doesn't take away from what he's doing well. Forsberg will grab a lot of headlines for his three goals in as many matches, and he has been excellent, but Isaac is an amazing player who has happily hard legs and a tendency to fall deep and fashion his chances. With many of Europe's top teams hunting a new striker, you can imagine that a lot of people at Real Sociedad would be rolling envious eyes to be Isaac. Also beware of Dejan Kulusewski, waiting to be uncovered. The Juventus maestro, having played just 35 minutes in the tournament so far, missed the Swedes' opener due to testing positive for COVID-19. But in that 35-minute cameo against Poland, he synced with Forsberg's second and Claesen's winner.
For Ukraine, he has been dependent on West Ham United's Yarmolenko. He has scored twice for Andrey Shevchenko. His first was a delightful archery, winding effort against the Dutch, and his second, against North Macedonia, was more straightforward as he tapped the far post to help his side in that crucial victory. Oleksandr Zinchenko presents a threat to the left, while Shakhtar keeps an eye on Donetsk centre-back Mykola Matvienko, who has been linked with Arsenal. They are likely to target set pieces, but expect the front three of Yarmolenko, Yeremchuk and Ruslan Malinovsky to knock the ball. It will not be easy for the teams to stay in possession against Ukraine, as they have three players (Matvienko, Oleksandr Karavaev and Ilya Zbarny) in the top five for ball recovery in the group stage.
How they stack up: Swede may play in a variety of ways, but their style will likely be a hybrid of how they approach their second and third group matches against Spain, rather than their opener, in which they have Only 15% was occupied. They will likely use a 4-4-2 and look to funnel the ball through the superb Forsberg, playing from the left or middle. Isaac and Robin Quaison pose a threat, but the Swedish team is built on belligerence, stability and work ethic. They are a difficult team to break through with the defensive rocks of Viktor Lindelof, Marcus Danielsson and Robin Olsen - but put that dab of class in front to grab essential goals.
Ukraine will play a mix of 3-4-1-2 and 4-3-3 and know they have it in their locker to disappoint the big teams that drew with France earlier this year. He will be the underdog for this match, but it will be interesting to see where Shevchenko plays Zinchenko. The Manchester City man has been used by Ukraine on the left wing, but seemed more dominant when operating slightly deeper, giving him license to overlap the winger and go behind the back. His choices at the front are dangerous, with Yarmolenko matched neatly with Yaremchuk and Malinovsky so there are zero concerns, but he must find a way to improve his transitional game and the men's serve at the front. His defense has missed opportunities - conceded five goals so far - but Matvienko still has class. Also, Viktor Tsygankov is expected to make an impact from the bench if he fails to make the starting XI.
With Isaac, one of the outstanding players of the tournament so far, Sweden are expected to reach the quarterfinals, but this will be a match where there will be a lot of shadowboxing before the knockout blow. — Tom Hamilton
Who will reach the last eight? Our experts make your choice.
Hamilton: Belgium vs Italy, France vs Spain, England vs Sweden, Netherlands vs Denmark
Ogden: Belgium v Italy; France vs Croatia; England v Sweden; Czech Republic vs Wales
Ole: Belgium vs Italy, France vs Croatia, Germany vs Ukraine, Netherlands vs Denmark
Dawson: Belgium vs Italy, France vs Spain, England vs Sweden, Netherlands vs Wales
Marcotti: Belgium vs Italy, France vs Spain, Germany vs Sweden, Netherlands vs Denmark
Lawrence: Belgium vs Italy, France vs Spain, Germany vs Sweden, Netherlands vs Wales