Five countries were amongst the A’s, while one country received an F.
See the full list of grades and explanations below.
Turkey – Group Stage (0 wins, 0 draws, 3 losses)
Grade: D-
Placed in a group with Italy, Switzerland and Wales, it was always going to be tough for Turkey to escape the group stage. There’s no questioning they would’ve had higher expectations than a zero-point finish however, and they should be disappointed.
Finland – Group Stage (1 win, 0 draws, 2 losses)
Grade: D
Finland won against Denmark, but it carries an asterisk considering the exceptional circumstances Denmark endured. Narrowly lost to Russia and Belgium, and missed out on the round-of-16 by goal difference which is always a hard pill to swallow.
Russia – Group Stage (1 win, 0 draws, 2 losses)
Grade: D-
Victory over Finland was a tournament highlight for Russia, but they were comprehensively beaten by Belgium and Denmark. Seem to have taken a significant step backwards from the 2018 World Cup, and finished with a goal difference of -5, which put paid to any round-of-16 hopes.
North Macedonia – Group Stage (0 wins, 0 draws, 3 losses)
Grade: D
Just qualifying for the Euros was a major achievement for North Macedonia, and they can hold their heads high for featuring. Their best effort came against quarter finalists Ukraine, getting within a goal.
Scotland – Group Stage (0 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses)
Grade: C-
Following a spirited campaign from the Czech Republic, Group D proved to be tougher than anticipated. And although Scotland couldn’t beat the Czech’s nor Croatia, they held England to a 0-0 draw in an admirable display, earning them the C- grade.
Slovakia – Group Stage (1 win, 0 draws, 2 losses)
Grade: C-
Picking up a Euro victory is a momentous achievement for Slovakia, unfortunately a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Spain soured their tournament.
Poland – Group Stage (0 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses)
Grade: C-
Poland couldn’t claim three points across the group stage, but drew with Spain in what was a significant result. Narrowly lost to Sweden and Slovakia but can hold their heads high upon reflection.
Hungary – Group Stage (0 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss)
Grade: B+
The easy-beats of the ‘group of death’ weren’t so easy to beat after all. The 3-0 loss to Portugal was Hungary’s lowest ebb across the campaign, astounding considering Portugal scored all their goals after the 84th minute. Undeterred, Hungary regrouped to great effect, holding France to a 1-1 draw and Germany to a 2-2 draw. The most pleasing aspect of those results is that Hungary was able to put goals past the heavyweights, and didn’t just scrap out 0-0 draws. The best performing nation that didn’t qualify for the knockout phase.
Portugal – Round-of-16 (1 win, 1 draw, 2 losses)
Grade: E+
Reigning Euro champions, Portugal no doubt would’ve set their sights higher than a round-of-16 berth. The loss to Belgium capped off a disappointing tournament that saw their only win come against Hungary. Managed a 2-2 draw with France and fell 4-2 to Germany.
Austria – Round-of-16 (2 wins, 0 draws, 2 losses)
Grade: B-
It was a fairly par tournament for Austria, who beat Ukraine and North Macedonia and lost to the Netherlands and Italy. Pushed eventual champions Italy to extra-time in the round-of-16 and should be commended for that.
France – Round-of-16 (1 win, 2 draws, 1 loss)
Grade: F
The star-studded world champions were touted as red-hot favourites, yet crashed out dramatically in a gripping final-16 encounter. Le Bleu defeated Germany first up, but went downhill from there, drawing with Hungary and Portugal before a 3-3 result against Switzerland culminated in penalty shootout defeat.
Croatia – Round-of-16 (1 win, 1 draw, 2 losses)
Grade: D+
Croatia’s first major campaign since their barnstorming streak to the 2018 World Cup final was underwhelming. Only managed a win against Scotland in the group stage, drawing with the Czech Republic and losing to England. Were valiant in their round-of-16 loss however, putting three goals past semi-finalists Spain, but ultimately conceding five of their own over 120 minutes.
Sweden – Round-of-16 (2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss)
Grade: C
Sweden was dominant in the group stage, topping a group that included Spain after forcing a draw with the semi-finalists. Unfortunately they couldn’t capitalise on the first-place advantage, eliminated by Ukraine 2-1 in extra-time.
