We are now over halfway through the Euro 2024 (UEFA European Championship) qualifying group stage period, and Portugal looks set to win their group and make it to the next stage of the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently in fine form playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League and was recently named in Portugal's squad against Slovakia on September 8th, which they won 1-0, and in the squad against Luxembourg just three days later, which Portugal won 9-0!
The questions being asked here are: Does Portugal need Ronaldo, and will he make Portugal's Euro 2024 squad? Let's dive straight in to find out.
Will Cristiano Ronaldo play at Euro 2024 if Portugal qualify?
Yes. There's a good chance Cristiano Ronaldo will play at Euro 2024 if Portugal wins their group and make it to the finals in Germany next year. He won't have as much of a role as he is used to having, but Portugal coach Roberto Martinez is very happy with his current form and the experience and depth he can bring to the squad.
In June 2023, Ronaldo played in his 200th international match for Portugal when he scored the winning goal in a 1-0 result against Iceland. He has also scored five goals in four Euro 2024 qualifying games, so Martinez would be silly not to include him in the squad he takes with him to Germany next year.
Can Portugal win Euro 2024?
To better understand how likely it is that Portugal will win the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament, the best thing to do would be to check the latest Euro 2024 outright winner odds. For example, there is now licensed betting on sites like Unibet in Poland. The platform has some of the iGaming industry's most competitive odds for Euro 2024 and live streaming services on Unibet TV .
You can sign up here for free in under a minute from any modern Wi-Fi/internet-connected desktop computer, laptop, smartphone. Let's take a quick look at the latest Euro 2024 outright winner odds. They include the following:
● France – odds-on favourite team to win at 5.00 in decimal odds (which is 4/1 in fractional odds and +400 in American/moneyline odds). The implied probability rate of France winning the tournament outright is 20.00%
● England – the second odds-on favourite team to win at 5.50 in decimal odds (9/2 in fractional odds and +450 in American/moneyline odds). The IPR of England winning the tournament outright is 18.20%
● Germany – the third odds-on favourite team to win at 8.00 in decimal odds (7/1 in fractional odds and +700 in American/moneyline odds). The IPR of Germany winning the tournament outright is 12.50%
● Spain – the fourth odds-on favourite team to win at 9.00 in decimal odds (8/1 in fractional odds, and +800 in American/moneyline odds). The IPR of Spain winning the tournament outright is 11.10%
● PORTUGAL – the fifth odds-on favourite team to win at 10.00 in decimal odds (9/1 in fractional odds, and +900 in American/moneyline odds). The IPR of Portugal winning the tournament outright is 10.00%
In other words, although Portugal aren't the current odds-on favourites, these odds are fairly good. However, don't forget that online sports betting odds are subject to change at any time.
Upcoming fixtures
On Friday, October 13th, Portugal play Slovakia, and then on Monday, October 16th, they play Bosnia and Herzegovina. So far, they have played 6 games and won all 6. Incredibly, they have scored 24 goals and conceded ZERO.
They are currently top of Group J, which is above second-place Slovakia, third-place Luxembourg, fourth-place Bosnia and Herzegovina, fifth-place Iceland, and sixth-place Liechtenstein. The tournament finals are scheduled to get underway on Friday, June 14th, and the final is expected to take place on Sunday, July 14th, 2024.
