In March, a dozen teams will lock horns in the Euro 2024 Playoffs, with a chance at landing one of the three remaining places at the UEFA Euro 2024 finals.
With 20 teams – plus hosts Germany – already secured a spot at this summer’s tournament, a trio of nations are yet to be determined. The new Playoff system is designed to give the lesser-known nations a second chance at qualification based on their form in other UEFA-led events.
The Euro 2024 Qualifying Group Stage Recapped
There were no major surprises to emerge from the group stage of Euro 2024 qualifying. England and Scotland secured their tickets to this summer’s finals, with the latter impressing in a qualifying group containing big-hitters Spain.
Both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland struggled to make an impression in their respective groups and failed to qualify.
Elsewhere in Europe, the usual suspects will feature at the tournament. France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Croatia, and Belgium will all feature in the finals. These nations regularly feature in the latter stages of the Euros and the World Cup, which means we can expect a thrilling tournament across Germany’s ten host cities.
Perhaps the only surprise direct qualifier was Albania. The nation ranked 62 in the FIFA world rankings and managed to top Group E on goal difference ahead of Czechia. Albania’s overachievement subsequently pushed third-placed Poland into the Euro 2024 Playoffs.
The Role of the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League in the Euro 2024 Playoffs
The deciding factor of which nations will compete in the Euro 2024 Playoffs is a fusion of each nation’s position in their qualifying group and recent results in the UEFA Nations League.
The group winners of Leagues A, B and C of the Nations League qualify automatically for the Euro 2024 Playoffs. However, if they qualify for the finals through their respective groups, the next best-ranked team in their Nations League will be selected.
The Playoffs have three separate ‘paths’ – Path A, Path B and Path C. In each path, the top-ranked team will be drawn against the lowest-ranked team, with the second-best teams hosting the third-best teams. The winners of these semi-finals will advance to play the final of each path, where the winner will earn a place at Euro 2024.
Euro 2020 was the first time nations could qualify through the Playoffs based on their results in the UEFA Nations League instead of exclusively relying on their qualification results.
The Euro 2024 Playoff Semi-Finals
All Playoff semi-final fixtures are single-leg games where the winners must be decided on the night. All six semi-finals will be played on 21st March 2024.
Path A
- Poland Vs Estonia
- Wales Vs Finland
The Welsh national team will be pleased to have home advantage for their Playoff semi-final with Finland. The Finns were very strong during the group stage of Euro 2024 qualifying, picking up 18 points, just four less than second-placed Slovenia and group winners Denmark. Therefore, it won’t be a walk in the park for Wales.
Poland are not the force the used to be since the international retirement of striker, Robert Lewandowski, but they will fancy themselves to overcome an Estonia team who only earnt one point in the group stage and qualified by their UEFA Nations League results in League C.
Path B
- Israel Vs Iceland
- Bosnia and Herzegovina Vs Ukraine
Israel missed out on direct qualification for Euro 2024 via Group I by just two points, with Switzerland taking the second qualification place behind group winners Romania. Iceland only finished fourth in Group J, with their Nations League results enough to earn them a Playoff spot.
Bosnia and Herzegovina finished fifth in Iceland’s qualifying group, but even their Nations League showings were enough to earn them a place in the semi-finals against Ukraine. The Ukrainians missed out on direct qualification on goal difference to the Italians in Group C, so they’ll be keen to right the wrongs of their qualifying campaign in Bosnia.
Path C
- Georgia Vs Luxembourg
- Greece Vs Kazakhstan
The Georgian national team will have a second bite of the cherry in the playoffs against Luxembourg after they qualify due to their Nations League results. Meanwhile, Luxembourg enjoyed one of their best-ever qualifying rounds, finishing third and only five points behind second-placed direct qualifiers Slovakia.
Greece comfortably qualified for the playoffs due to their Nations League results, but their semi-final opponent, Kazakhstan, will also come into this in a confident mood after finishing joint third with Finland in Group A.
The Euro 2024 Playoff Finals
Like the Playoff semis, the finals of each Playoff path are one-off encounters. All three ties are scheduled to be played on 26th March 2024.
Path A
- Poland/Estonia Vs Wales/Finland
Path B
- Israel/Iceland Vs Bosnia and Herzegovina/Ukraine
Path C
- Georgia/Luxembourg Vs Greece/Kazakhstan
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