The draw for the EURO 2020 playoffs has been made and some intriguing clashes have been lined up for March.
With 20 of the 24 teams already qualified for the tournament next summer, 16 teams remain in the hunt for the final four places.
Okay, so here’s how it works:
- Each team will play in a one-legged semifinal match on Mar. 26
- The winners of each semifinal in their path will meet in the final on Mar. 31, with the winner of that game qualifying for the EURO 2020 finals
Path A is loaded with tough teams, as Iceland and Hungary both qualified for EURO 2016, and Romania were pretty decent during qualifying as they narrowly lost out on automatic qualification. The winner of this path will go into either Group A/D for the finals tournament.
In Path B there is the potential for a Northern Ireland v. Republic of Ireland final in Belfast, but both sides face tricky away tests in the semifinals first. The winner of Path B will be placed in Group E of the finals tournament alongside Spain.
Path C sees Scotland host Israel in Glasgow in their semifinal, but the winner of that game will be the heavy underdogs to face either Norway or Serbia in the final away from home. Whichever team prevails from Path C will be placed in Group D alongside England.
Kosovo seem like the frontrunners in Path D as all four teams have never qualified for a European Championships so we will have a new team in action next summer. The winner of this path will go into either Group A/D for the finals tournament.
Below is a look at the how the paths have been lined up, and which winners of the semifinals will host the finals.
Path A
Match 1: Iceland v. Romania
Match 2: Bulgaria v. Hungary
Final: Match 2 winner v. Match 1 winner
Path B
Match 1: Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Northern Ireland
Match 2: Slovakia v. Republic of Ireland
Final: Match 1 winner v. Match 2 winner
Path C
Match 1: Scotland v. Israel
Match 2: Norway v. Serbia
Final: Match 2 winner v. Match 1 winner
Path D
Match 1: Georgia v. Belarus
Match 2: North Macedonia v. Kosovo
Final: Match 1 winner v. Match 2 winner