Not too long ago, we reached the final Euro 2024 Qualifying Campaign set of matches, Matchday 9 and 10 and after that, we knew the identity of 21 of the 24 teams that will compete in the tournament across Germany this summer.
Hosts Germany were joined by the 10 Group Winners and the same number of group runner’s up while a further 12 teams would have a second chance to qualify via the Euro 2024 Finals Playoffs in March 2024.
All the major nations in Europe made it through, which is very much what UEFA wanted and that meant that a couple of weeks after the final Qualifying campaign games, we headed to Hamburg in Germany for the Group Stage draw of the finals next summer.
The three teams qualifying from the playoffs were given a Placeholder spot in the draw, Playoff Winner Path A, Path B and Path C, while the other 21 teams were allocated into one of four pots with the Playoff winners allocated into Pot D.
So before we take a look at the draw, let’s take a closer look at the playoffs and what is in store.
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Euro 2024 Finals – Playoffs
The final three qualifiers for the tournament will be decided in March 2024. Then six semi-final games (2 for each of the three Paths) will take place on the 21st March, with the two winners of each Path Semifinal tie playing a final game on the 26th.
The winner of the Final, qualifies for Germany 2024.
Teams qualified by the playoffs via their Nations League ranking, combined with the fact they failed to qualify from the Qualifying campaign outright.
Here’s how the 12 teams were allocated into each of the three Paths. A separate draw was made to determine which of the two semi-final games would see the victor host the final and these are indicated in brackets below.
Path A
21st March 2024
- Poland v Estonia
- Wales v Finland
26th March 2024
- Wales/Finland v Poland/Estonia
Path B
21st March 2024
- Israel v Iceland
- Bosnia & Herzegovina v Ukraine
26th March 2024
- Ukraine/Bosnia Herzegovina v Israel/Iceland
Path C
21st March 2024
- Georgia v Luxembourg
- Greece v Kazakhstan
26th March 2024
- Georgia/Luxembourg v Greece/Kazakhstan
Bet365 Sport is already offering betting on the Playoffs and who will win through with the favourites and betting for each Path as follows:
- Path A – Poland (Evens), Wales (6/4), Finland (11/2), Estonia (40/1)
- Path B – Ukraine (Evens), Israel, Bosnia Herzegovina (7/2), Iceland (9/2)
- Path C – Greece (11/10), Georgia (2/1), Luxembourg (7/2), Kazakhstan (10/1)
The winning team will then take on the position in the group and the fixtures for each group occupied by their placeholder as shown in the full draw, which we have outlined below complete with all the fixtures for each group including dates, kick off times (UK and venue.
Euro 2024 Finals – Group Stage Draw
A host of former Footballing stars from across Europe were in attendance in the north German city of Hamburg to help out with the draw for the 6 groups of four teams to compete across the country in the summer of 2024.
The first group contained six seeded teams with hosts Germany already allocated a spot in Group A, position A1, ensuring they would kick off the tournament on the opening night in Munich.
They were joined in the top pot by France, England, Spain, Portugal and Belgium as the top seeds. The remaining teams were allocated into one of the other four pots, depending on their qualification performance.
Here’s how the draw turned out.
Group A
- Germany
- Scotland
- Hungary
- Switzerland
Fixtures
14th June
- Germany v Scotland (8pm) – Allianz Arena, Munich
15th June
- Hungary v Switzerland (2pm) – RheinEnergie Stadion, Cologne
19th June
- Germany v Hungary (5pm) – MHP Arena, Stuttgart
- Scotland v Switzerland (8pm) – RheinEnergie Stadion, Cologne
23rd June
- Switzerland v Germany (8pm) – Waldstadion, Frankfurt
- Scotland v Hungary (8pm) – MHP Arena, Stuttgart
Scotland will have the honour of being Germany’s opponents in the opening game of the European Championships next summer. The Scots also kicked things off at France 98 when facing Brazil, so they have been in this situation before. It’s a tough group though with Hungary one of the most improved sides in Europe over the last few years, while Switzerland are always tough to beat. If the Scots can somehow take four points from this group, then they may be in with a chance of qualifying for the knockout phase.
