Euro 2024 Power Rankings: Breaking down remaining 16 teams

Euro 2024 provided plenty of goals, drama and few upsets along the way during the group stage.

But now that it’s over, it’s time to get serious with the kickoff of the knockout round this weekend.

Sportsnet ranks the remaining 16 teams at Euro 2024.

1. SPAIN

Path to the knockout stage: First place in Group B

Results: 3-0 win vs. Croatia, 1-0 win vs. Italy, 1-0 win vs. Albania

Next opponent: Georgia (June 30, 3 p.m. ET)

La Roja were the only team in the group stage to go 3-0-0 and they did it without conceding a single goal. Spain secured qualification for the round of 16 with a game to spare after impressive wins over Croatia and Italy. Youngsters Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal have pushed the attack to the next level, while veteran Dani Carvajal has anchored a miserly back line.

2. GERMANY 

Path to the knockout stage: First place in Group A

Results: 5-1 win vs. Scotland, 2-0 win vs. Hungary, 1-1 draw vs. Switzerland

Next opponent: Denmark (June 29, 3 p.m. ET)

Nobody scored more goals than the Germans (eight) in the first round as they cruised through their opening two games before needing to fight back to earn a result against the Swiss in their finale. Home advantage has served Julian Nagelsmann’s side well so far, as they’re playing with great confidence.

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3. AUSTRIA 

Path to the knockout stage: First place in Group D

Results: 1-0 loss to France, 3-1 win vs. Poland, 3-2 win vs. Netherlands

Next opponent: Turkey (July 2, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Not only did the Austrians manage to survive arguably the toughest first-round group, they topped it by showing great resolve after losing their opening match to the French. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer has been one of the best players in the tournament so far.

4. SWITZERLAND

Path to the knockout stage: Second place in Group A

Results: 3-1 win vs. Hungary, 1-1 draw vs. Scotland, 1-1 draw vs. Germany

Next opponent: Italy (June 29, noon ET)

A convincing opening win over Hungary was followed up with two hard-earned draws by the Swiss, who were the better side in their match against the host nation. Euro 2024 is finding out what Serie A already knows: that Bologna forward Dan Ndoye is a dynamic attacker and game-changer.

5. PORTUGAL 

Path to the knockout stage: First place in Group F

Results: 2-1 win vs. Czechia, 3-0 win vs. Turkey, 2-0 loss vs. Georgia

Next opponent: Slovenia (July 1, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Yes, they lost their group finale to upstarts Georgia. But manager Roberto Martinez largely fielded his “B team” after winning their first two games to wrap up first place in the group. Portugal has been the benefactors of fortune — two own-goals — but sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

6. FRANCE

Path to the knockout stage: Second place in Group D

Results: 1-0 win vs. Austria, 0-0 draw vs. Netherlands, 1-1 draw vs. Poland

Next opponent: Belgium (July 1, noon ET)

Tabbed by most pundits as the pre-tournament favourite, Les Bleus did what they had to do to finish second in the group by conceding just one goal. A facial injury prevented Kylian Mbappé from fully getting going, so it’ll be interesting to see if he and the French can hit another level in the knockout round.

7. ITALY 

Path to the knockout stage: Second place in Group B

Results: 2-1 win vs. Albania, 1-0 loss vs. Spain, 1-1 draw vs. Croatia

Next opponent: Switzerland (June 29, noon ET)

The reigning champions blew hot and cold in the first round, but when they were in form, they looked good. Nicolò Barella has successfully run the Italians’ midfield engine while the new centre back pairing of Riccardo Calafiori and Alessandro Bastoni have impressed.

8. TURKEY

Path to the knockout stage: Second place in Group F

Results: 3-1 win vs. Georgia, 3-0 loss vs. Portugal, 2-1 win vs. Czechia

Next opponent: Austria (July 2, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Turkey has looked pretty stable at this tournament and showed plenty of resolve if you throw out the heavy loss to Portugal. They’ve benefited from balanced scoring, with all five of their goals coming from five different players, which is indicative of their team-first mentality.

9. GEORGIA

Path to the knockout stage: Third place in Group F

Results: 3-1 loss vs. Turkey, 1-1 draw vs. Czechia, 2-0 win vs. Portugal

Next opponent: Spain (June 30, 3:00 p.m. ET)

What a jot they were to watch in the first round. With three goals, Georges Mikautadze leads the Golden Boot race, while Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has shown why so many top clubs are tracking him. Georgia plays with a lot of heart and determination, which has made their games appointment viewing so far.

10. ENGLAND

Path to the knockout stage: First place in Group C

Results: 1-0 win vs. Serbia, 1-1 draw vs. Denmark, 0-0 draw vs. Slovenia

Next opponent: Slovakia (June 30, noon ET)

Despite collecting five points, the Three Lions looked totally uninspired in the first round and were the least impressive of the six group winners. It’s a talented team but Gareth Southgate hasn’t been able to bring out the best in several key players, most notably Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.

11. ROMANIA 

Path to the knockout stage: First place in Group E

Results: 3-0 win vs. Ukraine, 2-0 loss vs. Belgium, 1-1 draw vs. Slovakia

Next opponent: Netherlands (July 2, noon ET)

The opening win over Ukraine allowed them to come out on top of what was the tightest group of the first round — all four teams finished on four points. They were second-best in their loss to Belgium, their toughest test of the opening round.

12. BELGIUM 

Path to the knockout stage: Second place in Group E

Results: 1-0 loss vs. Slovakia, 2-0 win vs. Romania, 0-0 draw vs. Ukraine

Next opponent: France (July 1, noon ET)

The “Golden Generation” appears to be on its last legs as they couldn’t get out of first gear in a group that they should have won. For all their quality and depth in attack, the Belgians managed just two goals. And now they have to play France.

13. NETHERLANDS

Path to the knockout stage: Third place in Group D

Results: 2-1 win vs. Poland, 0-0 draw vs. France, 3-2 loss vs. Austria

Next opponent: Romania (July 2, noon ET)

A Dutch side that prides itself on its defending looked less than stellar in shipping a trio of goals in their loss to the Austrians. Cody Gakpo (two goals) has looked dangerous in attack, but he’s really been the only one for the Netherlands.

14. SLOVAKIA

Path to the knockout stage: Third place in Group E

Results: 1-0 win vs. Belgium, 2-1 loss vs. Ukraine, 1-1 draw vs. Romania

Next opponent: England (June 30, noon ET)

They pulled off a bit of an upset over Belgium in their opening game, but then stumbled through their last two contests to just barely beat out Ukraine for one of the four third-place berths.

15. DENMARK

Path to the knockout stage: Second place in Group C

Results: 1-1 draw vs. Slovenia, 1-1 draw vs. England, 0-0 draw vs. Serbia

Next opponent: Germany (June 29, 3 p.m. ET)

A pretty average display across three games from the Danes who finished second in their group thanks in no small part to the lack of quality of Slovenia and Serbia.

16. SLOVENIA

Path to the knockout stage: Third place in Group C

Results: 1-1 draw vs. Denmark, 1-1 draw vs. Serbia, 0-0 draw vs. England

Next opponent: Portugal (July 1, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Three draws from three games. Two goals for and two against. They only had the lead for 21 minutes across the group stage. They finished as the lowest-ranked third–place team for a reason.

John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.