England captain Harry Kane has boldly declared that the Three Lions "are here to win" Euro 2024, as they prepare to face Serbia in their opening match on Sunday. Under manager Gareth Southgate, England has repeatedly come close to ending a 58-year major tournament drought, including a heart-wrenching loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.

Kane, who won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup, is leading a squad bolstered by the emergence of talents like Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Bukayo Saka. This attacking quartet scored 114 goals for their clubs this season, fueling high expectations.

"We've earned the right to be classed as one of the favourites," Kane asserted during a press conference in Gelsenkirchen. “We're here to win, and there will be nothing better than doing that for the nation.”

Southgate emphasized the need for his team to be "exceptional" to navigate a tough tournament landscape. He pointed to strong performances from Germany and Spain in their opening games as benchmarks of the competition's high standard.

England is expected to advance from a group that includes Denmark and Slovenia, but Southgate is taking a measured approach. "Our focus is to qualify from the group," he said. “We have to break it down into chunks.”

Amidst heightened security measures, with German police labeling the fixture "high risk," Southgate urged the tens of thousands of traveling England fans to enjoy themselves responsibly. "Football tournaments are great chances to meet people from different parts of the world," he said.

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