Group B
- Spain
- Croatia
- Italy
- Albania
Fixtures
15th June 2024
- Spain v Croatia (5pm) – Olympiastadion, Berlin
- Italy v Albania (8pm) – Westfalenstadion, Dortmund
19th June 2024
- Croatia v Albania (2pm) – Volksparkstadion, Hamburg
20th June 2024
- Spain v Italy (8pm) – Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen
24th June 2024
- Albania v Spain (8pm) – Menkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf
- Croatia v Italy (8pm) – Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
What a group this is. Albania will be the rank outsiders as they face three of the top teams in World Football but beyond that, any of the other three teams could win this group, or even be eliminated. I feel playing Albania first will be a benefit for Italy as they can get points on the board. But the games between these three teams will decide the outlook of the group and who qualifies in what position could be as intriguing as the games themselves.
Group C
- Slovenia
- Denmark
- Serbia
- England
Fixtures
16th June 2024
- Slovenia v Denmark (5pm) – MHP Arena, Stuttgart
- Serbia v England (8pm) – Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen
20th June 2024
- Slovenia v Serbia (2pm) – Allianz Arena, Munich
- Denmark v England (5pm) – Waldstadion, Frankfurt
25th June 2024
- England v Slovenia (8pm) – RheinEnergie Stadion, Cologne
- Denmark v Serbia (8pm) – Allianz Arena, Munich
England boss Gareth Southgate will be wary of some tricky opponents in Group D with Denmark likely to be the sternest. The Danes though are not on a level that they were in the Euro 2020 tournament and I can see England taking at least 7 points in this group. Serbia may be the surprise package here and if they can get something against Denmark, they could finish second.
Group D
- Path A Winner (Wales, Finland, Poland, or Estonia)
- Netherlands
- Austria
- France
Fixtures
16th June 2024
- Path A Winner v Netherlands (2pm) – Volksparkstadion, Hamburg
17th June 2024
- Austria v France (8pm) – Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf
21st June 2024
- Path A Winner v Austria (5pm) – Olympiastadion, Berlin
- Netherlands v France (8pm) – Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
25th June 2024
- Netherlands v Austria (5pm) – Olympiastadion, Berlin
- France v Path A Winner (5pm) – Westfalenstadion, Dortmund
This for me is one of the most intriguing groups. France are obviously the class act here and they will start as favourites not just for the group, but for the tournament. But the Netherlands are no pushovers and Austria are starting to develop into a dangerous team. Add potentially Wales or Poland into the mix and we have plenty of scope for some surprise results here. Though I think France will qualify as group winners.
Group E
- Belgium
- Slovakia
- Romania
- Path B Winner (Israel, Iceland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, or Ukraine)
Fixtures
17th June 2024
- Romania v Path B Winner (2pm) – Allianz Arena, Munich
- Belgium v Slovakia (5pm) – Waldstadion, Frankfurt
21st June 2024
- Slovakia v Path B Winner (2pm) – Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf
22nd June 2024
- Belgium v Romania (8pm) – RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne
26th June 2024
- Slovakia v Romania (5pm) – Waldstadion, Frankfurt
- Path B Winner v Belgium (5pm) – MHP Arena, Stuttgart
You won’t see too many Belgium fans unhappy with this draw. Path B winner could be Ukraine which would be the toughest test out of the four playoff teams, but even so, you’d expect Belgium to come through this group, perhaps with a full 9 points. After that though, things are very open and it could well be that Path B winner that finishes second.
Group F
- Turkey
- Path C Winner (Georgia, Luxembourg, Greece, or Kazakhstan)
- Portugal
- Czech Republic
Fixtures
18th June 2024
- Turkey v Path C Winner (5pm) – Westfalenstadion, Dortmund
- Portugal v Czechia (8pm) – Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
22nd June 2024
- Path C Winner v Czechia (2pm) – Volksparkstadion, Hamburg
- Turkey v Portugal (5pm) – Westfalenstadion, Dortmund
26th June 2024
- Path C Winner v Portugal (8pm) – Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen
- Czechia v Turkey (8pm) – Volksparkstadion, Hamburg
Portugal gained maximum points with 10 wins from 10 in qualifying and they could continue that run here in a favourable group for them. Turkey and Czechia will be tricky but I can’t see them troubling Portugal and the Path C winner will be the weakest of the playoff qualifiers meaning Turkey and Czechia will fancy their chances of qualifying too.
Who Qualifies for the Knockout Phase of Euro 2024?
In each group the top two teams at the end of the games will qualify for the Knockout Phase of the tournament.
Additionally, the four third place teams in the groups with the best record when compared against each other, will also qualify for the last 16 too.
We will bring you lots more about Euro 2024 as we close in on the start of the tournament in mid-June next year, so stay tuned for news and details of one of the biggest sports events of 2024!
