England suffered a frustrating conclusion to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign as they were held to a scrappy 1-1 draw by North Macedonia but sealed a top seeding for next year’s finals.
Italy earned some redemption by qualifying for next year’s European Championship on Monday, while Slovenia and the Czech Republic also secured their spots.
Italy needed just a point against Ukraine to claim second spot in Group C and avoid the dreaded playoffs, and it managed a 0-0 draw in Germany. Italy failed to qualify for the past two World Cups after losing playoffs — to Sweden and North Macedonia. After the Azzurri missed out on the 2018 World Cup, they went on to win the following European Championship. Ukraine would have sneaked past Italy with a win but will now head into the playoffs.
A point was enough for Slovenia and the Czech Republic to advance after they beat Kazakhstan and Moldova respectively to end their opponents’ hopes of qualifying automatically for a first major international tournament.
Kazakhstan still has a chance via the playoffs. They will play Greece in a semi-final on March 21 and — if it wins — either Georgia or Luxembourg five days later.
Not content with qualifying for only its second major tournament, Albania ensured it did so as Group E winner after drawing with the Faroe Islands 0-0. That saw Albania finish above the Czech Republic thanks to a superior head-to-head record.
When is the draw?
The draw will be made in Hamburg on December 2, in a ceremony that begins at 6pm local time (5pm UK time).
How can I watch the draw on TV?
The draw will be streamed live on Uefa.com and on YouTube.
How does the draw work?
The 24 qualifying teams (three of which will be decided in play-offs in March 2024) are divided into four pots, according to their performances in qualifying. The best six teams – including Germany as hosts – will be in pot 1, the next six in pot 2, then pot 3 and pot 4.
Of the six teams in each pot, one will be drawn in each of the six Euro 2024 groups, with Germany already guaranteed their position as the first side in Group A. Each group will therefore contain one top-ranked team, one second-ranked team, one third-ranked team and one fourth-ranked team.
In addition, each team will be randomly allocated a starting position in each group. This is for administrative reasons, so that teams and organisers know which teams are appearing in which locations on which day.
There are five matches that Uefa has prohibited from taking place in the group stage of the tournament, should both teams happen to qualify. They are:
- Bosnia-Herzegovina/Kosovo
- Serbia/Kosovo
- Ukraine/Belarus
- Azerbaijan/Armenia
- Spain/Gibraltar
Which teams have already qualified?
Germany (hosts), France (Group B winner), Belgium (Group F winner), Portugal (Group J winner), Spain (Group A winner), Scotland (Group A runner-up), Turkey (Group D), Austria (Group F runner-up), England (Group C winner), Hungary (Group G winner), Slovakia (Group J runner-up), Albania (Group E winner), Denmark (Group H winner), Netherlands (Group B), Romania (Group I), Switzerland (Group I), Serbia (Group G runner-up), Czech Republic (Group E runner-up), Italy (Group C runner-up), Slovenia (Group H runner-up)
What is the tournament format?
The top two teams from each group of four will qualify for the round of 16, along with the four best third-place teams.
Euro 2024 starts on June 14, with the group stage running until June 26. The knockouts run from June 29, with the final being played on July 14 in Berlin.
Who are the favourites to win Euro 2024?
- France: 9/2
- England: 4/1
- Germany: 6/1
- Spain: 7/1
- Portugal: 8/1
- Netherlands: 14/1
- Italy: 16/1
- Belgium: 16/1
Odds correct on November 7