Euros Betting
The 2028 European Championship begins in June 2028.
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The 2028 European Championship begins in June 2028.
There is no reason to open an account for it yet. For the sport that is on this week, see this week in sport, or our football betting page.
The European Championship is the second-biggest tournament in international football and, for a UK and Irish audience, frequently the better betting proposition of the two. The field is smaller than a World Cup, the standard is more even, and the teams are far more familiar – most of the players involved are seen every week in the domestic leagues. This page covers how the tournament is structured, the markets that suit it, and what the next edition looks like. It stays here between tournaments.
Euros betting - key facts
The next tournament is a home one
The 2028 European Championship is hosted by the United Kingdom and Ireland, across venues in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. That makes it the most significant home tournament for this audience since 1996, and it changes the betting in ways worth thinking about early.
Host nations receive qualification arrangements rather than an automatic free pass in the way a single-host tournament allows, so the qualifying picture is more complicated than usual. More importantly for betting, home advantage in international tournaments is real but routinely overpriced. Host nations attract a great deal of patriotic money, which shortens their outright price beyond what the squad justifies. That is the single most predictable market distortion of a home tournament, and it is worth remembering when the 2028 outright market opens.
Kick-off times will also suit this audience completely, which raises in-play volumes and makes the live markets deeper than they are for a tournament played in another time zone.
How the format works
Twenty-four teams in six groups of four. The top two from each group go through, along with the four best third-placed teams, which means sixteen of twenty-four qualify and the group stage eliminates only eight.
That structure has two consequences that matter more than they sound.
Group matches are cagey. A team needs relatively little to progress, so the incentive to chase a win is weaker than in a straight top-two format. Draws are common, low-scoring games are common, and the under is a more respectable bet in Euros group matches than in almost any other elite tournament.
Third place is a live market. Because four third-placed teams advance, the qualification market stays open for teams that have not won a match. The threshold has historically sat around three or four points, which is a lower bar than most people assume, and “to qualify from the group” often carries better value than the match markets in a team’s final fixture.
The knockout rounds are single matches with extra time and penalties, and the bracket is set in a fixed pattern determined by which groups the third-placed qualifiers come from – which means the identity of the round-of-16 ties is not settled until the last group games are played.
Markets that suit the Euros
Outright winner
A smaller and more even field than a World Cup, which means the outright market is more compressed and the favourite’s price is longer. Historically the Euros produce more unexpected winners than the World Cup, for exactly that reason: the gap between the best team and the eighth-best is narrower in Europe than it is globally.
To qualify from the group
The most under-used market in the tournament, and the one that best exploits the format. With sixteen of twenty-four going through, a mid-ranked team’s qualification price is often far more attractive than its match odds suggest.
Group winner
Worth more than it appears, because winning a group and finishing second lead to materially different halves of the bracket. In a tournament where the knockout draw is partly determined by third-place permutations, topping the group is the cleaner outcome.
Match result and double chance
Draws are frequent in the group stage for the structural reasons above. Double chance and the draw itself are priced more honestly here than in club football, where the incentive to win is unconditional.
Over/under goals
Euros group stages have generally run below the goals rate of club football, and well below a World Cup group stage that contains genuine mismatches. All twenty-four teams have qualified from a competitive European field, so there are fewer blowouts than in a 48-team World Cup. Treat the two tournaments’ scoring baselines as separate.
Golden Boot
Distorted by the format. With relatively few goals in the group stage and a maximum of seven matches, Euros Golden Boots have been won with modest totals and shared on countback more than once. Backing a striker whose team is expected to reach the semi-finals matters more than backing the best finisher.
Player and bet builder markets
The Euros’ great advantage for a UK and Irish bettor is familiarity. Most of the squads are drawn from the domestic leagues, so player form, injury history and role are known in a way they are not for a World Cup featuring teams from every confederation. Player markets and bet builders are correspondingly better informed here than in any other international tournament.
Home nations, and how to bet them
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland attract enormous domestic money whenever they qualify, and that money is not price-sensitive. The result is a consistent and well-documented pattern: home nations are short in the outright market, short in their match prices, and short in player markets involving their better-known forwards.
This is not an argument for betting against them. It is an argument for recognising that their prices carry a sentiment premium, and that the value in a tournament involving a home nation usually sits in the other half of the draw. For a home tournament in 2028, expect that premium to be larger than usual.
What moves the market
- Squad announcements. International squads are named weeks in advance and a single withdrawal reshapes a team’s price, because there is no transfer market to replace anyone.
- The club season that precedes it. A tournament in June follows a full domestic season plus European competition. Players from clubs that went deep in continental competition arrive with more minutes in their legs, and it shows in the knockout rounds.
