By Nicky Helfgott / @NickyH3lfgott on Twitter
It’s still all to play for in the qualification stage for UEFA Euro 2024.
This month, the UEFA EURO play-offs feature twelve teams vying for the three remaining spots in the final tournament. The semi-finals, scheduled for March 21st, will determine the contenders for the three finals set to take place on March 26th. The victorious teams from these finals will secure their places in the 24-team EURO finals lineup.
What are the play-off fixtures?
Semi-finals (21 March)
Path A: Poland vs Estonia, Wales vs Finland
Path B: Israel vs Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Ukraine
Path C: Georgia vs Luxembourg, Greece vs Kazakhstan
Finals (26 March)
Path A: Wales/Finland vs Poland/Estonia
Path B: Bosnia and Herzegovina/Ukraine vs Israel/Iceland
Path C: Georgia/Luxembourg vs Greece/Kazakhstan
What’s the format of these games?
The playoffs are all single-leg knockout matches. If the games are tied after 90 minutes, they’ll go to extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shoot-out.
Which groups will the final three teams go into?
The draw already took place on 3 December, so the play-off winners’ group stage opponents in Germany next summer have been announced.
Group D: Path A winners (Poland / Estonia / Wales / Finland) , Netherlands, Austria, France
The Path A winners will enter into what is arguably the hardest group. France have possibly the strongest squad in the whole tournament. When a team has Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, and Aurélien Tchouaméni on the same team, you know that team means business. After the Netherlands crashed out early in Euro 2020, losing to the Czech Republic in the Round of 16, they’ll be desperate to bounce back. Luckily for them, Virgil van Dijk is in the form of his life and their squad is stacked with top players. Even Austria, under manager Ralf Rangnick, are in top form and are underdogs to progress in the tournament.
Group E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Path B winners (Israel / Iceland / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Ukraine)
The Path B winners enter into a more favorable group. Belgium, although ranked number four in the FIFA rankings, are not performing at their 2018 best, when Eden Hazard ran riot in Russia during the World Cup. They’ll be relying on Kevin de Bruyne’s magic to progress them through this tournament in Germany and hoping that Romelu Lukaku can reach top form before their opening game against Slovakia. Each team would fancy themselves against Slovakia and Romania as well, ranked 48th and 45th in the world respectively.
Group F: Türkiye, Path C winners (Georgia / Luxembourg / Greece / Kazakhstan), Portugal, Czechia
Path C winners get to face Cristiano Ronaldo in what could be his last international tournament. They’ll be looking to win their GOAT in another international tournament to cement his status at the top. The second spot in the group will be up for grabs. All the other teams will feel they have the chance to secure the second spot.
Who are the favourites to qualify from the playoffs?
Path A: Poland are the favourites, closely followed by Wales
Path B: Ukraine are narrowly the favourites, followed by Bosnia and Israel
Path C: Euro 2004 winners Greece are the clear favourites in this path, followed by Georgia
Keep up with all the latest UEFA Euro 2024 scores and news on the 365Scores website and app!
