Hm, an Earth map with those eight nations...
Europe: France, Netherlands, Venice.
Africa: Carthage (but north Africa, so close enough to potentially come into conflict over territory with the European nations, particularly France).
Asia: Japan, Ottomans - but opposite sides of the continent.
Americas: Iroquois, Polynesia.
Yeah, while I haven't seen exactly what Civ 5's version of the map looks like or how big it is, I think the European nations would be at something of a disadvantage there, having to fight over their limited territory while the other nations have whole continents practically to themselves.