- The final round of group games. Played simultaneously within each group, which removes the ability to react to other results and makes qualification permutations genuinely uncertain until full time.
- The third-place permutations. The knockout bracket depends on which groups the third-placed qualifiers come from, so the identity of round-of-16 ties – and therefore the value in outright bets – can change on the last night of the group stage.
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Using World Cup goals data. A 24-team European field and a 48-team global one produce very different scoring patterns. The Euros are tighter.
- Backing a home nation at the outright price. The sentiment premium is real and measurable, and it is largest in a home tournament.
- Ignoring the qualification market. Sixteen of twenty-four go through. The match markets are not the only way to back a team you fancy.
- Treating group-stage caution as poor form. Teams that scrape through a group frequently improve markedly in the knockouts, when a draw stops being useful.
Qualifying, and why it matters for the outright
The qualifying campaign runs across the two years before the tournament, in groups played on international breaks, with a play-off route for teams that miss automatic qualification. It is worth following for two reasons beyond the obvious.
First, outright prices are set during qualifying and move on results achieved against far weaker opposition. A team that wins a qualifying group at a canter against modest teams frequently shortens more than its actual tournament prospects justify, and the correction usually comes only once the finals draw is made.
Second, the play-off route regularly delivers teams that arrive at the tournament in better form than their seeding suggests, because they have played competitive knockout football in March while the automatic qualifiers played friendlies. That has produced several deep runs from unfancied sides.
Reading the draw
The finals draw is the single most important market event before the tournament starts. Because sixteen of twenty-four qualify, the group stage matters less for survival than for seeding – and the knockout bracket, once visible, tells you far more about a team’s realistic path than its group does.
The thing to look for is not group difficulty but bracket difficulty. A team in a hard group that emerges into a soft half of the draw is in a better position than a team that wins an easy group and lands in the same quarter as the two strongest sides. Outright prices tend to react to the group and under-react to the bracket, which is where the value sits in the days after the draw.
Common questions
When is the next European Championship?
The 2028 tournament, hosted by the United Kingdom and Ireland. The status line at the top of this page carries the confirmed window, and shows the month rather than a specific day where the exact dates are not yet fixed.
How many teams qualify from each group?
The top two automatically, plus the four best third-placed teams across the six groups. Sixteen of the twenty-four teams reach the knockout stage.
How many points does a third-placed team need?
Historically around three or four, though it depends on the spread of results across all six groups. It is a lower threshold than most people assume, which is why the qualification market stays live for teams with a single draw to their name.
Are the Euros higher or lower scoring than the World Cup?
Lower, particularly in the group stage. Every team has come through a competitive European qualifying campaign, so there are fewer mismatches than in a 48-team World Cup that includes debutant nations. Do not carry goals assumptions between the two tournaments.
Is it worth backing the host nation?
Host and home nations carry a sentiment premium that makes their prices shorter than the squad justifies, and a home tournament makes that premium larger. Home advantage is real; it is just usually already in the price, and then some.
Euros betting offers
Tournament football produces the heaviest concentration of promotional activity in the calendar, and a home tournament in 2028 will produce more of it than any event since the last World Cup. As always, the terms that change what a bet pays – extra places, enhanced each-way, money back in specific circumstances – are worth more than a free bet token.
Between tournaments there is no reason to open an account for a competition years away. The comparison below shows current welcome offers from UK-licensed bookmakers for the football that is on now, with the qualifying stake, wagering requirement and expiry on each.
Casino list updated: September 2026
NEW WELCOME OFFER Bet £20 Get £10. New customers only. Sign up using the promo code bet20get10. Place a min £20 bet at odds of evens (2.0) or greater and receive a £10 Free Bet. Offer valid until further notice. Free bet credited at noon following the date of bet settlement. Valid for 7 days. 18+. UK/IE residents only. Full T&Cs apply.
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
NEW WELCOME OFFER 100% Bonus Match up to £50 on 1st deposit. New players only. Opt-in required. Min deposit £20. Offer is 100% match bonus up to £50 on your first deposit. Bonus funds can be used on a real money sports bet with minimal odds of 3/4 (1.75 decimal) or higher, any sport except virtuals, boosted odds, handicap, & draw no bet markets. Bonus funds are separate to cash funds and subject to 5x wagering requirement (bonus + deposit). Only bonus funds count toward wagering contribution. Bonus funds must be used within 30 days. Affordability checks apply. Terms apply. Please Gamble Responsibly. GambleAware.org.
