Three places at EURO 2024 will be awarded via the playoffs. Anyone who doesn’t qualify can do so here – but only if the results in the Nations League were strong enough.
How do the teams reach the EURO 2024 playoffs?
The results in the qualifying groups do not play a role in the playoffs. The basis for putting together the playoffs is solely the results from the Nations League in the 2022/23 season – this can now pay off for the teams that did well there.
Before the playoffs, in addition to the automatically qualified hosts Germany, the ten group winners of the qualification and also the ten group runners-up will have qualified directly. The three winners from the three playoff tournaments will then be added to these 21 teams at EURO 2024.
Only those who played well in the Nations League will make it to the EURO 2024 playoffs.
How will the three tournaments be? compiled?
The three leagues A, B and C of the Nations League each form one of the playoff tournaments, in which four teams each take part. The teams that won the group in the Nations League always have priority. If the group winners need a playoff spot because they didn’t qualify, they’ll play.
First will Playoff Tournament C educated. Georgia, Greece, Turkey and Kazakhstan are the four group winners of League C in the Nations League and are entitled to a place in the playoffs. However, Turkey is already guaranteed to take part in EURO 2024 through regular qualification and does not need the playoffs. Luxembourg would move up for Turkey. Kazakhstan can also make it through qualification, then Azerbaijan would move up to the playoffs.
| Place | team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia* |
| 2 | Greece* |
3 | Türkiye* |
| 4 | Kazakhstan* |
| 5 | Luxembourg |
6 | Azerbaijan |
7 | Kosovo |
8th | Bulgaria |
9 | Faroe Islands |
10 | North Macedonia |
11 | Slovakia |
12 | Northern Ireland |
13 | Cyprus |
14 | Belarus |
15 | Lithuania |
16 | Gibralter |
*Nations League group winner
In the Playoff Tournament B Israel and Bosnia-Herzegovina have secured their playoff places as they failed to qualify for EURO 2024. Serbia and Scotland, on the other hand, do not need their places as they made it to the European Championships through the qualifying groups. Finland and Ukraine would be the two successors.
| Place | team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Israel* |
| 2 | Bosnia Herzegovina* |
3 | Serbia* |
4 | Scotland* |
| 5 | Finland |
| 6 | Ukraine |
7 | Iceland |
8th | Norway |
9 | Slovenia |
10 | Ireland |
11 | Albania |
12 | Montenegro |
13 | Romania |
14 | Sweden |
15 | Armenia |
16 | Russia** |
*Nations League group winner
**Russian teams are currently suspended by FIFA and UEFA due to the war of aggression against Ukraine.
In the Playoff Tournament A The three Nations League group winners Spain, Croatia and the Netherlands have no need for playoff places, while Italy would depend on it as things stand. There is an exception here: League D does not have a playoff tournament. In order to give the teams access, the first free place in playoff tournament A goes to the best team in League D – and that is Estonia. All other free places will initially be distributed in League A. Poland is definitely playing in the playoffs, and at least as things stand, Wales is too.
| Place | team |
|---|---|
1 | Spain* |
2 | Croatia* |
| 3 | Italy* |
4 | Netherlands* |
5 | Denmark |
6 | Portugal |
7 | Belgium |
8th | Hungary |
9 | Switzerland |
10 | Germany |
| 11 | Poland |
12 | France |
13 | Austria |
14 | Czech Republic |
15 | England |
| 16 | Wales |
| League D team | Estonia |
*Nations League group winner
A conceivable case is that there are not enough teams in League A for the tournament, even with Estonia included, because too many have already qualified directly. Then replacements from League B who have not yet been taken into account in the B tournament would be considered.
This would currently be the case if, for example, Italy managed to qualify directly. Then Iceland from League B would be guaranteed a place in the playoffs. Because Iceland, Ukraine and Finland, several League B teams behind the group winners are entitled to a playoff place in Tournament B or Tournament A, a draw is made to see who plays in Tournament A or B.
How do the playoff tournaments work?
There is a semi-final and a final in each of the three tournaments. There is always only one game without a second leg.
In the semi-finals, the best team in the Nations League rankings plays at home against the weakest and the second best against the third best. In the final, home advantage will be drawn. The draw will take place on November 23, 2023.
The Henri Delaunay Cup, trophy also at EURO 2024 in Germany
When are the playoffs?
The tournaments take place in the international match window at the end of March. The six semi-final games will be played in the three tournaments on March 21, 2024, and the three final games will take place on March 26, 2024.
Are there any placeholders at the Group draw for EURO 2024?
Yes, because the playoff winners will not yet be determined when the groups are drawn in Hamburg on December 2, 2023. All playoff winners will be in draw pot 4, even if they would have reached a different pot if they had qualified directly.
Since when have the playoffs been this way?
In principle, playoffs have already taken place very often in qualifying for the European Championships or World Cup. The results of the Nations League were linked to qualification for the tournament for the first time at the 2021 European Championship. There was also a connection to the 2022 World Cup and now also to EURO 2024. Whether and how exactly the Nations League will play a role in the European qualification for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada has not yet been decided.