The UEFA EURO 2024 tournament will feature 24 teams, creating an exciting competition across Europe. With Germany automatically qualified as hosts, 23 spots were open for qualification. Many fans are curious about the qualification paths, particularly regarding third-place teams in the qualifying groups. This article breaks down the EURO 2024 qualification process to clarify how teams secured their places in the final tournament.
The primary route to EURO 2024 was through the qualifying group stage. Fifty-three national teams were divided into ten groups following the qualifying draw in Frankfurt on October 9, 2022. These groups consisted of seven groups of five teams and three groups of six teams. The crucial point to understand is that only the top two teams from each of these groups automatically qualified for EURO 2024. This means that after all the qualifying matches were played, a total of 20 teams earned direct qualification by finishing first or second in their respective groups.
Here’s a reminder of the EURO 2024 qualifying groups:
Group A: Spain, Scotland, Norway, Georgia, Cyprus
Group B: Netherlands, France, Republic of Ireland, Greece, Gibraltar
Group C: Italy, England, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Malta
Group D: Croatia, Wales, Armenia, Türkiye, Latvia
Group E: Poland, Czechia, Albania, Faroe Islands, Moldova
Group F: Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Estonia
Group G: Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Lithuania
Group H: Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland, San Marino
Group I: Switzerland, Israel, Romania, Kosovo, Belarus, Andorra
Group J: Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Liechtenstein
Therefore, to directly answer the question of How Many 3rd Place Teams Qualify In Euro: zero third-placed teams from the qualifying groups automatically qualify for the UEFA European Championship. Finishing third in a qualifying group does not guarantee a spot in the tournament through the standard qualification process.
However, there is a secondary qualification path available for some teams: the play-offs. Three additional spots at EURO 2024 were determined through a play-off system linked to the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League. This play-off mechanism provided a second chance for teams that did not finish in the top two of their qualifying groups.
The play-offs involved twelve teams selected based on their performance in the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League. Typically, these spots were allocated to the group winners from Leagues A, B, and C of the Nations League. However, if any of these Nations League group winners had already qualified for EURO 2024 through the group stage, their play-off place was passed down to the next best-ranked team in their Nations League league that had not yet qualified. This cascading system ensured that the play-offs were comprised of high-performing teams from the Nations League who still needed to secure EURO qualification.
Key EURO 2024 Qualification Dates:
To keep track of the timeline, here are the crucial dates for the EURO 2024 qualification process:
Qualifying Match Dates:
- 23-25/03/2023 Matchday 1
- 26-28/03/2023 Matchday 2
- 16-17/06/2023 Matchday 3
- 19-20/06/2023 Matchday 4
- 07-09/09/2023 Matchday 5
- 10-12/09/2023 Matchday 6
- 12-14/10/2023 Matchday 7
- 15-17/10/2023 Matchday 8
- 16-18/11/2023 Matchday 9
- 19-21/11/2023 Matchday 10
Play-off Match Dates:
- 21/03/2024 Play-off semi-finals
- 26/03/2024 Play-off finals
Final Tournament Dates:
- 14/06/2024 UEFA EURO 2024 finals opener
- 14/07/2024 UEFA EURO 2024 final
In summary, the EURO 2024 qualification process primarily rewards the top performers in the qualifying group stage, with the first and second-place teams advancing directly. While third-place finishers do not automatically qualify, the play-off path, based on Nations League performance, offers a separate route to the final tournament for a select number of teams. Understanding this structure clarifies how the 24 participating teams were ultimately determined for EURO 2024 in Germany.
