This anthem to freedom, written after France’s declaration of war against the Austrians in 1792, will be embraced by this proud nation both in the stadium and at the cafés and small bars around the country as the French stand tall against the recent horrors they have endured.

A French victory on the opening night of the European Championships will go a long way to healing its recent wounds.

If France completes a journey all the way to the final, where they are ultimately crowned European Champions in front of their fans, we should all make sure we are along for the ride.

Euro '96: People's Championship

Euro 1996 was called the ‘people’s championship’ as England embraced its European cousins and welcomed them to the small island that sits off their shores.

So it is fitting that 20-years later France does the same, uniting the continent among talk of the UK leaving the Common Market and with debt rife among the poorer nations.

This is what football is all about.

It is about embracing different countries, their people, their religious beliefs and differing outlook on life with not one iota of prejudice.

With football, we are all one.

For one glorious month supporters of ‘the beautiful game’ will be treated to skill, goals, joy, penalty shoot-outs and despair.

If you are an England fan you will get the whole set of these emotions, probably in the knock-out stages, possibly on penalties to the Germans and more than likely in that exact order.

If you are lucky enough to be in the host nation’s capital city when France is winning, your lack of ‘parlez-vous’ will be forgotten as this romantic city will delight you, welcome you and call you one of its own.

France and Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit

French legend Emmanuel Petit won both the World Cup with France in 1998 and the European Championships in 2000 and explained to the UKs The Daily Telegraph what winning in football is all about to the people of France.

“We were very proud to be a link between every single person in France in the space of a few days. In that moment, people forget their problems.

“If you can bring dreams to people, you achieve your target and more,” Petit said.

It would be rather fitting if every single person in Europe, let alone the world that is watching, can forget all their problems for one month this year.

Hopefully, in generations to come, we will look back at France and Euro 2016 as 'United Europe's Championships.'

GROUP A:

ALBANIA,

FRANCE,

ROMANIA,

SWITZERLAND

Albania:

Manager: Gianni De Biasi

Albania were unbeaten away from home in the qualifying stages where they beat Portugal, Serbia and Armenia and drew with Denmark and ended up finishing second in their Group behind the Portuguese. Gone are the days when Albania could not qualify as Euro 2016 is their first major tournament they are playing in.

Player to watch:

Taulant Xhaka (above) is the elder brother of recent Arsenal signing ($70million) and Switzerland star Granit and the pair will come head-to-head in Euro 2016. Their family moved from Kosovo to Basel before either player was born so the boys had the chance to play for either side with both going in opposite directions. Will the studs fly in when they clash? You betcha! Didn’t you do it with your brother in the back yard?

Verdict:

There is absolutely no pressure whatsoever on the Albanians and most experts have tipped an early trip home for the Balkan nation. However, if they can sneak a point against France and Switzerland and beat Romania then on they march. Expect plenty of set-pieces looking for that elusive winner in the dying minutes.

France:

Manager: Didier Deschamps

Les Bleus midfield is the talk of the tournament and the reason why many punters are tipping the French to be crowned champs like they were in 2000. With Pogba, Lassana Diarra and N’Golo Kante or Blaise Matuidi running the centre of the field and feeding Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud it could be curtains for a lot of teams and it may well create another set of French footballing legends.

Player to watch:

Dimitri Payet (above) could end up the talk of the tournament if he gets some play time. The West Ham attacking midfielder and Hammers Player of the Year has been nothing but sensational for the East London club. With his sublime skills, goals from jaw dropping free kicks and numerous assists it was amazing he wasn’t even in the French squad until two months ago. On his first game for France he hit the post, created six chances and had 89 touches – more than any other player. When he scored from a free-kick with his first touch against Russia and set up a goal in their 4-2 win he was named in the squad for Euro 2016. Like we said, if he plays expect exciting times.

Verdict:

As the host nation and with a squad that many are tipping to win the tournament we just ask are they as good as the team that won in 2000 and are they under pressure to succeed? Pogba has a tendency to hog the ball when he gets it and as the creative engine room of the midfield we can only assume every other manager has a tactic to put him under pressure. If they break Pogba can they break France? Probably not.

Romania

Manager: Anghel Iordanescu

The Romanians conceded only two goals in their ten qualification games, the best of all European teams. With their great defensive record it could hold them in good stead so we will see how they go on the opening game of the tournament.

Player to watch:

Florin Andone (above) is a cracking striker that will put any back four to test and under a lot of pressure. He has scored 21 goals in 36 games for his club but can he replicate that for his country? What we do know is that he’s hungry for success and will certainly see this tournament as a stage to show what he’s worth to all and sundry. That’s if he doesn’t start on the bench.

Verdict:

You have to say they are going to finish behind France and Switzerland unless they really get it together. Pre-tournament friendlies didn’t go their way but do they really count? Apparently the squad is at a bit of a low at the moment which they may carry onto the field, if it does there is no escaping the Group stages.

Switzerland

Manager: Vladimir Petkovic

The Swiss finished second to England in the qualifiers. They get to play Albania and Romania in their first two games so could find themselves qualified after that. Midfielder Granit Xhaka as we know has joined Arsenal and much is expected of him. The same for fellow midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri of Stoke City who had an ordinary season yet he could still play an integral part in the Swiss team.

Player to watch:

All eyes will be on Xhaka but make sure you keep an eye on his team mate at left-back, Ricardo Rodriguez (above), who was outstanding at the 2014 World Cup and arguably one of the best players in the world at that position.

Verdict:

We expect Switzerland to finish second to France with no real hassles if they do the job. They have a good mixture of youth and wise old heads that make up a very talented team and could cause a few problems as the progress further with that midfield combo of Xhaka and Shaqiri.

GROUP A FINAL TABLE:

1st: FRANCE

2nd: SWITZERLAND

3rd: ROMANIA

4th: ALBANIA

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This article first appeared on TopBetta HERE