The rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament is set to commence next weekend and it’s safe to say there’s an awful lot of excitement in the air. We’ve seen fans all over the globe getting ready for something that, in truth, has snuck up on us all just a little bit.

But instead of thinking about what’s been and gone, it’s time to take a look at some of the leading contenders in what we anticipate will be a really competitive tournament between now and mid-July.

Oh, and for those insisting Spain and Germany should be included, we’ll believe that when we see it.

France

Les Bleus are the reigning world champions and by default, they’re always going to be seen as one of the leading contenders here – but it helps that they also still have an insanely talented squad. France may not always live up to the hype they’ve set themselves in terms of their overall performance, but they’re definitely becoming a team that knows how to win as they aim to reach their third straight major final.

England

If Gareth Southgate can get his tactics right and really utilise the attacking stars he has at his disposal, there’s no reason to believe England can’t go all the way in this thing. The Three Lions have an insanely good squad with some serious depth and given the fact that Wembley is set to host most of the big games in this tournament, you could argue this is as close to a home tournament as they could possibly get without hosting the whole thing.

Belgium

The Red Devils are in the midst of a real golden generation and they won’t want to let this opportunity slip through their fingers again. Their squad is good, their mentality is great and thanks to the World Cup back in 2018, they know what it takes to go far in a big tournament. We think they’ll start off hot as they so often do, but the real test is going to be whether or not they can sustain it.

Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo + a parade of hungry youngsters = repeating as champions? It’s definitely a possibility, and it’s an idea that Portugal will know is very feasible so long as they play to their full potential. They surprised a lot of people by going all the way back at Euro 2016 and somehow, their squad has gotten even better since then. The pressure is off, and that’s the sort of invitation they’ll need to play without any worry.

Italy

Consistent is the best word we can use to describe an Italy side that is desperate to forget the memory of their 2018 disappointment. They are good at the back, they’re good up top and they play with the sort of composure that is always going to bode well in a major tournament. It’s been a while since they’ve been mixing it up at the top table of European football and with a favourable group, they could do some real damage this summer.