There are approximately three months left until the start of the final phase of the Euro Cup. But so far only 21 participants out of 24 are known. Three more teams will receive tickets to Germany depending on the results of the play-off to be played in March. 12 teams will participate in the mini-tournament, divided into three quartets. The winner of each will receive a place at Euro 2024. Six semi-finals await us on March 21 and three finals on March 26.
Who will play against whom in Germany:
We have the “group of death” for Euro 2024! Draw results and tournament schedule.
How will the play-offs unfold?
A knockout match. In the event of a tie during regulation time, the opponents will face two additional periods of 15 minutes each, and then a penalty shootout (if necessary).
How were the participants of the match determined?
The performance of the teams in the Nations League in the 2022/2023 season was taken as a basis. Nominally, these were the group winners in leagues A, B and C. If one of these teams qualified for the Euro Cup, its place was taken by the next qualified team from this league. If fewer than four teams from a league made it to the playoffs, the vacant spot was awarded to the best team in the D-league. Precisely for this reason the Estonian team was in the mini-tournament. The remaining places were distributed according to qualification.
In each of the three paths, the highest ranked team faces the lowest ranked team. Second-ranked teams play third-ranked teams. The hosts of the final were determined based on the results of the draw that took place in November 2023.
Soccer stars who will definitely not play in Euro 2024:
Euro 2024 will be played without many stars. Who will definitely miss or could miss the tournament?
Road to
The Polish team had the highest score in this quartet. For this reason, they will face the lowest ranked Estonia in the semifinals. The other semi-final pairing was Wales and Finland; This match will be played in Cardiff. The final match will take place in the stadium of the winner of the second pair, that is, in Cardiff or Helsinki.
Of these four, the bookmakers’ favorite is the Polish team. You can bet that he will reach the final phase of Euro 2024 at odds of 2.10. During the qualifying phase, the Poles fired Fernanda Santos from the position of coach. Michal Probez was later appointed to this position. The Polish team did not qualify directly because it only achieved third place in the group. She scored 11 points, while the Albanian and Czech Republic teams scored 15 each.
wales team
Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
If you bet on Wales to win the mini-tournament and they win, your winnings will be multiplied by 2.50. The Welsh also finished the qualifying round in third place in the group. They scored 12 points, behind Turkey (17) and Croatia (16). The Welsh competed in both Euro 2016 and Euro 2020. In both cases they reached the playoffs and in the French tournament they even reached the semifinals.
Finland’s odds of qualifying for the Euros are 6.00 and bookmakers estimate Estonia’s odds at 45.00. If the Estonians make it to the Euro, it will be a real miracle, something I still can’t believe. The Finns participated in the Euro 2021, but this time it will be very difficult to get a ticket. The winner of Route A will play the Euro Cup in the same group as Holland, Austria and France.
Path B
Israel is the highest-rated team in this quartet. They will face Iceland in the semifinals, a match scheduled in Budapest. The other pair consisted of teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine. The winner of the second semi-final will advance to the final. If it is Ukraine, the match will be played in Poland.
According to bookmakers, the Ukrainian team has a greater chance of traveling to Germany. The odds of a team winning the mini-tournament are 2.10. The Ukrainians found themselves in a rather difficult qualifying group, where they finished third. And if they were six points behind the British, they only lost to Italy in terms of additional indicators. And if the referee had awarded a penalty in the last qualifying match, Ukraine could have qualified directly for the European Championship.
israel national team
Photo: David Balogh/Getty Images
Bosnia’s chances of winning are estimated at 4.20, Israel – 4.50 and Iceland – 6.00. In total, these three teams only have one trip to the European Championship. In 2016, the Icelanders surprised everyone when they reached the quarterfinals, while eliminating the England team. Israel and Bosnia have never played in the European Championship finals. Ukraine, in turn, can advance to the fourth consecutive European Championship. The winner of Route B will be in the same group as Belgium, Slovakia and Romania.
The match between Ukraine and Italy ended in a referee scandal:
Italy did not allow Ukraine to qualify for Euro 2024. But the match ended in a refereeing scandal.
Path C
The highest score of this quartet does not go to the Greek team, as one might assume, but to Georgia. For this reason, they will play the semi-finals at home against the lowest ranked rival: Luxembourg. The other pair was Greece and Kazakhstan (the match will be played in Athens). The final will be played on the field of the winner of the Georgia-Luxembourg pair.
The Greek team is the favorite of the four according to the betting houses. You can bet on their entry into the Euro Cup with an odds of 2.50. In the 21st century, the Greeks reached the Euro Cup three times in a row (2004, 2008, 2012), but the following two editions were played without them. This time the Greek team found itself in a rather difficult qualifying group. They did not qualify directly for the Euro Cup, as they missed France and Holland.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (left) – one of the leaders of the Georgian team
Photo: José Bretón/Getty Images
What about the chances of the other three teams? The coefficient for the passage of Georgia is 3.00, Luxembourg – 5.00, Kazakhstan – 11.00. None of these teams have played in the Euro Cup before. Both Kazakhstan and Luxembourg performed well in the selection. Until the end, Magomed Adiev’s team claimed a direct ticket to Euro 2024, but fell short. And Luxembourg scored 17 points in its group, but did not surpass third place. The winner of Route C will play the Euro Cup in a quartet with Turkey, Portugal and the Czech Republic.
Interview with one of the leaders of the Kazakhstan national team:
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