European Championship 2024 Group C features tournament favourites England, two former Yugoslavian countries, Serbia and Slovenia, and Scandinavian powerhouse Denmark.
Let’s take a quick look at the dates and times these four teams will play each other, their chances of advancing into the knockout stage and details about all Euro 2024 squads.
Euro 2024 Group C Fixtures & Schedule
- Sunday, June 16 (17:00) – Slovenia vs Denmark
- Sunday, June 16 (20:00) – Serbia vs England
- Thursday, June 20 (14:00) – Slovenia vs Serbia
- Thursday, June 20 (17:00) – Denmark vs England
- Tuesday, June 25 (20:00) – England vs Slovenia
- Tuesday, June 25 (20:00) – Denmark vs Serbia
Euro 2024 Group C: Teams & Preview
It’s become a cliche. England head into a tournament as at least joint-top candidates to win it while waiting for a catastrophe to ensue.
The scenario is simple for Gareth Southgate. Either he wins the trophy and cements his legacy or is sacked and replaced by someone capable of guiding this squad to the heights they deserve.
Serbia’s first appearance at the Euros as an independent nation comes off the back of two disastrous World Cups, while their former countrymen Slovenia return to the big stage for the first time since 2000.
Both teams will try to upset the odds and leave Denmark without knockout qualification as they enter Group C as the second-likeliest side to progress.
Denmark – Can Danish Dynamite finally explode?
- Manager: Kasper Hjulmand
- Star Player: Rasmus Hojlund
Defying expectations is part of Denmark’s tradition. That’s how they won their only European Championship title in 1992, earning a place in the tournament after Yugoslavia’s disqualification.
Perhaps there’s another story to be told this summer as they face two former Yugoslavian countries in the group stage – a phase they’ve failed to navigate in three of their five Euro appearances since 1992.
Kasper Hjulmand’s side are intimately familiar with Slovenia after they shared the stage in qualifying Group H. It turned out well for the Danes, who finished top of the section on goal difference.
However, Denmark averaged just 1.9 goals per game during the qualifying cycle, which is disappointing considering they faced San Marino and Kazakhstan, among others.
It will be up to Manchester United star Rasmus Hojlund, who netted seven times in qualifying, to increase his team’s firepower, looking to make a name for himself in his first taste of the Euros.
His slightly older teammate Mikkel Damsgaard was a revelation at Euro 2020, helping Denmark achieve their best result at the tournament since the abovementioned triumph as they got to the semi-finals.
England – Eyes on the Prize
- Manager: Gareth Southgate
- Star Player: Harry Kane
England curtailed Denmark’s impressive Euro 2020 run, only to inflict immeasurable pain on the nation by finishing second-best to Italy on penalties in the final at Wembley Stadium.
Can Harry Kane win his first piece of silverware? And, more importantly, is it finally coming home?
The sense of trepidation and anxiety is always in the heart of every England fan, who probably wouldn’t stand for another disappointment, which has been a recurring theme under Southgate.
After a Wembley fiasco and the 2022 World Cup quarter-final exit, Southgate cannot afford another failure – not with this squad anyway.
With all due respect to France, the Three Lions are arguably the most formidable squad in Europe, but the pressure of having to win the Euros for the first time could weigh heavily on Kane and company.
But this team is more than just the Bundesliga top-scorer.
Premier League Player of the Season award winner Phil Foden, Real Madrid talisman Jude Bellingham and Arsenal superstar Bukayo Saka are among other crucial pieces of Southgate’s star-studded jigsaw.
England’s progression into the knockout stage is beyond doubt, and anything other than an elusive first European Championship crown would be an underachievement.
Serbia – Eagles keen to fly at last
- Manager: Dragan Stojkovic
- Star Player: Aleksandar Mitrovic
It took Serbia two decades to secure their maiden Euro qualification, although they’re no strangers to major international tournaments, having featured in three of the last four World Cups.
Nothing good came from their effort to make a standout achievement on the big stage, as they couldn’t advance past the group stage in all three previous attempts, winning just two of their nine games.
Dragan Stojkovic’s side produced an average qualifying campaign at best.
Serbia’s second-place finish in Group G, which featured Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Montenegro, left plenty to be desired. They won only four of their eight qualifiers.
While those back home put high expectations ahead of Stojkovic and his players, a harsh reality slaps the Eagles in the face.
Serbia’s two headline performers, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, spent this season competing in the Saudi Pro League.
Although the former won the title with Al-Hilal, the low level of competition they faced raises questions about their preparedness to lead Serbia to success on the European stage.
Mitrovic and Milinkovic-Savic will have to be at their best from the get-go to help Serbia navigate a mouth-watering curtain-raising fixture against England on their European Championship debut.
Slovenia – Sesko under the spotlight
- Manager: Matjaz Kek
- Star Player: Benjamin Sesko
Slovenia became the second ex-Yugoslavia country to qualify for the Euros when their iconic coach, Srecko Katanec, guided them to the 2000 edition.
But things didn’t go their way in the Netherlands and Belgium, resulting in a group-stage elimination and a bottom-half finish behind FR Yugoslavia, among others.
Twenty-four years after their inaugural appearance, the Slovenians are back to prove their worth, led by one of Europe’s hottest young prospects.
Half of Europe has fallen in love with RB Leipzig prodigy Benjamin Sesko, and this tournament is his chance to impress his suitors and secure a high-profile move.
Arsenal and Man United are his long-term admirers in the Premier League, but watch out for AC Milan, who are in the market for an out-and-out striker to replace Olivier Giroud.
If Sesko can replicate his sterling form in qualifying that saw him steer Slovenia to a joint-high 22 points in Group H, along with Denmark, Leipzig chiefs will be rubbing their hands this summer.
See our main Euro 2024 page for more group previews, all Euro 2024 squads and lots more!
