UEFA Euro 2024: Qualifiers and Play-offs Explained

Gareth Southgate, the England national football team manager, has urged his players to return to their strengths following their disappointing performance in the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Despite this setback, England successfully secured their spot in the tournament after a 1-1 draw against North Macedonia on Monday night. Throughout the group stages, the team remained unbeaten and will ultimately top Group C.

Scotland, on the other hand, claimed second place in Group A and will also be participating in the finals. However, there are still 12 teams who did not qualify directly and will have an opportunity to earn a place in the finals through next year’s play-offs. Euro 2024 will feature a total of 23 teams, with Germany automatically qualifying as the host nation. Currently, 20 teams have secured their places in the tournament by finishing in the top two positions of their qualifying groups. The remaining three spots will be determined through the play-offs.

The play-offs will be based on the performance of each team in the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League. The winners of Leagues A, B, and C will move on to the play-offs, unless they have already secured their places in the tournament. In such cases, the next highest-ranked team in their respective leagues will take their spot. On November 23, the schedule for the play-off matches will be determined, while the semi-finals will be held in the upcoming year. Following the semi-finals, the victorious teams will engage in three final matches to determine the last three qualifying teams for the tournament.

Among the teams that have secured a spot in the play-offs are Poland, Wales, Estonia, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Ukraine, and Finland.

Marked for March 21, 2024, the play-off semi-finals will occur, with the finals set to take place on March 26, 2024. Next year, there will also be a selection process for the remaining spots in Germany in the upcoming summer.

In general, there are still many opportunities in the Euro 2024 qualification process, and teams will be determined to guarantee their participation in the highly regarded tournament.