There are only three games remaining of the 51-match extravaganza that is UEFA EURO 2020, and one of four teams will lift the trophy at Wembley Stadium on 11 July.
Is your team one of the quartet still in contention or are you looking for a country to throw your support behind down the final straight? Maybe you are looking for a national team containing players from your favourite club side?
If you are keen to find a team that captures your imagination, matches your personality type or wears your favourite colours, read through our guide to the contenders below.
Denmark
Love a fairy tale? Not even Hans Christian Andersen could have scripted the one in 1992 when Denmark, who failed to qualify, were drafted into the finals ten days before the tournament started and went on to win it. Coach Richard Møller Nielsen’s instructions were – as goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel recalled – “make sure you don’t embarrass yourselves”.
However, Denmark had lost 14 EURO matches – no nation had suffered more defeats – coming into this final tournament and two more to start their campaign suggested they needed a major pick-me-up. A 4-1 win against Russia was just what the ‘Danish Dynamite’ needed to explode and they are now bursting with goals after further victories against Wales and the Czech Republic.
Colours: red, white
England
If goals are your thing then England are an equally worthy pick given their eight qualifiers spawned an average of 5.38 per match (F37 A6) – the most of any nation. Gareth Southgate’s men have picked up that baton in the knockout stages at the finals too, scoring twice against Germany and plundering four versus Ukraine to reach the semis.
The Three Lions are also playing in their tenth EURO, which is the most participations any country has racked up without winning the title. With their semi-final and potential decider both taking place in London, has their time finally come to bring home a first trophy since the FIFA World Cup in 1966?
Colours: white, blue
Italy
Enjoy the drama of a penalty shoot-out? If so, the Azzurri are the team to follow as they had been involved in a record five such nail-biters coming into the tournament. Then there are the records that Roberto Mancini’s side are currently setting, making them the obvious choice if you want to back a European heavyweight.
They are unbeaten in 40 EURO qualifiers, dating back to 2006, and it’s a record 15 consecutive wins across the finals and qualifying now after they followed up a perfect group stage campaign with victories against Austria and Belgium in the knockout phase. Translating that form into silverware is surely the final step for the 2012 runners-up.
Colours: blue, white
Spain
The choice of the purist, the kings of tiki-taka have lost none of their total football philosophy after winning two of the last three EUROs. In qualifying unbeaten, they had the greatest pass-completion percentage, the highest average possession and more shots than any other team. If that’s the way you want to see the beautiful game played, then it’s La Roja all the way for you.
Faith in their philosophy seemed on the wane when they drew their opening two games, but their response was to become the first side in EURO history to score five goals in back-to-back matches. Could they claim a record fourth triumph this time around?
Colours: red, blue, yellow
