A truly amazing summer of soccer is about to begin for fans of the world’s game. Sure, there are the usual, glitzy exhibition matches across the United States as part of the ICC. But in addition, there is not one, but two major, marquee international tournaments that will run almost simultaneously.
Both the European Championship (Euro 2016) and the Copa America will begin this June featuring the best teams from Europe, South America, and North and Central America. While most of the biggest names in world soccer will be playing in these tournaments (well, except the Dutch) it is worth examining which underdog countries have a chance to replicate the success of Leicester City in the Premier League.
Let’s take a look at the outside-the-box contenders for the super-sized Euro 2016, the first of its kind with 24 teams looking to take home the trophy.
You can view our look at the underdogs of Copa America here.
Wales
With the hopes and dreams of a nation on his shoulders, there’s one man and one man alone who would be responsible for a Welsh miracle: Gareth Bale. This is only the second major tournament that Wales has even qualified for in its history, outside of the 1958 World Cup. And while the roster does boast an experienced squad of players who ply their trade in the EPL (Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen, Ashley Williams, etc.), Wales will undoubtedly go as far as Gareth Bale takes them.
Has the long La Liga season including a Champions League Final victory taken its tole on Bale? He did make only 30 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid this season, scoring 19 times. At the end of 2015, Wales did break through to the Top 10 of the FIFA World Rankings, which maybe says more about the validity of those rankings than the achievements of the Welsh National Team.
However, as Leicester City has shown, a couple of star players can push a true team to the very heights of success in the sport. With Bale in the role of Jamie Vardy and some accomplished players around him, Wales could make a deep run, even though they are at 80-1 currently at Sky Bet. Their future in the tournament could well hinge on their second game against England, which will be one of the most anticipated sporting events in the country’s history.
Switzerland
At 40-1, Switzerland isn’t the kind of outsider that Leicester City was in this year’s Premier League, but they represent great value as T-9 in the betting favorites. With Romania and Albania also in Group A with host France, the Swiss should be able to do what they’ve never been able to do before: advance past the group stage at the Euros.
The Swiss have never been known for their attacking flair, but that might be changing with several talented players like Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri. The Swiss have always been solid at the back, but if they can add some goals along the way anything is possible.
Austria
Austria will fancy its chances of advancing from Group F at Euro 2016. The Austrians have only qualified for one European Championships, back in 2008 where they didn’t advance out of the group stage. Perhaps Austria can draw inspiration from their captain, Leicester City’s own Christian Fuchs, who is the most capped player in Austria’s Euro 2016 squad.
Though Austria is currently at 40-1, they had an amazingly successful qualifying campaign. Outside of England taking 30 out of 30 points, Austria had the second-highest qualifying point total, topping their group with 28 points over sides like Russia and Sweden. Most of the Austrian National Team plays in the German Bundesliga. However, their most influential player could be Stoke City midfielder Marko Arnautovic.
Poland
Much like Wales, Poland is spearheaded by a singular force in attack: Robert Lewandowski. The Bayern Munich striker tied a Euro Qualifying record with 13 goals to lead Poland to finish second in their qualifying group, just one point behind Germany.
Unfortunately for the 50-1 long shots, Poland has once again been drawn with the defending World Cup champions. However, the other two members of Group C, Northern Ireland and Ukraine, are entirely beatable for a side that will trot out one of the best strikers in world football. They also have recent experience at the Euros, falling out at the group stage in 2008 and 2012. However, this is a side that many sense has been building towards making a splash on the European football scene.
Could they replicate the miracle run of Greece in 2012? It’s entirely possible, especially if one of their experienced EPL goalkeepers (Lukas Fabianski or Wojciech Szczesny) play up to their ability.
Slovakia
Slovakia will be one of the many countries making their first appearance in the European Championships. Playing in Group B with England, Russia, and Wales, Slovakia will see an opportunity to advance, much like the Welsh we’ve previously discussed. And while Slovakia does not possess a world star the likes of Gareth Bale, they do have a well-balanced side of experienced players from leagues across Europe. And they are in good form coming into the tournament going undefeated in their last seven matches, including victories over fellow Euro 2016 participants Switzerland and Iceland last November.
Most surprisingly, Slovakia defeated defending world championships Germany 3-1 on German soil. At 100-1, Slovakia is one of the longest shots on the betting table. However, their recent results suggest they have every chance to compete.
