Pots are set: EM qualification – does Germany play voluntarily?

With the end of the Nations League, there is clarity about the pots for the qualifying draw for the EM 2024 in Germany. The DFB team is qualified as hosts – but could theoretically play voluntarily.

The most important questions and answers about qualifying for EURO 2024 in Germany:

Does Germany play as a guest team?

At Euro 2016, France played in a group as a guest team in qualifying, without the games being taken into account in the table. Could Germany now also play out of competition in order to use the dates in the international game windows?

This is basically possible because it has been clear for a few days that Germany will miss the final tournament of the Nations League. Since these dates are now free, Germany could fill up one of the groups of five as a sixth team, just like France did back then. That way the team would be part of their home tournament right from the start and wouldn’t have to look for friendlies in the international game windows. UEFA and the DFB have not yet commented on the subject.

The procedure was almost usual recently, and there was also a guest team in Europe when qualifying for the 2022 World Cup: World Cup hosts Qatar played as the sixth team in a group of five. At the 2018 World Cup, host Russia was also initially planned as a non-competitive team in a group. However, when Gibraltar and Kosovo joined UEFA, the number of members changed in such a way that it was not mathematically possible for Russia to participate in a group.

When and where will the draw take place?

The draw will take place on October 9th at 12 noon, the lots will be drawn in Frankfurt am Main – one way or another without Germany in any lottery pot.

Who is playing in the European Championship qualifiers?

UEFA has 55 members, minus host Germany and Russia, which has been suspended until further notice, there are 53 teams. These 53 teams will be divided into ten groups, of which three groups will have six teams and seven groups will have five teams.

What do the pots look like?

There are six pots, but pot 1 is divided. Background: The four participants in the final tournament of the Nations League must play in one of the groups of five in order to have enough dates for the final tournament.

Then the remaining teams from Pot 1 continue, followed by the rest up to Pot 6. One team from each group plays from Pots 1 to 5, Pot 6 with only three teams completes the three groups of six.

The seeding list for qualification was based on the overall ranking of the Nations League. Exciting groups can be created primarily through Lostopf 2, since two big names, France and England, ended up there due to their poor performances in the Nations League. The lower pots also have exciting names: A group with Italy, France, Sweden and Turkey would be possible.

*Netherlands, Croatia, Italy and Portugal will initially be drawn separately into groups of five A, B, C, D so that these teams have dates free for the final tournament of the Nations League.

*The teams from pot 6 will be drawn as the sixth team in groups H, I, J.

How many teams qualify?

The ten group winners and the ten runners-up qualify directly for the EM 2024 in Germany. Together with host Germany, 21 participants will then be determined.

There will be 24 teams in total.

How are the playoffs going?

The last three teams come to the European Championship via the playoffs. However, you cannot reach the playoffs via the qualifying groups.

The twelve teams playing in three playoff tournaments with four teams each are determined via the Nations League: The twelve group winners from the Nations League groups of leagues A, B and C of the Nations League 2022/23 have a place in safe in the playoffs – if they need him. There is a move-up procedure, as many group winners will have already qualified directly. These teams currently have playoff spots secured:

What about Russia and Belarus?

With the help of Belarus, Russia is waging an illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. This war in the middle of UEFA territory prompted UEFA to join forces with FIFA to suspend Russian teams. The Russian association is still part of UEFA and FIFA, and Russian officials still have their places in the bodies.

UEFA only announced on the subject that “Russia is not taking part in the draw”. So it remains open whether it is the final end for the tournament. Belarus was not suspended, but the team can only play their home games on neutral pitches and without fans in the stadium.

Who is not allowed to play against each other politically?

Due to various political conflicts, UEFA maintains a list of games that are initially excluded from the draw for political reasons.

These are:

There are also games that are also on this list, but are not possible anyway due to the suspension of Russia:

What else is there to consider?

There are other restrictions on the draw. The first is winter. In order not to risk too many missed matches, a maximum of two of the following teams may play in the same group: Belarus, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway.

In order to avoid too long journeys, Azerbaijan, Iceland and Kazakhstan may each be drawn together with only one team from a specific list. In the case of Kazakhstan in particular, many goals are ruled out:

When are the game dates?