The Student Room Group

Are the European Championships harder to win then the World Cup?

In Every World Cup you'll always get a trounce team like Iran, Hounduras, Senegal, Cameroon etc. Is the standard for the Euro's a lot higher, better quality and harder to win all round?

I remeber Wesley Sneijder saying something similar during World Cup 2014.

Scroll to see replies

That's funny considering sneijder hasn't won the World Cup.

I'd say that obviously the champions league competition is far better.

However, seeing as the World Cup is once every four years and the pressure is much more intense, I think the World Cup is harder
Reply 2
Iran hasn't been trounced yet.
Reply 3
Maybe in the first round but when there are teams like Argentina, Mexico and Brazil to get past, everything doesn't seem so nice and easy.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Iran arent a trounce team and were unlucky not to win draw/win against Argentina. Costa Rica beat Italy and uruguay and would be no suprise if they beat England. As far as your question, i would say European Championships are easier as world cups you play in much alien conditions and opposition such as Iran and Costa Rica are very easy to underestimate which can result in embarassments e.g. losses.
Original post by CryptoidAlien
In Every World Cup you'll always get a trounce team like Iran, Hounduras, Senegal, Cameroon etc. Is the standard for the Euro's a lot higher, better quality and harder to win all round?


The last Euros had Czech Republic, Russia, Greece, Ireland, Poland, Denmark & Ukraine, not sure how that's any different. Any tournament will always contain teams that have no chance of winning, who more often than not are fodder for the big boys.
No because in both competitions there is likely to be the top European teams so you will have to generally face them to win the tournament. However, at the World Cup you also have the top South American teams and some poor teams who stride generally to make it difficult for the other teams to break them.
So in both competitions, you can have poor teams which in the Euros could be extended with more teams being planned to be included as well as top European teams but in the World Cup you also have top S.American teams and also play in various different continents where conditions vary greatly compared to a similar conditions over Europe, obviously temperature varies but the humidity is not as bad and European played are more used to these conditions playing in the UEFA and champions league to all over Europe.
Yes it is. Well they were until the next one I think, which has been expanded from 16 to 24 teams?
Reply 8
Original post by Jordooooom
However, seeing as the World Cup is once every four years and the pressure is much more intense, I think the World Cup is harder


But... the Euros are only once every 4 years too...
Lol are you serious? World Cup by a huge mile. In Euros you can get teams like Poland, Ukraine, Sweden, Republic of Ireland and Denmark who all played in Euro 2012 compare that to teams in the World Cup - Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Ghana, Costa Rica etc..

I think I know which teams are harder to beat...
Original post by Jordooooom
That's funny considering sneijder hasn't won the World Cup.

I'd say that obviously the champions league competition is far better.

However, seeing as the World Cup is once every four years and the pressure is much more intense, I think the World Cup is harder


He means the Euros not the Champions league (I.E European Cup.)
Original post by ineedtorevise127
Lol are you serious?


Are you? You're making the mistake of thinking because the World Cup is the bigger showcase, it's more difficult to win. Even the weakest teams in a Euros are stronger than the likes of Saudi Arabia, Australia and Honduras :biggrin:.

The fact that Brazil and Argentina are in it means little, in a World Cup there are always strong European teams that don't qualify so they're basically just taking their place. Brazil are not the Brazil of the 90's and late 2000's also.

The groups in the Euros are collectively stronger

The last two World Cups have been all European finals, top 20 in the world rankings is dominated by European teams. Once you get out of your group in the Euros, the team you play in the quarter finals is going to be a team that wouldn't look out of place in a World Cup semi.

The Euros are harder to win I can't believe people would think otherwise.
Original post by Wilfred Little
Are you? You're making the mistake of thinking because the World Cup is the bigger showcase, it's more difficult to win. Even the weakest teams in a Euros are stronger than the likes of Saudi Arabia, Australia and Honduras :biggrin:.

The fact that Brazil and Argentina are in it means little, in a World Cup there are always strong European teams that don't qualify so they're basically just taking their place. Brazil are not the Brazil of the 90's and late 2000's also.

The groups in the Euros are collectively stronger

The last two World Cups have been all European finals, top 20 in the world rankings is dominated by European teams. Once you get out of your group in the Euros, the team you play in the quarter finals is going to be a team that wouldn't look out of place in a World Cup semi.

