England has successfully navigated the group stage of Euro 2024 and secured their place in the coveted round of 16. As Group C winners, anticipation was high to discover their opponent for the next crucial phase of the tournament. The path to the Euro 2024 16 Round is uniquely structured, relying on a pre-determined grid set by UEFA to decide matchups based on which third-placed teams advance from the group stage.
This intricate system means that the opponents for the top teams in Groups B, C, E, and F in the round of 16 are drawn from the four best third-placed finishers. Crucially, the ranking of the third-placed team doesn’t influence their allocation; it is solely determined by the pre-established grid. Heading into the final group games, England’s potential rivals were narrowed down to teams from Group E or the Netherlands.
Ultimately, England’s round of 16 matchup is set against Slovakia, who finished third in Group E. However, the journey to this confirmation was filled with potential twists and turns, particularly as Group F concluded. Hungary, from Group A, initially occupied the last qualifying spot for a third-placed team. According to the UEFA grid, this scenario would have paired England against the Netherlands.
But the drama of Euro 2024 unfolded as Georgia, a team making their debut in a major tournament and ranked 74th in the FIFA World Rankings, delivered a stunning upset by defeating Portugal. This unexpected victory propelled Georgia above Hungary, securing their place in the round of 16 and altering the landscape of potential matchups.
The composition of third-placed qualifiers ultimately came from Groups C (Slovenia), D (Netherlands), E (Slovakia), and F (Georgia), designated as CDEF in UEFA’s grid system. Groups A (Hungary) and B (Croatia) saw their third-placed teams eliminated, solidifying the CDEF configuration.
According to the UEFA grid for the CDEF scenario, the Euro 2024 16 round matchups for third-placed teams were defined as follows:
CDEF
England vs. Slovakia
Spain vs. Georgia
Portugal vs. Slovenia
Romania vs. Netherlands
Had Georgia not achieved their remarkable victory against Portugal, the group allocation would have shifted to ACDE. In this alternate scenario, the matchups would have been different.
ACDE
England vs. Netherlands
Spain vs. Slovakia
Portugal vs. Hungary
Romania vs. Slovenia
Prior to the final group games, the possibility of England facing either a team from Group E or the Netherlands was very real. In fact, at one point, it appeared England were on course to face the Dutch.
The final composition of qualified third-placed teams for the ACDE scenario was projected to be from Groups A (Hungary), C (Slovenia), D (Netherlands), and E (Slovakia), with Groups B (Croatia) and F missing out. This ACDE designation dictates a different set of round of 16 pairings based on UEFA’s pre-tournament grid.
