Euro 2024 qualifiers: All you need to know
What's the story
The Euro 2024 qualifiers schedule was out on Sunday.
Reigning champions Italy have been pooled with 2020 runners-up England in Group C, alongside Ukraine, Malta, and North Macedonia.
Meanwhile, 2018 World Cup winners France have been drawn with the Dutch and the Republic of Ireland in Group B.
The qualifiers will begin on March 23, 2023.
Here are further details.
Dates
Here are the important dates
The qualifiers begin on March 23, 2023, and conclude on November 21.
The playoff semi-finals have been scheduled for March 21, 2024, with the finals taking place on March 26.
The Euro 2024 opener will commence on June 1, with the finale slated for July 14.
The finals will be played in 10 German cities in contrast to the multi-country format in 2020.
Draw
Here's the Euro 2024 qualifying draw (Groups A-H)
Group A: Spain, Scotland, Norway, Georgia, Cyprus.
Group B: Netherlands, France, Republic of Ireland, Greece, Gibraltar.
Group C: Italy, England, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Malta.
Group D: Croatia, Wales, Armenia, Turkey, Latvia.
Group E: Poland, Czech Republic, Albania, Faroe Islands, Moldova.
Group F: Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Estonia.
Group G: Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Lithuania.
Group H: Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland, San Marino.
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A look at the remaining draws (Group I-J)
Here's how the remaining groups look like - Group I: Switzerland, Israel, Romania, Kosovo, Belarus, Andorra; Group J: Portugal, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iceland, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Liechtenstein.
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How does the qualifying work?
Each team in a group will play the other twice. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the finals alongside hosts Germany. With 21 of the 24 finals places taken care of, the remaining three seats will be filled via the playoffs.
Playoffs
How does the playoff work?
The three remaining teams for Euro 2024 will be determined by the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.
A total of 12 teams will be selected on account of their performance in the 2022-23 Nations League - the winners of League A, B, and C.
In case they have already qualified, they will be replaced by the next best-ranked team.
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What if there aren't enough non-qualifed teams?
As per UEFA, if there aren't enough non-qualified teams in the same league, then the focus will shift to the next league, finishing with League D. It is to note that Russia were excluded from the competition owing to their invasion of Ukraine.
Group of Death
Italy, England will square up in Group of Death
Italy will be squaring up against England, who they beat 3-2 in a penalty shootout in the Euro 2020 final.
Meanwhile, North Macedonia shouldn't be undermined, given they kicked out Italy in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March earlier this year.
The same applies to Ukraine, who were close to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, besides being quarter-finalists at Euro 2020.
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A look at other interesting match-ups
In Group D, 2018 WC runners-up Croatia have been paired with WC qualifiers Wales and Turkey. Three-time European champions and hosts Germany qualify automatically. Portugal, who have the services of Cristiano Ronaldo, have been put in Group J alongside Iceland and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Italy
Notable records scripted by Azzurri in Euro 2020
Italy maintained a 100% record at Euro 2020, winning all their games.
Notably, Italy had won their second European Championship title, and first in 53 years.
It remains the longest-ever gap between championships in the tournament by a single nation.
Meanwhile, at 36y 331d, Giorgio Chiellini became the oldest outfield player to captain a team in the final of the European Championship/World Cup.
Awards
Euro 2020: A look at the individual award winners
Golden Boot Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 5 goals and 1 assist in 4 matches.
Silver Boot Winner: Patrik Schick (Czech Republic) - 5 goals in 5 matches.
Bronze Boot Winner: Karim Benzema (France) - 4 goals in 4 matches.
Golden Ball (Player of the Tournament): Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy).
Young Player of the Tournament: Pedri (Spain).