The Euros are harder to win I can't believe people would think otherwise.

None of the European teams that failed to qualify this year come close to Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Chile. Any European team worth their salt are at the world cup, in addition to strong South American teams, and even teams like the US and Mexico are strong.

The World Cup has more top teams in it. The Quarter finals of this WC will be stronger than those of the Euros.
Original post by tengentoppa
None of the European teams that failed to qualify this year come close to Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Chile. Any European team worth their salt are at the world cup, in addition to strong South American teams, and even teams like the US and Mexico are strong.


This year is a bit of an exception I guess, although Sweden don't come close to Colombia? Ukraine, Denmark, Czech Republic, miles better than dross like Honduras, South Korea, Nigeria, Iran...

The World Cup has more top teams in it. The Quarter finals of this WC will be stronger than those of the Euros.


The World Cup has more teams in it full stop. Twice the amount in fact. The Euros has more quality control, the teams collectively are stronger than those in the World Cup and that's why it is harder to win.
Original post by scotttb
He means the Euros not the Champions league (I.E European Cup.)


Yeah I realised that, didn't bother reading the op
Original post by Wilfred Little
This year is a bit of an exception I guess, although Sweden don't come close to Colombia? Ukraine, Denmark, Czech Republic, miles better than dross like Honduras, South Korea, Nigeria, Iran...



The World Cup has more teams in it full stop. Twice the amount in fact. The Euros has more quality control, the teams collectively are stronger than those in the World Cup and that's why it is harder to win.

Think of it from the perspective of a team like Germany. They will always expect to beat teams like Honduras and South Korea in the WC, and Ireland and Poland in the Euros.

But when it comes to the knockout stages, in the Euros they'd be facing Spain, Italy and Holland as serious competition. In the WC it's those teams and Brazil and Argentina.

So although the worse teams in the WC may be worse than the worst teams in the Euros, there are more top teams to compete with in the WC.
Reply 16
No. Europe's record in WC isn't actually that impressive when all things are considered.
Original post by Wilfred Little
Are you? You're making the mistake of thinking because the World Cup is the bigger showcase, it's more difficult to win. Even the weakest teams in a Euros are stronger than the likes of Saudi Arabia, Australia and Honduras :biggrin:.

The fact that Brazil and Argentina are in it means little, in a World Cup there are always strong European teams that don't qualify so they're basically just taking their place. Brazil are not the Brazil of the 90's and late 2000's also.

The groups in the Euros are collectively stronger

The last two World Cups have been all European finals, top 20 in the world rankings is dominated by European teams. Once you get out of your group in the Euros, the team you play in the quarter finals is going to be a team that wouldn't look out of place in a World Cup semi.

The Euros are harder to win I can't believe people would think otherwise.


You are deluded the Euros means just the top teams in Europe but World Cup you have the best team in Africa, S.America, Asia etc... Teams like Ghana, Colombia, Japan and Costa Rica would beat many European teams in the Euros like R.Ireland, Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine etc...
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 18
Original post by Wilfred Little
This year is a bit of an exception I guess, although Sweden don't come close to Colombia? Ukraine, Denmark, Czech Republic, miles better than dross like Honduras, South Korea, Nigeria, Iran...



The World Cup has more teams in it full stop. Twice the amount in fact. The Euros has more quality control, the teams collectively are stronger than those in the World Cup and that's why it is harder to win.


Are they really though? After the schooling Nigeria gave Bosnia and Costa Rica gave Italy, it's questionable. Two of those teams didn't come close to the Italians during the qualifications. Russia, Greece, England, Portugal (I'm going to allow Spain and Croatia) are other dross teams in the tournament. Egypt for starters would give those teams a game imo as would Burkina Faso and Zambia.

Fact is that a lot of European team coast into the tournaments as Europe is overrepresented in it and consequently has more dross teams qualifying. It should have a maximum of 8 teams.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by ineedtorevise127
You are deluded the Euros means just the top teams in Europe but World Cup you have the best team in Africa, S.America, Asia etc...


So the Euros are for European teams and the World Cup includes teams from all continents?

**** Tomorrow's World, that's real research!

Quick Reply

Latest