Euro 2020 qualifying begins in 2019. Find out when the draw takes place, who is seeded and when the matches will be.
When is the draw?
The draw for Euro 2020 qualifying will take place at 11 a.m. GMT, 6 a.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 2 at the Convention Centre in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
Who will be seeded and what are the draw pots?
The final draw pots will not be known until UEFA Nations League qualifying is completed on Tuesday.
Pot UNL contains the four UEFA Nations League finalists. They are placed in their own pot as they must be in a five-team qualifying group, which leaves the June 2019 qualifying dates free to play the finals.
This is what we know right now.
Pot UNL: England, Portugal, Switzerland, Netherlands,
Pot 1: Belgium, Croatia, France, Italy, Spain, 1 TBC
Pot 2: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, Wales, 1 TBC
Pot 3: Finland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, 3 TBC
Pot 4: Albania, Cyprus, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Montenegro, Slovenia, 2 TBC
Pot 5: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Gibraltar, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, 1 TBC
Pot 6: Andorra, Latvia, Liechtenstein, San Marino, 1 TBC
How is the seeding decided?
It is based on UEFA Nations League performance, with the nations ranked from 1 to 55 on position within each League and total points.
The winners of the UEFA Nations League will be seed No. 1, with the fourth-placed team No. 4.
Second-placed teams in League A are ranked 5-8, and third-placed teams 9-12. This continues down through all four leagues.
The teams are then divided into a UNL pot, and six other pots.
How many teams are in each group?
There will be five groups of five nations, and five groups of six.
How many teams qualify?
24 – 20 automatically and four through the playoff system.
The top two teams in each group qualify automatically. There are no playoff places awarded through the usual qualifying path. These are allocated solely on UEFA Nations League performance to teams who do not qualify directly.
When will the games be played?
The match dates in 2019 are as follows:
March 21-23
March 24-26
June 7-8
June 10-11
September 5-7
September 8-10
October 10-12
October 13-15
November 14-16
November 17-19
So how do the Euro 2020 playoffs work?
This is where it gets a little confusing. In its purest form, the winners of all 16 groups across the four UEFA Nations League levels will go to the playoffs, which will take place in March 2020. One nation from each League will qualify, meaning we will see at least one team from the weaker Leagues C and D at Euro 2020.
However, 20 teams will qualify automatically.
When a group winner has already qualified for the Euros, the next best-ranked team in that League takes the place. This does not mean the second-placed team in that same group automatically gets the place. It will go to the second-placed team in that League with the best record (points, then goal difference).
The playoffs will be filled up beginning with League D, going through to League A.
As Leagues C and D have the weakest nations it is almost certain that these playoff paths will be composed of teams from that particular League. This is because it is very unlikely that fewer than four teams from these two Leagues will fail to qualify automatically.
Then we come onto Leagues A and B. With 20 teams qualifying automatically, and 24 teams in the strongest two Leagues, it is highly probable that most, if not all, nations that qualify direct to Euro 2020 will come from here. It also means that eight teams in League C may well get a playoff, due to the need to fill up empty places in the paths for Leagues A and B.
Once UEFA has gone from League D to A and tried to fill up the playoffs, it will know how many more teams it needs to find to complete the 16 playoff slots. These will be filled using the 1-55 UEFA Nations League rankings, as noted earlier, taking the highest-ranked team(s) yet to qualify or be assigned a playoff place.
If a League playoff contains a group winner, but fewer than four teams from that League, the playoff path cannot be completed by team(s) from a higher League. So if League B only has three teams who need a playoff, but one of those teams is a group winner, it must be filled up with a team from League C.
Once the additional nations have been selected they will be drawn into a spare place in a League. The draw would not be necessary if UEFA only has to fill up one empty position.
The playoffs will be played on March 26-28 and 29-31 in 2020, just a few months before the finals themselves.
The best-ranked team in the playoff path will be at home to the fourth-ranked team, and the second-best ranked team will host the third-best. The home team in the final from the two semifinals will be drawn in November 2019 and will not be based on ranking. Both games are one-off matches, and not two-legged.
Who is guaranteed a playoff?
The following teams are assured of a playoff should they not qualify automatically.
League A: England, Portugal, Switzerland, 1 TBC
League B: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Ukraine, 1 TBC
League C: Finland, Serbia, 2 TBC
League D: Georgia, Belarus, 2 TBC
When is Euro 2020 and where is it played?
The finals will be hosted across Europe for this edition of the European Championship, running from June 12 to July 12.
Group A: Stadio Olimpico, Rome (Italy) and Olympic Stadium, Baku (Azerbaijan)
Group B: Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg (Russia) and Parken Stadium, Copenhagen (Denmark)
Group C: Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Arena Naționala, Bucharest (Romania)
Group D: Wembley Stadium, London (England) and Hampden Park, Glasgow (Scotland)
Group E: San Mames, Bilbao (Spain) and Aviva Stadium, Dublin (Republic of Ireland)
Group F: Allianz Arena, Munich (Germany) and Ferenc Puskas Stadium, Budapest (Hungary)
Round of 16: Wembley Stadium, London (England), Parken Stadium, Copenhagen (Denmark), Arena Naționala, Bucharest (Romania), Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam (Netherlands), Aviva Stadium, Dublin (Republic of Ireland), San Mames, Bilbao (Spain), Ferenc Puskas Stadium, Budapest (Hungary), Hampden Park, Glasgow (Scotland)
Quarterfinals: Allianz Arena, Munich (Germany), Olympic Stadium, Baku (Azerbaijan), Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stadio Olimpico, Rome (Italy)
Semifinals and final: Wembley Stadium, London (England)