How does Euro 2024 qualifying work? How many teams will play in the tournament in Germany?

The 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship will take place in Germany next year, with Euro 2024′s opening game to be played on Friday 14 June and the final set for Sunday 14 July. The host nation will kick off the tournament at Allianz Arena in Munich but are the only team assured of their spot having qualified automatically.

How many countries will play at Euro 2024?

UEFA’s other 53 member associations are currently in the midst of the qualifying group stage, which began on 23 March 2023 and will come to a close on 21 November. Since Euro 2016, 24 nations have taken part in the tournament, with means 53 must be whittled down to 23 before the action gets underway in Germany.

How many teams qualify from the qualifying group stage?

The qualifying group stage is relatively straightforward, providing 20 of the remaining 23 qualifiers. In October 2022, the 53 participants were drawn into 10 groups of either five or six teams, in which each country would face the others twice, once at home and once away. After eight games in five-team groups or 10 in six-team groups, the group winners and runners-up qualify directly for the final tournament.

How many teams qualify from the play-offs?

The three places left will be decided by play-offs in March 2024, which 12 teams will take part in. The play-off participants are normally the group winners from Leagues A, B and C of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League, although some of the teams are likely to qualify for Euro 2024 through the group stage and therefore don’t require a play-off.

In that case, the group winners are replaced by the next-best ranked country in their league that hasn’t qualified via the group stage, which could even see League D teams given an opportunity to reach the finals.

How do the play-offs work?

The 12 play-off participants will be split into three paths of four teams. In each path, there will be two single-leg semi-finals on Tuesday 21 March, with the winners progressing to a one-off final on Sunday 26 March. The three victorious countries will complete the line-up for Euro 2024.

Which cities will host games at Euro 2024?

The tournament itself will be played in 10 cities across Germany (Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart), with the final to be played on Sunday 14 July at Olympiastadion in Berlin.