Euro 2024 Play-offs: Preview
Twenty-one out of the twenty-four participants for Euro 2024 have already been determined. On Thursday, March 21st, qualification matches will be played again for the last 3 tickets to the European Championship in Germany. Based on their results in the Nations League, another 12 teams will have a chance. Read here which teams will be in action this week.
Euro 2024 Play-offs
UEFA has created 3 play-off paths for smaller countries. Each path, consisting of 4 teams, has 1 remaining Euro ticket. The composition of these paths takes into account the Nations League results. The tournament is divided into 4 leagues according to the ranking of national teams, and then further into groups. The group winners who failed to secure a ticket during the qualifications will immediately be placed into the play-offs. Then the best-placed teams are chosen until the group is filled. The winners of this round will play the final in their path on Tuesday, March 26th. After that, we’ll know for sure who will participate in the Euro in Germany.
Path A
Poland surprisingly performed less well than in previous years, resulting in a 3rd place after Albania and the Czech Republic. It was almost overtaken by Moldova as well. Despite being in League A in the Nations League, Poland was still selected for the play-offs. They will play against Estonia, which only earned 1 point in Group F. It seems strange that they still have a chance for a European ticket, but in the Nations League, they were group winners against Malta and San Marino.
For Wales, it remained tense for a long time because their main opponent Croatia had some poor results. However, the Croatians managed to extend their lead to 4 points, pushing the Welshmen just outside the top 2. Wales finished 4th in the group in the Nations League, but because they were in League A, they are still in contention. The Welshmen will play against Finland, which was just too weak for Denmark and Slovenia during the Euro qualifications. In the Nations League, Finland also couldn’t surpass Bosnia and Herzegovina, but they were one of the best-placed teams.
Path B
Israel will face Iceland in this battle for the play-off final. In Group I, Israel finished 3rd, behind Romania and Switzerland, just missing out on direct qualification. In the Nations League, they were drawn in the group with Russia, which did not participate. Israel managed to stay above Iceland and Albania, becoming group winners. They drew twice against Iceland in the Nations League, but this time, it may not end that way. In case of a tie, there will be extra time and possibly penalties. Iceland finished 4th in the Euro qualifiers, after Portugal, Slovakia, and Luxembourg.
Bosnia and Herzegovina will host Ukraine. After 10 matchdays, Bosnia and Herzegovina ended up with 9 points, just not enough to catch up with Iceland. They remained in 5th place. Fortunately, they performed better in the Nations League and became group winners in the group with Finland and Romania. Ukraine stayed on par with Italy in a strong group led by England but scored slightly fewer goals, missing out on direct qualification. It seemed to be getting tight even in the Nations League, but Scotland proved to be too strong. Ukraine was one of the highest-placed teams.
Path C
Greece couldn’t defeat France and the Netherlands, settling for 3rd place. However, they impressively became group winners in the Nations League, winning 5 out of 6 matches. As a result, they will play against Kazakhstan, which only managed to stay above Northern Ireland and San Marino during the qualifications. In their group, Denmark and Slovenia advanced directly, while Finland and Kazakhstan will play in the play-offs. Kazakhstan finished at the top of their group in the Nations League.
The last play-off match is between Georgia and Luxembourg. The Georgians faced difficulties against Spain, Scotland, and Norway in Group A, finishing in 4th place. However, as group winners in the Nations League, they secured direct placement for the play-offs. Luxembourg also faced strong opponents in the qualifications, including group winners Portugal, resulting in a 3rd-place finish. But in the Nations League, they were one of the highest-placed teams.
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