Belgium, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine share the stage in arguably the least competitive European Championship 2024 Group E.
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 E Fixtures & Schedule
- Monday, June 17 (14:00) – Romania vs Ukraine
- Monday, June 17 (17:00) – Belgium vs Slovakia
- Friday, June 21 (14:00) – Slovakia vs Ukraine
- Saturday, June 22 (20:00) – Belgium vs Romania
- Wednesday, June 26 (17:00) – Slovakia vs Romania
- Wednesday, June 26 (17:00) – Ukraine vs Belgium
Euro 2024 Group E: Teams & Preview
It’s the fall of Belgium’s trophyless ‘golden generation’ and perhaps their last opportunity to live up to their third-place position in the FIFA world rankings.
Standing between them and a third consecutive Euro knockout qualification are three teams with almost identical chances of progression.
Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine will likely battle it out to secure the title of ‘the best of the rest’ behind De Rode Duivels. But even that isn’t a foregone conclusion.
Belgium’s notorious tendency to fall apart on the big stage adds an air of uncertainty to their quest for continental glory, though they should at least steamroll into the knockout phase.
The other three teams, more so than any other pod, could realistically finish in any order.
Belgium – It’s ‘make or break’ for the trophyless golden team
- Manager: Domenico Tedesco
- Star Player: Kevin De Bruyne
It’s now or never for Belgium’s most promising generation.
De Rode Duivels bowed out in the quarter-finals in 2016 and 2020, meaning a runner-up finish in 1980 remains the nation’s best run at the European Championships.
Despite all the hype surrounding this team in the past decade, results on the field have failed to live up to the lofty expectations, leaving many disillusioned with the so-called ‘golden generation’.
An embarrassing group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was a signal for changes, spelling the end of Roberto Martinez’s tenure and announcing a new dawn.
Former RB Leipzig manager Domenico Tedesco arrived at the helm in February 2023 and had an immediate effect, reinvigorating a faltering squad and restoring their confidence.
Yet to lose any of his 13 internationals in charge of Belgium, the 38-year-old is looking to lead the country past the quarter-finals for the first time in 44 years.
Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne will be the focal point of the second-youngest Euro 2024 manager’s bid to go the distance in Germany, with the quality upfront bursting at the seams.
Lois Openda, Romelu Lukaku, Leandro Trossard and Jeremy Doku form a star-studded frontline that’s bidding to help Belgium free themselves of the shackles of underachievement at major tournaments.
Slovakia – Falcons looking to soar after recent setbacks
- Manager: Francesco Calzona
- Star Player: Stanislav Lobotka
While Belgium are precariously clinging to their place among the football elite, Slovakia are seeking a way into this category, having reached the Euro finals for the third time on the trot.
Their results across the last two tournaments have been anything but enjoyable, with one win apiece making for unenviable reading, especially as they followed those appearances with dreadful World Cup qualifiers.
After missing out on the Qatar showpiece two years ago, the Falcons return to the big stage under Francesco Calzona, a man who had a nightmarish start to 2024.
Former Serie A champions Napoli reached out to him when they sought salvation in February after firing two managers in the first half of the 2023/24 campaign.
It proved to be an epic mistake.
Calzona’s clueless guidance resulted in Napoli finishing 10th in Serie A and failing to qualify for European competitions, even though eight spots were guaranteeing continental berths.
Though things didn’t go well for the Italian club under Calzona, it might have helped him create a strong bond with Slovakia’s standout performer, Stanislav Lobotka.
Romania – Does Hagi have a successor?
- Manager: Edward Iordanescu
- Star Player: Nicolae Stanciu
Romania have become irrelevant on the continental scene since their glory days in the 1990s when the legendary Georghe Hagi captained them to impressive performances at major tournaments.
Four of the country’s five previous appearances at the Euros have ended in the group phase, barring a memorable run to the quarter-finals in Hagi’s sign-out event in 2000.
Afterwards, it’s all been doom and gloom. El Tricolour reached the tournament in 2008 and 2016 but couldn’t post a single win, while they’ve not been to the World Cup since 1998.
On that basis, this is a unique opportunity for Edward Iordanescu’s men to give their home fans something to cheer about.
They did so during the qualifying campaign, breezing past Switzerland and Israel to finish top of I undefeated, a feat they had achieved two times before.
Hagi’s generation in 1998 commenced their path to the last eight in a similar vein, sparking hope and excitement among Romanian fans that Nicolae Stanciu could replicate his idol’s accomplishments.
Ukraine – Devastated country seeking some solace
- Manager: Serhiy Rebrov
- Star Player: Artem Dovbyk
As the war continues to rage on their home soil, the Ukrainians head to Germany for the Euros with a heavy heart but a determined spirit, keen to uplift their nation in these uncertain times.
Ukraine’s brave heart prevailed in the Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs as they had to fight back from a deficit in both the semi-finals and the final to maintain a 100% qualification record since 2012.
But they’re still relatively inexperienced in these high-stakes tournaments.
Not since 2006 have they made it to the World Cup finals, while two of their three previous Euro appearances saw them leave the competition in the group stages.
Perhaps this promising-looking Serhiy Rebrov’s side, headlined by Girona rising star Artem Dovbyk, could make a lasting impression on the continental stage.
With 24 goals and eight assists, the 26-year-old topped the scoring charts in La Liga in 2023/24, dragging Girona to their maiden top-four finish and unprecedented Champions League qualification.
His clubmate Viktor Tsygankov will be there to help, as will Arsenal utility man Oleksandr Zinchenko, ex-Atalanta midfielder dynamo Ruslan Malinovskyi and former West Ham United winger Andriy Yarmolenko.
This exciting mix of emerging talents and seasoned stars could be a recipe for success as Ukraine bid to better their quarter-final exit from Euro 2020.
See our main Euro 2024 page for more group previews, all Euro 2024 squads and lots more!
