53 nations entered, two qualified per pool, a play-off phase… All you need to know about the playoff system

24 tickets to distribute. The Euro 2024 qualifiers begin on Thursday March 23, with the first meetings of the qualifying groups drawn by lot last October. If Germany is already guaranteed to participate thanks to its host status, and Russia is still suspended due to the invasion of Ukraine, the other 53 nations registered with UEFA will compete for the remaining places. over the next few months.

The first two of each group (composed of five or six teams) will qualify directly for the final phase of the Euro. Opposed to the Netherlands, Greece, Ireland and Gibraltar, France could thus be fixed by November 2023 if it is one of the twenty or so lucky ones.

Play-offs based on the results of the League of Nations

For the remaining three tickets, 12 nations will be offered one last chance to see Germany. Designated according to the results of the last Nations League, these teams will face each other in a play-off in March 2024. The 12 group winners of divisions A, B and C of the 2022 edition of the Nations League will have priority to compete this final phase. If the qualification of one of these teams is already recorded via the classic playoffs, it will be replaced by the highest ranked nation in its division (A, B or C always) which has not yet qualified. Finally, ifthere are not enough unqualified teams in the same division, so vacancies will be filled by teams from a lower division.

Despite a disappointing League of Nations campaign in 2022 at the end of which they only narrowly avoided relegation to League B, the Blues would therefore have a good chance of being cast in these play-offs if they did not succeed. not qualify from the knockout stage. These play-offs will be contested in the form of three independent mini-competitions with semi-finals and a final. The three winners will then compose the last tickets for the final phase of Euro 2024.