Euro 2024 Final Betting Preview
This isn’t exactly how the 2024 UEFA European Championships was supposed to play out. Yes, England were the +300 favourites on the soccer odds board at Bodog Sportsbook heading into this prestigious soccer tournament, but it’s a minor miracle they made it all the way to Sunday’s final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
As for Spain, they’ve been the best team by far at this event, rising from No. 5 on the Euro 2024 odds list at +850 to earn their place in Sunday’s matchup. What can we expect from this epic battle? We’ll set the scene for you in our latest soccer betting guide.
Tournament Highlights
It’s been a very interesting tournament up to this point. While all the top title contenders managed to qualify for the knockout phase, not everyone passed the Group Stage with flying colours. The host team from Germany did; the pre-Euro third favourites at +500 had very little trouble advancing from Group A alongside Switzerland.
Meanwhile, the +400 second favourites from France had to settle for second place behind Austria in Group D. Things started going sideways in their opening match when team captain Kylian Mbappe broke his nose; Mbappe eventually returned after missing their next contest, but he only scored once at the Euros before Les Bleus bowed out in the semifinals – a very disappointing result for the top Golden Boot favourite at +400 to lead the tournament in scoring.
Among the other European soccer powerhouses to struggle were the defending champions from Italy (+1400), who finished second in Group B before crashing out in the Round of 16, and Belgium (+2000), who took second in Group E before suffering the same fate.
Biggest Upsets
While the titans were falling, Europe’s dark horses of soccer were on the stampede. We had our eyes on both Denmark (+6500) and Switzerland (+8000) as potential surprises to go all the way; both advanced to the knockout phase, although Denmark fell 2-0 to Germany in the Round of 16, and Switzerland’s run would end in the quarterfinals at the hands of England.
The biggest surprise at Euro 2024 may have been Georgia’s 2-0 win over Portugal during the Group Stage. That allowed Georgia to reach the knockouts in their very first appearance at the Euros – although to be fair, Portugal did have their “B-team” on the pitch after clinching Group F with victories over the Czech Republic and Turkey.
Star Players
With Mbappe less than 100%, the star power at Euro 2024 wasn’t at its peak – but we still saw some compelling performances from some of soccer’s biggest names, including goals by Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Luka Modric (Croatia), Christian Eriksen (Denmark), Memphis Depay (Netherlands), Bruno Fernandes (Portugal) and Robert Lewandowski (Poland).
Alas, Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t find the back of the onion bag for Portugal. This was not his best Euros by any means; Ronaldo started all five matches, even against Georgia, and played more minutes than anyone on his squad besides goalkeeper Diogo Costa, while quality subs like Diogo Jota and Goncalo Ramos didn’t get used at all. Ronaldo’s 23 shots without a goal were the most at a major tournament since Lionel Messi missed 29 times for Argentina at the 2010 World Cup.
England vs. Spain: Final Odds
Enough about the pretenders – let’s put the spotlight back on the last two contenders for European glory. After bossing their way to the final, Spain are entrenched as Sunday’s +150 favourites on the 1X2 soccer lines at Bodog, with England at +230 and the draw in regulation (plus stoppage time) at +190.
If you prefer some Euro 2024 spread betting, the “quarter ball” odds at press time show the following:
Spain 0, –0.5 (+108)
England 0, +0.5 (–128)
This means that half your bet will be placed with the spread at zero and the remainder at 0.5, with the same payouts you see in parentheses. There’s also a two-goal total on the Euro odds list with the Over slightly favoured at –115.
Beyond the three straight bets, there are over 100 more ways you can bet the Euro final at Bodog. These cover everything from who will lift the trophy (Spain is favoured at –140) to the popular “Squares” game for how many throw-ins each team will have. Just select “+Bets” next to the soccer odds for Sunday’s matchup to see all of the different ways you can get your money down.
England’s Tournament So Far
Since you’re reading this in English, and probably from within Canada’s borders, chances are you’ll be cheering for the Three Lions this Sunday. Their steadfast betting public might be the main reason England were the favourites heading into this tournament.
And yet here the Lions are in their second straight final. They did end up winning Group C, but only after drawing 1-1 with Denmark and 0-0 with Slovenia. England also had to come from behind in each of their knockout matches to overcome Slovakia, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
That Round of 16 tilt with Slovakia was classic “squeaky-bum time” for the English. They were down 1-0 in the dying seconds of extended stoppage time when Jude Bellingham delivered a sensational bicycle kick to knot things up. Then Harry Kane scored in the first minute of overtime to give the Lions a lead they’d never relinquish.
Those added minutes have not only saved England’s bacon, they’ve also completely changed the Golden Boot race. Kane (+500) was the one man who we thought could best compete with Mbappe for Top Scorer, and he is now tied with five other players at the top with three goals. Bellingham has two, so he’s still in the hunt.
Spain’s Tournament So Far
So are several players from Spain. La Roja have easily been the class of the tournament, sweeping through their Group B opponents by a combined score of 5-0 before winning three straight in the knockout phase.
Their playoffs began with their 4-1 win over Georgia. Then the competition level jumped dramatically; in what would have been a compelling finals matchup, Spain beat Germany 2-1 in overtime during the quarterfinal round, with Mikel Merino scoring the winner in the 119th minute.
Spain’s 2-1 victory over France in the semis was considerably easier – although La Roja did have to come back from an early 1-0 deficit, which they did well before halftime. Thanks to his winner in the 25th minute, Dani Olmo is tied with Kane at three goals, one ahead of teammate Fabian Ruiz.
It will take at least a brace for anyone else to win the Golden Boot. Seven different Spaniards are sitting on one goal, including Rodri, who was one of our Top 10 Players to Watch heading into Euro 2024. Only two other English players have scored at this tournament: Bukayo Saka and Ollie Watkins.
Really, though, it all boils down to Kane vs. Olmo, with Kane the new +185 favourite to win Top Goalscorer and Olmo close behind at +225. Which player and which team will prevail this Sunday? Keep checking in with Bodog Sportsbook for the latest Euro 2024 odds, and may the better side win.
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