The Euros in Germany is fast approaching, but there are still 12 teams left in the hat who have a chance to take the last qualifying spots before the tournament begins. Before you can get serious with your planned football predictor game for the summer, you’ll need to know who’s actually going to be there.
You might have been confused when you looked at the group draw that took place in December and saw that some groups were incomplete. For instance, Group D has France, the Netherlands and Austria, but also a place for ‘Playoff Winner Path A’. What does this mean?
What format does the Euro 2024 playoffs take?
At the end of the qualifying stages in November, the vast majority of the 24 teams were assigned, and then the draw took place to determine the groups for this summer. We already know 20 of the qualifiers (plus hosts Germany), but there are still three places remaining that need to be determined.
The twelve teams left with a chance were those teams that hadn’t qualified directly and were chosen based on performance in the last Nations League tournament in 2022-23. This should mean that there was a playoff path A for teams that hadn’t qualified directly but who had been in League A of the Nations League, and then Path A for League B teams, and Path C for League C and D teams. If too many teams had already qualified for the Euros directly, the playoff places would drop down to the next league to determine playoff contenders (complicated? Yes!).
This left the following once the dust had settled:
Path A
- Poland
- Wales
- Finland
- Estonia
Semi-finals:
- Poland v Estonia
- Wales v Finland
Final:
- Wales or Finland v Poland or Estonia
It has been 11 games since Estonia last tasted victory, and it is difficult to see them getting anything out of Poland, let alone win two games back to back to qualify, especially with away games for both. Poland have Lewandowski and are the top ranked nation left, but Robert isn’t having the best of time in Barcelona compared to his lofty standards and in the qualifying groups they lost and drew with Moldova and generally struggled. Finland had an up and down qualifying, finishing 3rd behind Denmark and Slovenia, winning 6 and losing 4, which makes them a solid team capable of qualifying here. Wales, after an amazing period between 2014 to 2022 look to be on the way down with the retirement of most of the golden generation and inconsistency. The home fortress in Cardiff is suddenly penetrable, so it’s a tough ask to see them qualifying.
Path B
- Israel
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Ukraine
- Iceland
Semi-finals:
- Bosnia & Herzegovina v Ukraine
- Israel v Iceland
Final:
- Bosnia & Herzegovina or Ukraine v Israel or Iceland
This is a really tough playoff path to work out. Bosnia are no longer the force they were a decade ago with Dzeko and Co. at their best and have only won 3 games in the last ten games. Although Ukraine has been in better form and only missed out on the World Cup with a playoff final defeat to Wales last time round, the uncertainty around playing away from Ukraine for so long due to the war means you can never be sure how they are going to play. The events in Israel and Palestine over the last few months means the same can be said of Israel, and it is unclear how the football team will play. Iceland has also been in mixed form, finishing just above Bosnia in qualifying and this is a long way from the team that qualified for successive tournaments in 2016 and 2018. This playoff could be anybody’s.
Path C
- Georgia
- Greece
- Kazakhstan
- Luxembourg
Semi-finals:
- Georgia v Luxembourg
- Greece v Kazakhstan
Final:
- Georgia or Luxembourg v Greece or Kazakhstan
Path 3 is the romantic playoff path as the one with the lowest ranked teams. That’s what gave us North Macedonia in the last Euros and could mean a place for a genuine underdog or maybe an old classic team in Greece. Georgia have been an exciting side with potential the last couple of years (especially with Napoli’s Kvaratskhelia in the team). It’s always been a tough place to go to, so two home games gives them a chance. Luxembourg have been one of the most improved nations on the planet over the last few years, with victories over both Bosnia and Iceland in the qualifying campaign. Greece won the whole thing back in 2004 but have been in the wilderness for much of the time since. Despite a tough time in the last decade, they have performed a lot better in the last two campaigns and gave both the Netherlands and France close games in qualifying. If Kostas Tsimikas can open those tired eyes, they’ve got a chance. Kazakhstan is another vastly improved country in recent years and had some good results in qualifying, particularly away wins in Belfast and Helsinki.
When do the Euro 2024 playoffs take place?
The playoffs for the final three places at Euro 2024 will take place during the March international break. The semi-finals in each path will take place on Thursday 21st March, with the final on Tuesday 26th March. The losers of each semi-final will play each other in a friendly on the same date as the final in each path.
Which groups at the summer tournament will each playoff winner enter?
Group D
- Playoff Winner Path A
- Netherlands
- Austria
- France
Games for the playoff winner at Hamburg, Berlin, and Dortmund.
Group E
- Belgium
- Slovakia
- Romania
- Playoff Winner Path B
Games for the playoff winner at Munich, Düsseldorf, and Stuttgart.
Group F
- Türkiye
- Playoff Winner Path C
- Portugal
- Czechia
Games for the playoff winner at Dortmund, Hamburg, Gelsenkirchen.
Are you excited about the European Championships in Germany this summer? There are loads of things to look forward to, those warm summer nights watching Scotland fail to get out of the groups, England lose valiantly on penalties in the quarter finals, the Germans and Italians returning to form with tournament football wins and France, with such a fine array of talents, dominating. You’ll have viewing parties, barbecues, early work finishes for the big home nations games, and maybe a competitive tournament with your mates, why not try your hand at an enjoyable Euros football predictor game and see who can get the most result and scores correct? It gives you loads of fun off the pitch to go with the action on it.
