5 nations most likely to win UEFA Euro 2020

With the international break and UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers in full swing, it’s never too early to start looking ahead to next summer and forecast who some of the favorites are in one of the preeminent tournaments in world football today.

2016’s tournament saw a Cristiano Ronaldo led Portugal side claim the championship, beating an upstart French squad in the final 1-0, but what was notable was the lack of traditional European powers making deep runs into the tournament. Yes, the likes of Germany and Italy made it into the quarter-finals stages, but so did Wales, Poland and perhaps most notably Iceland. Will we see a repeat of 2016 or will Europe’s giants regain form in time for 2020?

In no particular order, here are the five nations who are most equipped to raise a European Championship next summer.

5. Portugal

What kind of list would this be if Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal weren’t part of it? Despite his age (he’ll be 35 when the tournament gets underway next year), Ronaldo remains one of the most dangerous forwards in the world, transitioning quite wonderfully from a crafty wing player in his younger days to arguably the most dominant inside the box finisher in football.

CR7 won’t have to do all the heavy lifting this go around either, as talents like João Félix, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Gonçalo Guedes have emerged as legitimate goal threats that will be a tall task for any opposing defense to deal with.

Don’t write off the defending European champions anytime soon, they will surely be a threat come 2020.