Germany – Round-of-16 (1 win, 1 draw, 2 losses)
Grade: D+
Germany started strongly with 4-2 group stage victory over Portugal, but couldn’t back it up, failing to defeat Hungary and losing to France. Their tournament was brought to an end by finalists England, who were comfortably outplayed them.
Netherlands – Round-of-16 (3 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss)
Grade: D
Three wins from four Euro matches looks good on paper, but the Netherlands had one of the softest fixtures. Dealt with Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia in the group stage, and looked destined for a quarter-final berth. Unfortunately the Czech’s had other ideas, springing a 2-0 upset that ended the Netherlands’ campaign before they’d had a chance to really test themselves.
Wales – Round-of-16 (1 win, 1 draw, 2 losses)
Grade: C
Wales’ only scalp was Turkey, but to their credit they had a tough fixture. Dropped games against Italy and England and drew with Switzerland. You’d consider it a fair performance overall, reflective of where the nation’s at.
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Ukraine – Quarter Finalist (2 wins, 0 draws, 3 losses)
Grade: B-
Making the quarter finals alone is a stellar achievement for Ukraine, but their only scalps for the tournament were North Macedonia and Sweden. They couldn’t force a draw against the Netherlands or Austria, and were well out of their depth in the tournament-ending 4-0 loss to England.
Czech Republic – Quarter Finalist (2 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses)
Grade: A-
A quarter final appearance from the 22nd ranked team in Europe is nothing to be sneezed at. The Czech Republic’s only losses came against England and Denmark – finalists and semi-finalists respectively – and they were able to force a draw against Croatia in the group stage. Their tournament highlight was no doubt the 2-0 round-of-16 upset against the Dutch, and the Czech’s can hold their heads high having punched well above their weight. Schick’s Goal of the Tournament was the cherry on top.
Belgium – Quarter Finalist (4 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss)
Grade: C+
On face value a quarter final berth from the world’s number one ranked nation was underwhelming. But having gone undefeated through the group stage, Belgium downed the formidable Portugal, before falling to eventual champions Italy. They were dealt one of the tournament’s toughest draws, but are still yet to qualify for a major tournament final with this talented group.
Switzerland – Quarter Finalist (2 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses)
Grade: A-
Switzerland stunned the football world when they beat juggernauts France on penalties in one of the upsets of the tournament. That game alone earns the Swiss a high grade. And they were also gallant in the quarter final against Spain, threatening another shock upset having forced the game to penalties.
Denmark – Semi Finalist (3 wins, 0 draws, 3 losses)
Grade: A
Denmark dropped early games to Finland and Belgium while dealing with the shock of Christian Eriksen’s on-field cardiac arrest. But sitting in a precarious position on zero points after two games, they rallied in Eriksen’s honour. Admirable was an understatement. Defeated Russia 4-1 to secure a round-of-16 berth, and followed that up with a 4-0 thumping of Wales. Talk about a turn around in form. They ultimately came undone in extra-time against England, but making the semi-finals was a big achievement for this nation, without even taking into account the adversity they endured.
Spain – Semi Finalist (3 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss)
Grade: B+
Spain peaked at the right time following a lacklustre start to the tournament. They failed to get past Sweden and Poland, but then again, tournaments aren’t won in the group stage. They did enough to qualify for the knockout stages, and kept finding a way to win all the way until the final four, beating Croatia in extra-time and Switzerland on penalties, before falling to eventual champs Italy on penalties.
England – Runners Up (5 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss)
Grade: A+
It’s easy to dwell on England’s shattering loss in the decider. But they hadn’t featured in the final of a major tournament in 55 years, and they not only made the final, they came within one penalty of winning it all. Gareth Southgate took this side to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, and went one step further at this year’s Euros. Considering the team’s age demographic, it’s hard to believe success is far away.
Italy – Champions (7 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses)
Grade: A+
Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, and just three years later they’re Euro champions. Astounding turnaround. Put together a resounding group-stage performance winning three from three, but needed extra-time to beat Austria in the round-of-16. Both their semi-final and final triumphs came off the back of extremely even matches that went to penalties. Whether it was fortune or skill that got them over the line in those shootouts, we’ll never know, but we do know that it’s their name engraved on the trophy.
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