Euro 2024 explained: How countries will qualify for the tournament
The top two countries in each of the ten groups will qualify for Euro 2024 in Germany.
On 9 October 2022, the Euro 2024 qualifying draw will take place in Frankfurt, Germany at 12pm CET. Germany have already qualified for the tournament as hosts, which leaves 53 teams (Russia not involved) hoping to book a spot among the 23 spots available at the finals.
How does qualification work?
The 53 teams will be split into ten groups. There will be seven groups of five and three groups of six. Each team is seeded based on their performance in the Nations League.
Netherlands, Croatia, Spain, and Italy will contest the finals of the Nations League in June 2023 and will be placed into groups of five. The four finalists of the Nations League will be drawn into groups of five teams to allow them to participate in the finals next June.
Based on the UEFA Nations League rankings, the teams have been divided into seven pots. The ‘UNL’ pot contains the four Nations League finalists, followed by Pot 1 to Pot 6. The ‘UNL’ pot contains four teams, Pot 1 contains six teams, Pots 2 to 5 each contain 10 teams and Pot 6 contains the three remaining teams.
Pot 1: Denmark, Portugal, Belgium, Hungary, Switzerland, Poland
Pot 2: France, Austria, Czech Republic, England, Wales, Israel, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Scotland, Finland
Pot 3: Ukraine, Iceland, Norway, Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, Montenegro, Romania, Sweden, Armenia
Pot 4: Georgia, Greece, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia
Pot 5: Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Belarus, Lithuania, Gibraltar, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, Malta
Pot 6: Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein
Qualifying schedule in 2023:
23-25 March - Matchday 1
26-28 March - Matchday 2
16-17 June - Matchday 3
19-20 June - Matchday 4
7-9 Sept - Matchday 5
10-12 Sept - Matchday 6
12-14 Oct - Matchday 7
15-17 Oct - Matchday 8
16-18 Nov - Matchday 9
19-21 Nov - Matchday 10
Top two heading for Germany
The top two countries in each of the ten groups will be heading to Euro 2024. The other three places will be discovered after a series of playoff games in March 2024.
“Three teams will reach the finals of UEFA EURO 2024 via the play-offs on 21 and 26 March 2024, based on their performances in the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League,” UEFA have confirmed.