Portugal would win Euro 2016, if it were based on religious freedom

Portugal would win the European Championships 2016 – if it were based on religious freedom rather than football.

That is the conclusion of researchers who assessed all 24 countries fighting for the Euro 2016 football championships being held in France, starting on Friday.

England would not get passed the last 16, according to data from the Pew Global Religious Futures Project, but the Czech Republic and Ireland would both make it to the semi-finals, while hosts France would be knocked out at the Group stages.

The study on religious freedom in predominantly-Christian Europe, where only one in five say God is an important part of their lives, measured social hostility, government restrictions and legal protections. It also considered minorities, conversions and education.

Researchers found that Russia fared worst of the 24 competing nations, followed by Turkey, one of only two Muslim states in the tournament. The other, Albania, was second, and would therefore lose to Portugal in the final.