France are heavily tipped to win Euro 2024 – but it’s not just because their star-studded team features the likes of Kylian Mbappe.
The colour of their kit could also help power Les Bleus to success.
More than a third of teams to have won modern-era European championships have worn blue home strips.
This is despite only 18 per cent of the 34 teams to have played at the tournaments since 1980 having had blue kits.
France have won the Euros twice, in 1984 and 2000.
It was also lucky blue for Greece, who heroically won the tournament in 2004. Going into the tournament they were 150-1 to win outright but caused one of the biggest upsets in international football history led by former Borussia Dortmund manager Otto Rehhagel.
Eight different nations have won the tournament since 1980, when the group stage was introduced.
This includes teams who play in red, blue and white as well as orange (the Netherlands).
Teams in blue also historically have a 72 per cent success rate in terms of reaching the knock-out phases of the competition.
For comparison, the figure stands at 44 per cent for teams in red – the most common colour strip – and just 39 per cent for nations who play in white, like Euro 2024 favourites England.
There has been a side wearing blue in every knockout stage of the tournament apart from 1992.
Four teams in this year’s edition, set to kick off tomorrow night, play in blue.
France are heavily tipped to win Euro 2024 – but it’s not just because their star-studded team features the likes of Kylian MbappeÂ
This includes France, who are 4/1 to win the tournament and 2020 champions Italy (14/1), who beat England on penalties in a heartbreaking night at Wembley.
Scotland are the only team in blue this time around not to have made the knockout stage of a previous tournament.
The tartan army, who kick off their campaign against host nation Germany, will be hoping to change their fortunes this time around.
Should Gareth Southgate’s side go one better this time around, they would be just the third side to win the Euros with a white home shirt following Germany in 1996 and West Germany in 1980.
The Three Lions will be kicking off their campaign against Serbia, in red, on Sunday at the Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen.
