It is hard to believe 22 years have passed since Greece stunned the continent by winning the 2004 European Championship. Names such as Angelos Charisteas, Traianos Dellas and Theo Zagorakis rolled off the tongue easily; the trio playing key roles in Greece’s victory in Portugal.
While the nation sealed qualification for four of the following five international tournaments (only missing the 2006 World Cup), Greece have failed to reach a major tournament since 2014.
Might that dismal run come to an end in 2028, however? Quite possibly, especially considering how much of an impact the current generation have had in recent weeks.
World Cup Qualifying Stutter…
Greece managed to win just two matches throughout the 2026 World Cup qualification campaign, hardly signs of a revival brewing. A 5-1 win over Belarus to open the group was encouraging, yet the nation suffered three consecutive defeats before sealing a 3-2 win over Scotland.
There were some encouraging signs, however, with players such as Christos Tzolis Konstantinos Karetsas showcasing their class in the wide areas, while Vangelis Pavlidis continued to impress as Greece’s main man up front.
Due to their playoff success over Scotland in the previous Nations League campaign, Greece find themselves in League A for this current iteration. Placed in Group A2 alongside Germany, the Netherlands and Serbia, a top two finish appeared out of the question, despite a growing influx of talent within the squad.
…But Greece enjoying fast start in Nations League
Three games in, though, and Greece lead the way having taken seven points from their opening three matches.
Late goals from Tzolis and Anastasios Douvikas sealed victory on Matchday one over Serbia, and better things were to come. Against Germany in their second game, the Greeks were hanging on by a thread. Jürgen Klopp’s men dominated the game, but succumbed to a Dimitrios Kourbelis effort 15 minutes from time.
So far, so good for Ivan Jovanovic and his side. Even conceding twice against the Netherlands in the second half of their recent clash to drop two points surely won’t dampen enthusiasm.
A home clash against Germany is their final match of this international break. Another positive result could put the Greeks in pole position to finish in the top two and advance to the Nations League quarter finals, scheduled for March 2027. A solid finish would also boost their chances of securing a much easier European Championship qualification group.
The future looks bright indeed for the nation and that is all thanks to a group of youngsters emerging that could be the backbone of the national team for years.
New talent has Greece thriving
Brighton teenager Charalampos Kostoulas, Arsenal winger Tzolis and Konstantinos Karetsas (Borussia Dortmund) lead the current revolution of the Greece national side. Add in players of quality such as Pavlidis and Fotis Ioannidis, Greece’s options in the final third are frightening indeed.
While winning another major tournament might well be beyond the national side, is this their best set of players since that triumph in Portugal 22 years ago? Klopp thinks so. “They have a lot of good players. This is a great generation, maybe the golden generation of Greek football,” admitted the German ahead of their clash against Greece.
The first three matches have gone a long way to suggesting that this could actually be a golden generation of players, but there is still plenty of work to be done.
Jovanovic has gotten his team to play without fear. To express themselves against the very best that Europe has to offer.
One area that might need to improve is the defense, with Greece conceding three goals across their opening three matches. Conceding twice against the Dutch last time out wasn’t ideal, but Jovanovic will be keen to avoid a similar situation against Germany on Sunday evening, that’s for sure.
Whatever happens against Klopp & Co, Greece looked revitalised in recent weeks and if they continue to perform as they have done, a spot at Euro 2028 is theirs to lose.
After years in the footballing wilderness, it is good to have Greece back.
