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Euro 2024 qualifying review: Everything you need to know

Updated: November 27, 2024 at 10:23 am GMT+0

After five international breaks and 230 matches, the line-up for next summer’s European Championships is almost set.

Now the group phase of qualifying is complete, here’s everything you need to know ahead of the tournament that’ll kick off at Fußball Arena München in just 205 days time.

Who has qualified for Euro 2024?

Alongside hosts Germany, 20 other nations have qualified for the European Championships. They are:

Group A: Spain & Scotland

Spain have qualified for 16 successive tournaments, despite suffering a shock loss at Hampden Park. Scotland began with five wins out of five for the first time ever before dropping off but securing qualification nonetheless.

Group B: France & Netherlands

France recorded the biggest-ever Euro qualifying win by beating Gibraltar 14-0 and were only denied a perfect qualifying record by a 2-2 draw with Greece. Netherlands won every qualifier except matches against France and were comfortable in second place.

Group C: England & Italy

England ended a year unbeaten for the first time since 2011 but weren’t always convincing, while Italy are defending champions and edged past Ukraine to book their place in Germany.

Group D: Türkiye & Croatia

Türkiye will appear at three successive Euros for the first time. Croatia have qualified for 13 of 15 tournaments since gaining independence.

Group E: Albania & Czechia

Albania will make just their second tournament appearance having finished top of arguably the weakest group, ahead of Czechia who have qualified for all eight Euros as an independent nation.

Group F: Belgium & Austria

Belgium are unbeaten in 30 qualifiers, winning 26 of them and their 3-2 win away in Austria proved enough to claim top spot. Austria have now qualified for four of the last five Euros and qualified impressively, winning six of their eight matches.

Group G: Hungary & Serbia

Hungary are unbeaten in 12 matches, the longest streak of any team in the world but they did draw three of their matches. Serbia are the only debutants to have qualified so far (previously featured 5 times as part of Yugoslavia).

Group H: Denmark & Slovenia

Denmark the sole Nordic country to qualify automatically, doing so with seven wins in their 10 matches having featured in one of the six-team groups. Slovenia will feature at a first tournament for 14 years and first Euros since 2000, finishing four points ahead of Finland and Kazakhstan.

Group I: Romania & Switzerland

Romania will make sixth Euros appearance and first since 2016 after an impressive campaign, finishing five points ahead of Switzerland who have qualified for 10 of the last 11 tournaments.

Group J: Portugal & Slovakia

Portugal have ended qualifying with a 100% record for the first time ever, scoring 36 goals and conceding just two in their 10 matches. Slovakia have qualified for three consecutive Euros and did so with an impressive record.

When is the Euro 2024 final tournament draw?

The European Championships draw takes place on Saturday 2 December at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.

It’s scheduled to start at 5pm (GMT) or 6pm (CET), but expect a fair amount of pomp and ceremony before any balls are actually drawn.

The tournament features six groups of four teams, with a nation’s points haul in qualifying determining their seeding.

Germany have already been allocated into position A1, but here’s who makes up each pot:

Pot 1

Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, Belgium & England.

Pot 2

Hungary, Türkiye, Romania, Denmark, Albania & Austria.

Pot 3

Netherlands, Scotland, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia & Czechia.

Pot 4

Italy, Serbia, Switzerland, Play-off Path A winner, Play-off Path B winner & Play-off Path C winner.

Euro 2024 play-offs: Who is involved? How do they work? When will the ties take place?

The draw for the play-offs takes place on Thursday 23 November at 11:00am (GMT) or noon (CET).

Having said that, the vast majority of the play-off picture is already known.

The 12 teams, who did not qualify automatically, with the best UEFA Nations League ranking will feature in the play-offs, fighting over three qualification spots.

I can try and explain to you how the allocation of spots works, but we’d be here until next summer, so you’re just going to have to trust me on this one.

Thus, this is what we know ahead of Thursday’s draw that’ll fill in the remaining blanks:

Play-off Path A

Semi-finals: Poland vs Estonia & Wales vs TBC.

Play-off Path B

Semi-finals: Israel vs TBC & Bosnia & Herzegovina vs TBC.

Play-off Path C

Semi-finals: Georgia vs Luxembourg & Greece vs Kazakhstan.


The three spots indicated by TBC will be filled by Finland, Ukraine and Iceland, with this determined by the draw.

The team listed first will host a single-elimination semi-final on 21 March, while the host of the three finals, scheduled for 26 March, will be determined at random during the draw.

Which teams have failed to qualify?

With 21 teams having qualified, and 12 still in with a shout via the play-offs, that means just 21 of UEFA’s current members have been eliminated, although there are some noteworthy names on this list.

Sweden have participated at all six previous editions of the European Championships this century, but will not be extending that streak next summer, following a catastrophic couple of years.

Neighbours Norway meanwhile, despite having Martin Ødegaard and Erling Braut Håland in their ranks, still have not made it to any tournament since 2000, while they’re the highest-ranked side not to be awarded a play-off place, which just seems cruel.

Euro 2028 co-hosts Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland both endured miserable campaign, with the pair now under enormous pressure ahead of next Euros, which they will not qualify for automatically, despite being one of the five hosts.

Russia have previously featured at 12 European Championships, in various guises, including each of the last five, but they remained rightly banned from all UEFA and FIFA competitions.

North Macedonia (2021), Bulgaria (1996 & 2004) and Latvia (2004) are the only other nations who’ve previously qualified for a Euro yet to be mentioned who cannot make it to next summer’s edition.

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