Euro 2020 qualifiers

[mistermagic]

Was made today. France were drawn with Iceland, Turkey, Albania, Moldova and Andorra. The top two qualify automatically and the play-offs is a big fat conundrum with Nations League group winners guaranteed to make a play-off. Not sure how it'll work but we will have a draw this time next year not knowing 4 of the teams to qualify for the tournament. Strange that.

Clearly this tournament is going to be all over the place...

 

[JJ1532]

Pipped by MM, who posted as I was typing this out.

Groups for the teams involved in the Nations League next summer smaller, means England will only play 8 games rather than 10. Not a bad draw with the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Kosovo in Group A. Some interesting games in there, including a couple they haven't faced in a while. First time against the Czech's in over 10 years, plus the first time they will have played them competitively since they split from Slovakia. Also first time in 8 years that they'll face Bulgaria. They'll also face debutants Kosovo, who are entering the running for a Euro tournament for the first time. Montenegro will be a tricky one, especially on their own patch.

They should make short work of this lot. Hopefully anyway.

Looking unlikely any of the home nations will join them, bar Wales possibly. The Republic of Ireland, in McCarthy's 2 year cameo as boss, have to get past Denmark and Switzerland. Tricky.

Northern Ireland have very little hope, given they are in a group with Germany and the Netherlands. Wales have an interesting group, but I'd back them to finish 2nd. As for Scotland, I don't know whats going on with them. They'll probably not finish ahead of Belgium in their group, but could pip Russia. But it also says they are assured of a play-off spot regardless of where they finish, so they have that fall back it seems.

 

[Gassy]

Don't the 4 best 3rd place finishes qualify/have play offs as well?

Would be a shame if only England & Wales made the Euros.

Definitely looking to go to Czech away - I'm 4 hours from Prague so that will be awesome. Prague is a cracking city.

Group E is literally perfect for me too. The GF is Croatian so I naturally will have them as my 2nd team, whilst living in Slovakia will mean I'll follow them too. Slovakia Vs Hungary will also be a good game, bit of rivalry there with Budapest only 2 hours from Bratislava. I'll definitely go to the SK Vs Wales game too.

Pretty hard not to go to any games when this is the view from my balcony of the new national stadium that will open this month:

 

[Super_horns]

England should not have to worry about the play offs then ..

Tough on NI.

 

[Etienne Vermeer]

Don't the 4 best 3rd place finishes qualify/have play offs as well?

Would be a shame if only England & Wales made the Euros.

Definitely looking to go to Czech away - I'm 4 hours from Prague so that will be awesome. Prague is a cracking city.

Group E is literally perfect for me too. The GF is Croatian so I naturally will have them as my 2nd team, whilst living in Slovakia will mean I'll follow them too. Slovakia Vs Hungary will also be a good game, bit of rivalry there with Budapest only 2 hours from Bratislava. I'll definitely go to the SK Vs Wales game too.

Pretty hard not to go to any games when this is the view from my balcony of the new national stadium that will open this month:

View attachment 10020View attachment 10020

Looks great! I'm super jealous you're close to everywhere, heck my nearest big cities are all 3-4 away (Boston, NY, Montreal) haha. No, Albany doesn't count.

 

[Dirk]

Don't the 4 best 3rd place finishes qualify/have play offs as well?

Yes, this will be the case if one of the 4 already qualified countries through the Nations League playoffs, reaches either #1 or #2 in the Euro qualifiers, then the 3rd placed team of this group qualifies too.

So the Dutch again, eh? Anyway, either #1 or #2 should be possible in our group.

 

[Gassy]

Looks great! I'm super jealous you're close to everywhere, heck my nearest big cities are all 3-4 away (Boston, NY, Montreal) haha. No, Albany doesn't count.

All driving - 45 mins from Vienna, 2 hours from Budapest, 4 hours from Ljubljana, 4 hours from Prague, 4 hours from Kraków, 5 hours from Zagreb, 5 hours from Munich

Life could be worse!

 

[AFCB_Mark]

Decent group for England. If we're going to be blooding new players in over the next 2 years, then you want opposition who should be beatable but aren't a walk over, and will provide a test. The Czechs, Bulgaria, and Montenegro all fit that description for me. Especially away, they will be a good learning curve.

 

[Bobbin']

Scotland really are embarrassing, getting humped 3-0 in Kazakhstan.

That said, population of Scotland is 5m and Kazakhstan’s is 18m so was to be expected, amirite St. Juste ?

 

[GodsGift]

Fair play to Scotland, losing 3-0 to Kazakhstan is some achievement.

I guess their population is three times that of Scotland, so it's to be expected...

 

[GodsGift]

Scotland really are embarrassing, getting humped 3-0 in Kazakhstan.

That said, population of Scotland is 5m and Kazakhstan’s is 18m so was to be expected, amirite St. Juste ?

Fucks sake

 

[Bobbin']

Fucks sake

Had that saved in my drafts for months, waiting for this day!

 

[GodsGift]

Had that saved in my drafts for months, waiting for this day!

We only got to the semis of the World Cup cos' of our easy fixtures apparently. If only Scotland could manage to win their easy games, they might have half a chance of qualifying for something

 

[SF_]

Scotland, you are such a gift.

 

[Gassy]

Fucking hell

But remember, they beat Croatia 10 years ago

 

[Chris FGR]

Tbf Kazakhstan has a 12 million bigger population then Scotland, so you can't expect them to be able to compete.

Plus the Kazakhs are a bit too tall for all the Wee Scots, and it was a plastic pitch. Also they're already in the Nations League playoffs so don't really give a fuck about these qualifiers anyway. Or something.

 

[Gassy]

 

[SF_]

Losing 3-0 to a team that has to take tablets at half time for radiation poisoning.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

At this point it seems very unlikely that Euro 2020 is going to happen.