Euro 2012 is tougher to win than the World Cup

The World Cup is the most prestigious tournament in the football world. But is it the best? If numbers are to be believed then that honour should rest with the European Championships. Brazil and Argentina are missing, so is the flair of Africa and the mystique of Asia. But other than that, all the big guns of world football are present. Spain will compete to win an unprecedented third consecutive major tournament, having won both the UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. World Cup finalists The Netherlands will be looking to go all the way and win the title after reaching the semi-finals in 1992, 2000 and 2004. They have the players, but do they have the belief and the luck to carry them though? [caption id=“attachment_336817” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Spain will compete to win an unprecedented third consecutive major tournament, having won both the UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Reuters”]  [/caption] France are looking incredibly strong too and even though they are only ranked 14th in the FIFA rankings, they are favourites in the eyes of many. Italy are a big tournament team and somehow always seem to do well when there is a match-fixing scandal breaking at home. All this and we haven’t even spoken about Germany. The point of all this is simple. Just have a look at the FIFA rankings. In the top 10, there are seven teams from Europe. In the top 15, there are 11 teams from Europe. Among all the teams participating in Euro 2012, only three are ranked outside the top 20; only Ukraine and Poland are ranked outside the top 50. And unlike the World Cup, which with 32 teams seems bloated at times, the Euro features just 16 teams. So each game matters; each match will be hard-fought – there are no easy games. Consider this: Only one non-European country (Uruguay) has been among the semi-finalists at the last two World Cups. It’s a simple statistic that tells you where the real power in world football is now concentrated. France didn’t win a game at Euro 2008 while England – they are ranked as high as 6th in the world – weren’t even there. The level of competition is so fierce that it’s hard to imagine one player carrying his team to the later stages of the competition. Portugal may have Ronaldo in their ranks and a Nani to support him but can they really hope to reach the knockout rounds? The Czech Republic have a few classy players like Milan Baros and Petr Cech but they too will need a miracle to get close to the trophy. These are all reasons that make one believe that Euro 2012 is a tournament that must not be missed. Sit up and watch every game – it’ll be fast, exciting and everyone’s playing to win. FIFA rankings (valid as on 8th June, 2012) 1. Spain 3. Germany 4. Netherlands 6. England 8. Croatia 9. Denmark 10. Portugal 12. Italy 13. Russia 14. France 15. Greece 17. Sweden 18. Republic of Ireland 27. Czech Republic 52. Ukraine 62. Poland