There are few things more enjoyable as a soccer fan than wholly losing oneself in a major international tournament — reworking your schedule to catch as many games as possible, learning the national anthems of countries you didn’t even know existed (looking at you, Albania), throwing your rooting interest behind a country you have absolutely no attachment to (what’s up, Iceland?).
The European Championship has long been renowned as the most competitive such tournament in the world, its 16-team field heavy on powerhouses and low on also-ran qualifiers. And while the expansion to 24 teams for this year’s edition was controversial — and certainly does water down the field — it also means more games, more diversity and traditional minnows getting a turn on the big stage.