The Chosen Team’s route to Euro 2024

by Contributing Author

Soccer fans enjoyed a thrilling finish to the year as Lionel Messi and Argentina made history by winning the World Cup in Qatar. It was the first time FIFA’s flagship tournament had visited the Arab World, and judging by the success of the winter World Cup, it won’t be the last. World Cup 2026 will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with the latter becoming the nation to host most World Cups. 

But there’s another international soccer tournament scheduled to be played before then, and the action gets underway sooner than you think. Euro 2024 qualifying begins in March of this year as the biggest international teams prepare to do battle. Will Israel make it through qualifying and into the competition proper? That remains to be seen, but many fans are beginning to grow tired of watching competitions like the Euros and World Cup as interested bystanders. They want their beloved team to secure them an invite to the party.

Will Israel make it to Euro 2026, and which teams must they beat to get there? Before making your predictions, we bring readers up to speed on what awaits the Chosen Team during qualifying, including the main danger in their group. By the end of this page, you will know which group Israel will compete in, the opponent they must beat to get off to the perfect start, and the nation’s chances of qualifying, either as group winner or through one of the playoff places.

Group I

If they are to make it to Euro 2024 in Germany, Israel must finish first or second in Group I. That’s no mean feat, and we have watched some of the continent’s biggest names fall flat in qualifying, even when sent off as favorites with traders in Vegas. International soccer is nothing, if not unpredictable, but that’s why it’s so popular with followers and armchair fans. Anything can and often does happen, something that won’t be wasted on those with a passion for Alon Hazan’s team.

The qualifying group a nation is added to can make or break its chances of making it to Germany. We notice Israel was included in Group I, but what does that mean, and who are the teams to fear when the games begin to come thick and fast? Israel will share a pool with Switzerland, Romania, Kosovo, Belarus, and Andorra. That’s a tough set, but with two teams progressing, it’s not beyond Israel.

Switzerland is the hot favorite with most football fans to finish in pole position, but the race for second looks there to be won. Israel will fancy themselves as being good enough to take points from the Swiss on home soil, and there’s nothing from the likes of Romania and Belarus that’s going to keep the coaching staff awake at night.

Opening match

Israel’s first match of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign will be played on Saturday, 25th March, when hosting Kosovo from 19:45 GMT. That’s a match the home team is expected to win, and the players must match those lofty expectations if they are to get off to a winning start. Putting three points on the board at the earliest opportunity is the key to success for Israel, but what are their chances of success?

The stats show that Israel and Kosovo have never met in competitive action, meaning we’ll witness a piece of sporting history. Israel holding the home advantage is expected to be enough to see them get the desired result. The locals are also ranked higher by FIFA than their opponents and will demonstrate why come spring.

Favorites and outsiders

Who are the early favorites to win Euro 2024? You can have your say now by predicting how Israel will play and if they’ll make it to the group stages next year. It’s also possible to look further ahead and predict which team will be the champion. Can Italy make it two on the bounce, or can England go one better than at Wembley in 2021?

France is the current favorite in Vegas, with Germany in second and England chalked up as the third most likely winners of the trophy.