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
Welcome offer 100% match bonus up to £30. 18+. New players only. Min deposit £20. Opt-in required. Deposits made via Skrill or Neteller are not eligible for the welcome bonus. Bonus funds can be used on a real-money sports bet with minimal decimal odds of 1.75 or higher. Bonus funds can be used on any sport except virtual. Bonus can be redeemed on win or each-way bets, doubles, trebles, 4-folds, combinations and accumulators, with minimum odds of 1.75 or higher. The bonus cannot be placed on boosted odds, Handicap, Draw no Bet markets. Wagering requirement is 10x the value of the bonus funds. Bonus funds not wagered within 30 days of being credited will expire and be removed from your account. Full terms apply.
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
LiveScoreBet
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets. New members only. £10+ bet on sports (ex. virtuals) at 1.5 min odds, settled within 14 days. Free Bets: 3 x £10, accepted in 7 days, valid 7 days, use on sportsbook. Stake not returned. T&Cs + deposit exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. Gamcare.org.uk 18+
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
Welcome offer Bet £10 Get £50 Free Bets. New Players Only. Free bet – one-time stake of £50, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Free bets and Bonuses are valid for 7 days. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms apply. 18+. Please play responsibly. GambleAware.org
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
DragonBet
Welsh Customers only – 50% back up to £25 as a Freebet on your 1st day losses. New customers only. 18+. Promo code Moneyback25. If your account has net losses at the end of your first day’s sportsbook betting, you’ll receive 50% back as a free bet, up to £25. Only bets settled by 23:59 on your first day betting will count towards the offer. 3 bets must be placed with a minimum stake of £5 and with minimum odds of 1.5 in order to qualify. Welsh residents only. Plus optional opt in to Sports and Casino email & SMS during registration to receive an extra £1 Free Bet on first bet placement. One per customer. GambleAware. T&Cs apply. Full terms apply.
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
NEW ENHANCED Sports welcome offer Bet £10 and get £30 in Bonus Bets. New GB customers only. Bonus code 7BETWO required. First deposit £10+ with applicable bonus code. Bet £10+ to get 3 × £10 Bonus Bets, Credited in stages. Restrictions apply. Each Bonus Bet expires 7 days after crediting. Stake not returned. Full T&Cs apply. 18+.
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
Welcome offer Bet £20 Get £40 Free Bet. New Players Only. Min £20 qualifying bets, stake not returned. Free bet – one-time stake of £40, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Free bets and Bonuses are valid for 7 days. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms apply
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
Welcome offer deposit £10 and bet £10 get £30 Free Bet. New Players Only. Min £10 qualifying bets, stake not returned. Free bet – one-time stake of £30, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from receipt. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits..Full Terms apply.
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
Welcome offer Bet £10 and get a £10 Free Bet. Use Promo code CROWN10. Play responsibly. Gambleaware.Org, 1st deposit. Min £10 stake. £10 free bet. Min odds 2.0. Max winnings £100. 7-day expiry. Bonus t&cs apply.
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.orgSee also our football betting page, the Champions League and World Cup hubs, and this week in sport.
Responsible gambling
A month of tournament football with matches most days is a very different pattern from a normal season, and a home tournament amplifies it further - more coverage, more social betting, more occasions. Setting a limit for the tournament before it starts, rather than for each matchday, is the approach that survives a bad first week.
Every UK-licensed bookmaker must offer deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion. Free and confidential support is available from GambleAware at gambleaware.org and from GamCare. GAMSTOP lets you self-exclude from every UK-licensed gambling site at once.
How do I find the best enhanced odds for Euro 2024?
Check bookmaker websites, sign up to their newsletters and follow betting related social media to find the best enhanced odds for Euro 2024. Don’t miss out on these time limited offers!
What should I consider before I back an outright winner?
Consider the team’s form, history and injuries before backing an outright winner. Bet before the tournament starts and get those higher odds. Good luck!
Can I bet during the matches and if so what should I look out for?
Yes you can bet during the matches. Keep an eye on the game and be ready to make quick decisions as the odds change. This type of betting allows you to play the game and often offers better value than pre-match bets if you can read the game.
Why should I manage my bankroll for Euro 2024?
You should manage your bankroll when betting on Euro 2024 to gamble responsibly. Set a budget, don’t chase losses and adjust your bet sizes based on your confidence in your tips and you’ll keep your bankroll healthy and avoid overspending. Be smart and bet responsibly!
Are there player performance markets for Euro 2024?
Yes! You can find player specific markets for Euro 2024 to bet on individual performances like top scorer, player of the tournament and specific match actions like scoring, assisting or getting a card. Happy betting!
