How are the top countries performing at Euro 2020?

Nobody wins a tournament during the group stage. But the group stage is a good way to gauge which team might go the distance. So far the Euro 2020 Championships, we've seen excellent performances from sides who look serious about lifting the trophy come July 11th.

Italy and Belgium are performing well, both showing why they're among the favourites to win Euro 2020. On the other hand, France and England, two other pre-tournament favourites, have not yet hit their stride.

So what can we expect from the forthcoming weeks from the leading sides? Let's take a look.

France

France were widely tipped to not only win the tournament but to win comfortably. Well, that was the prediction before the tournament began. But things haven't quite got to plan. They're still favourites to win the competition, but the domination that was foretold has not yet come to pass. France are labouring their way through their games, without showing the level of performance we all know they're capable of. But you have to imagine they'll get there.

Germany

Germany fans were not optimistic about their chances of winning the competition before a ball had even been kicked. They'll be a little more optimistic now. Germany turned in the performance of the tournament (so far) in their game against Portugal, and there's a chance that they sense that victory could be possible. And that'll be a dangerous thing for all other countries. However, a draw against Hungary in the final group game has somewhat dampened German spirits.

England

Another pre-tournament favourite, England haven't done all that much to terrify the other leading contenders. Two wins and a draw is a decent return from the group stage, but they haven't shown anything close to tournament-winning form. They do have a greater home advantage than other teams, however, so we shouldn't write them off just yet.

Belgium

Belgium have long threatened to lift an international trophy. Their leading players, such as Lukaku and De Bruyne, are beginning to turn on the style, too. They still feel like outsiders on the basis that it's Belgium, but with the sheer force of talent they have on offer, they're more than capable of going the distance.

Italy

Italy have steadily moved their way up the favourites list. They've scored plenty of goals during their entertaining games, and haven't shown all that many weaknesses. Will they keep it going to the very end? You wouldn't rule them out, especially after the quality of their group stage match performances.