Along with the EC qualifiers, it’s good to remember the League of Nations as well.
It seems certain that Huuhkajie’s pursuit of the European Championships will continue after the qualifiers, even if a direct race spot is not available. EPA / AOP
The home loss to Denmark did not ruin Huuhkajie’s EC final tournament dreams. Finland still has everything in its own hands in Group H.
A direct spot in the Games will be secured if Finland wins all of its remaining four games. In October, Huuhkajat will first face Slovenia away from home, then Kazakhstan at home. In November, the qualifiers culminate against Northern Ireland in Helsinki and the final round away to San Marino.
The statistics website We Global Football updated its probability assessment of getting to the games on the night between Sunday and Monday. Finland’s percentages directly to the competition venue dropped from almost 70 to 54.24.
As expected, Slovenia is breathing down the neck in a lower position. Its probability was estimated to be 47.28. The match between Slovenia and Finland in October is very decisive for the second place in the group.
Another path
Another straw is worth noting. If the Huuhkajat were to fall behind Slovenia, it would practically certainly continue its games in the playoffs of the EC qualifiers.
There are 12 countries participating in the playoffs, which are determined based on the rankings of the previous Nations League. The countries ahead of Finland, which played in the B-league, are Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Scotland. The last-mentioned leads its own European Championship qualifying group with a seven-point difference to Spain.
As soon as Scotland’s direct place in the European Championship is secured, Finland will definitely be able to participate in the play-off stage from the Nations League side.
With that, Finland would play with three other countries next March for access to the final tournament. In that system, the semifinals and the final are played first, the winner of which gets a place at the European Championships in Germany next summer.