Who's in, who's out? Breaking down Euro 2024 qualifying, playoffs, draws

The Euro 2024 puzzle is nearly complete.

The 20 automatic qualifying berths for next summer’s tournament were finalized on Tuesday, as Croatia grabbed the last of those spots, solidifying second place in Group D via a 1-0 victory over Armenia.

With Germany qualifying directly as the host nation, only three spots remain undecided. Twelve teams are now slated to compete in the qualifying playoffs, set for March 2024, to determine who’ll round out the field.

In the wake of Tuesday’s action – and looking ahead to the tournament draw – here’s everything you need to know about Euro 2024 right now.

Which teams have qualified automatically?

As outlined above, 21 of the 24 tournament berths are accounted for; the top two teams from each of the 10 qualifying groups earned progression, joining Germany. Here are the nations that can sit back and relax knowing their tickets are booked for next year’s event:

• Spain (first in Group A)
• Scotland (second in Group A)
• France (first in Group B)
• Netherlands (second in Group B)
• England (first in Group C)
• Italy (second in Group C)
• Turkey (first in Group D)
• Croatia (second in Group D)
• Albania (first in Group E)
• Czechia (second in Group E)
• Belgium (first in Group F)
• Austria (second in Group F)
• Hungary (first in Group G)
• Serbia (second in Group G)
• Denmark (first in Group H)
• Slovenia (second in Group H)
• Romania (first in Group I)
• Switzerland (second in Group I)
• Portugal (first in Group J)
• Slovakia (second in Group J)

Who will take part in the playoffs?

As was the case for Euro 2020, the qualification playoff spots for the upcoming tournament were based exclusively on teams’ performances in the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.

The 12 teams that have reached the playoffs are split into three sections – Paths A, B, and C – and will compete in four-team tournaments. These will all be single-elimination games, with six semifinal matches scheduled for March 21, 2024, and the decisive finals in each path taking place on March 26.

The three path winners advance to Euro 2024. The main tournament draw will already be completed by this time – more on that soon – meaning the final three qualifiers will already know which group they’ll be slotted into.

The playoff paths, seeding, and semifinal matchups are as follows:

Path A: Poland (1) vs. Estonia (4), Wales (2) vs. Finland/Ukraine/Iceland (3)

Path B: Israel (1) vs. Ukraine/Iceland (4), Bosnia and Herzegovina (2) vs. Finland/Ukraine (3)

Path C: Georgia (1) vs. Luxembourg (4), Greece (2) vs. Kazakhstan (3)

A draw on Thursday, Nov. 23 at 6 a.m. ET will determine the placement of Finland, Ukraine, and Iceland while also deciding which semifinal winners will host the respective finals for each path.

Who missed the tournament completely?

Premier League stars Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard will be watching another major international tournament from home as Norway once again failed to qualify. Other notable sides to miss out include Sweden and Ireland.

When is the main tournament draw?

The draw for the tournament proper will take place on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany; Hamburg is one of the host cities for the competition. The draw begins at noon ET.

How will teams be seeded for the draw?

Seeding for the Euro 2024 draw is based on the teams’ performance in qualifying, and, according to Dale Johnson of ESPN, breaks down as follows:

• Pot 1: Germany, Portugal, France, Belgium, Spain, England
• Pot 2: Hungary, Turkey, Denmark, Albania, Romania, Austria
• Pot 3: Netherlands, Scotland, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czechia
• Pot 4: Italy, Serbia, Switzerland, Playoff A, Playoff B, Playoff C

Germany gets an automatic place in Pot 1 as the tournament host and is joined by the five group winners from qualifying with the best records. The remaining group winners go into Pot 2, along with the best runners-up. The final two pots are based on how many points the remaining teams collected in qualifying, with the three playoff winners slotting into Pot 4.

Reigning European champion Italy assumes an unfamiliar place in Pot 4 after a nervy qualifying campaign and, in theory, will be forced to navigate a loaded group as it looks to defend its title. With the likes of the Azzurri, the Netherlands, and Croatia in Pots 3 and 4, there’ll almost certainly be some heavyweight encounters sprinkled in amongst the six groups.

Euro 2024 kicks off on June 14 of next year. Germany will take part in the opening match at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena.

The top two teams from each of the six groups, along with the four best third-placed finishers, advance to the knockout stages, where every game is single elimination, starting with the round of 16 through to the final.

The showpiece match will be held at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on July 14.